Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 13, 1974

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 13, 1974
Start: 1974-05-13T03:16
End: 1974-05-13T22:00
Location: Iowa

May 13, 1974 · 24 events in 14 counties and zones

10 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 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: 0
Property damage: $3.0 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

10 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail,

When: May 13, 3:16 AM CST
Where: County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.400, -96.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: May 13, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Woodbury County
Coordinates: 42.420, -96.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: May 13, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 41.620, -94.020

Hail, Polk

When: May 13, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.600, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: May 13, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Coordinates: 41.670, -93.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: May 13, 6:05 AM CST
Where: Story County
Coordinates: 42.030, -93.620

Hail, Polk

When: May 13, 6:10 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 41.730, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: May 13, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 41.700, -93.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: May 13, 6:35 AM CST
Where: Marshall County
Coordinates: 42.050, -92.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Tama

When: May 13, 6:50 AM CST
Where: Tama County
Coordinates: 41.970, -92.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Poweshiek

When: May 13, 6:55 AM CST
Where: Poweshiek County
Coordinates: 41.700, -92.550

Hail, Iowa

When: May 13, 7:20 AM CST
Where: Iowa County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 41.720, -92.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When: May 13, 7:20 AM CST
Where: Iowa County
Coordinates: 41.800, -92.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: May 13, 7:45 AM CST
Where: Benton County
Coordinates: 42.170, -92.030

Tornado, Montgomery

When: May 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.9 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.130, -95.070

Hail, Montgomery

When: May 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.130, -95.070

Hail, Polk

When: May 13, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 41.770, -93.720

Hail, Iowa

When: May 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Iowa County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.670, -92.000

Hail, Iowa

When: May 13, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Iowa County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.730, -92.300

Hail, Benton

When: May 13, 7:48 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.880, -91.850

Tornado, Des Moines

When: May 13, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Des Moines County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.900, -91.270

Tornado, Scott

When: May 13, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Rating: F1
Path width: 77 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.550, -90.700

Tornado, Des Moines

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Des Moines County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.000, -91.150

Tornado, Scott

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.620, -90.600

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: 10014497, 10014498, 10014499, 10014500, 10014501, 10014502, 10014503, 10014504, 10014505, 10014506, 10014507, 10014508, 10014509, 10014510, 10014511, 10015365, 10015366, 10015367, 10015581, 10015582, 10015583, 10015584, 10015585, 10015586.