Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, September 26, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, September 26, 1973
Start: 1973-09-26T00:15
End: 1973-09-26T03:00
Location: Iowa

September 26, 1973 · 7 events in 6 counties and zones

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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: 0
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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

4 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mills

When: September 26, 12:15 AM CST
Where: Mills County
Coordinates: 40.950, -95.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Pottawattamie

When: September 26, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Coordinates: 41.470, -95.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When: September 26, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll County
Coordinates: 41.870, -94.680

Tornado, Wright

When: September 26, 2:40 AM CST
Where: Wright County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.820, -93.800

Tornado, Hancock

When: September 26, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Hancock County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.070, -93.600

Tornado, Hancock

When: September 26, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Hancock County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.020, -93.580

Tornado, Cerro Gordo

When: September 26, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.970, -93.480

What these are

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

Every storm in Iowa in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The 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: 10014449, 10014450, 10014451, 10014452, 10014453, 10014454, 10014455.