Sioux City, IA Tornado History — 116 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sioux City, IA had?
Sioux City has had 116 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 8 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sioux City?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sioux City was an Unrated on April 16, 2024.
When is tornado season in Sioux City?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sioux City, with 38 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Sioux City
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 24 total, averaging 1.2 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Sioux City since December 29, 2025
These are 3 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Sioux City. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Sioux City
2 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Sioux City since 1950, across 1 event. 47 injuries have been reported across all events. 1973 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F2 on June 18, 1973, which caused 2 fatalities along a 2.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sioux City
About Tornadoes in Sioux City
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Woodbury County anchors the northwest corner of Iowa, where Sioux City spreads along the Missouri River at the point where Iowa meets Nebraska and South Dakota. The open river valley gives Gulf of Mexico moisture an unobstructed run northward each spring, and when that humid air collides with cold fronts and drier air sliding off the High Plains, the county's skies can turn severe quickly. The rhythm is seasonal: storm chances build through late spring, crest in early summer, and linger into midsummer before the pattern relaxes toward autumn.
The archive maintained by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center traces that rhythm across the decades around Sioux City. An F3 on May 6, 1964 carved a 67-mile track and injured 7 people, while an F2 on June 18, 1973 killed 2 and injured 10 along a path of about 2 miles. The F4 of July 28, 1986 stayed on the ground for 52.5 miles yet injured just 2. The season sometimes breaks its own script: an EF4 on October 4, 2013 grew to roughly 2,600 yards wide, and another EF4 followed on June 16, 2014. A brief tornado touched down on April 16, 2024, a reminder that the calendar here offers guidance rather than guarantees.