Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 10, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 10, 1981
Start: 1981-04-10T07:15
End: 1981-04-10T19:15
Location: Iowa

April 10, 1981 · NWS RY · 20 events in 11 counties and zones

15 hail, 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 9
Property damage: $5.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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

15 hail, 4 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Davis

When: April 10, 7:15 AM CST
Where: Davis County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.720, -92.550

Hail, Davis

When: April 10, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Davis County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.750, -92.420

Hail, Boone

When: April 10, 4:36 PM CST
Where: Boone County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 42.080, -93.850

Hail, Polk

When: April 10, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.630, -93.780

Hail, Polk

When: April 10, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 41.730, -93.720

Hail, Warren

When: April 10, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Warren County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 41.480, -93.680

Hail, Polk

When: April 10, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.530, -93.670

Hail, Story

When: April 10, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 42.180, -93.600

Hail, Story

When: April 10, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 41.880, -93.400

Tornado, Warren

When: April 10, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Warren County
Rating: F0
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.500, -93.550

Tornado, Marion

When: April 10, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F0
Path length: 8.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.470, -93.370

Tornado, Marshall

When: April 10, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.880, -93.170

Hail, Floyd

When: April 10, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Floyd County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.030, -92.700

Hail, Chickasaw

When: April 10, 6:19 PM CST
Where: Chickasaw County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 42.950, -92.530

Hail, Floyd

When: April 10, 6:21 PM CST
Where: Floyd County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.970, -92.870

Hail, Chickasaw

When: April 10, 6:38 PM CST
Where: Chickasaw County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.030, -92.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: April 10, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.400, -93.070

Hail, Warren

When: April 10, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Warren County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.370, -93.480

Tornado, Bremer

When: April 10, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Bremer County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.830, -92.100

Hail, Johnson

When: April 10, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Johnson County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 41.670, -91.550

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1981

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: 10014844, 10014845, 10014846, 10014847, 10014848, 10014849, 10014850, 10014851, 10014852, 10014853, 10014854, 10014855, 10014856, 10014857, 10014858, 10014859, 10014860, 10014861, 10014862, 10014863.