Iowa, 1980

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 18, 1980

August 18, 1980 · NWS NG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 tornado, 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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

2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
August 18, 9:06 PM CST
Where
Woodbury County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.400, -96.380

Tornado, Cherokee

When
August 18, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Cherokee County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.680, -95.630

Tornado, Emmet

When
August 18, 11:10 PM CST
Where
Emmet County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
43.250, -94.850

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

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1980Every state in 1980This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 1980

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: 10013664, 10013665, 10013666.