Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 18, 1974

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 18, 1974
Start: 1974-06-18T17:30
End: 1974-06-18T22:15
Location: Iowa

June 18, 1974 · 24 events in 13 counties and zones

16 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 4 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: 2
Injuries: 51
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

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

16 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Webster

When: June 18, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Webster County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 42.500, -94.180

Hail, Hamilton

When: June 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.470, -93.820

Hail, Hamilton

When: June 18, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 42.300, -93.650

Hail, Cerro Gordo

When: June 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 43.150, -93.200

Hail, Palo Alto

When: June 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Palo Alto County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.070, -94.630

Hail, Floyd

When: June 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Floyd County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.070, -92.700

Hail, Pocahontas

When: June 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Pocahontas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.880, -94.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Webster

When: June 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Webster County
Coordinates: 42.500, -94.180

Hail, Howard

When: June 18, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Howard County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 43.380, -92.120

Hail, Pocahontas

When: June 18, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Pocahontas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.730, -94.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: June 18, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Story County
Coordinates: 42.120, -93.650

Tornado, Webster

When: June 18, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Webster County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.500, -94.270

Hail, Webster

When: June 18, 7:52 PM CST
Where: Webster County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.580, -94.350

Tornado, Marshall

When: June 18, 8:01 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.100, -92.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: June 18, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Story County
Coordinates: 42.030, -93.620

Hail, Story

When: June 18, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.030, -93.620

Tornado, Story

When: June 18, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Story County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.950, -93.680

Hail, Story

When: June 18, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 42.020, -93.450

Hail, Hardin

When: June 18, 9:20 PM CST
Where: Hardin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.520, -93.270

Hail, Polk

When: June 18, 9:20 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.780, -93.480

Tornado, Polk

When: June 18, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15.3 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 50 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.730, -93.620

Hail, Polk

When: June 18, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.670, -93.430

Hail, Jasper

When: June 18, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.520, -93.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: June 18, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 41.470, -93.320

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

Every storm in Iowa in 1974 Every state in 1974 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1974

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: 10012279, 10012280, 10012281, 10012282, 10012283, 10012284, 10012285, 10012286, 10012287, 10012288, 10012289, 10012290, 10012291, 10012292, 10012293, 10012294, 10012295, 10012296, 10012297, 10012298, 10012299, 10012300, 10012301, 10012302.