Tornadoes in Iowa, May 9, 1959

Name: Tornadoes in Iowa, May 9, 1959
Start: 1959-05-09T18:15
End: 1959-05-09T19:10
Location: Iowa

May 9, 1959 · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

5 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $778,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Poweshiek

When: May 9, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Poweshiek County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.700, -92.600

Tornado, Keokuk

When: May 9, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Keokuk County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.200, -91.980

Tornado, Van Buren

When: May 9, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Rating: F3
Path width: 250 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.870, -91.780

Tornado, Jefferson

When: May 9, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 17.8 mi
Path width: 250 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.900, -91.770

Tornado, Tama

When: May 9, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Tama County
Rating: F2
Path width: 67 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.100, -92.400

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1959 Every state in 1959 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1959

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10019293, 10019294, 10019295, 10019296, 10019297.