Iowa, 1973

Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 16, 1973

June 16, 1973 · 15 events in 11 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 hail, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$300,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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

11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dubuque

When
June 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Dubuque County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.470, -90.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When
June 16, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.830, -90.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Appanoose

When
June 16, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Appanoose County
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
40.700, -92.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Appanoose

When
June 16, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Appanoose County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
40.900, -93.000

Tornado, Clarke

When
June 16, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Clarke County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.080, -93.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Wapello

When
June 16, 5:52 PM CST
Where
Wapello County
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Coordinates
41.100, -92.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When
June 16, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
40.700, -92.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When
June 16, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
40.600, -91.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When
June 16, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Polk County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.530, -93.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When
June 16, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Henry County
Coordinates
41.000, -91.600

Tornado, Des Moines

When
June 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Des Moines County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.820, -91.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When
June 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates
40.780, -91.120

Tornado, Black Hawk

When
June 16, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Black Hawk County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.320, -92.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Black Hawk

When
June 16, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Black Hawk County
Coordinates
42.500, -92.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When
June 16, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Coordinates
41.800, -90.420

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 1973

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: 10013334, 10013335, 10013336, 10013337, 10013338, 10013339, 10013340, 10013341, 10013342, 10013343, 10013344, 10013345, 10013346, 10013347, 10013348.