Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 26, 1987

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 26, 1987
Start: 1987-05-26T15:10
End: 1987-05-26T17:10
Location: Iowa

May 26, 1987 · 11 events in 8 counties and zones

6 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 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: $5.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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

6 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: May 26, 3:10 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 17 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.250, -95.600

Tornado, Page

When: May 26, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Page County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.770, -95.370

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: May 26, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.450, -95.620

Tornado, Montgomery

When: May 26, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.980, -95.120

Tornado, Shelby

When: May 26, 3:44 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Rating: F1
Path length: 19 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.520, -95.450

Hail, Adair

When: May 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Adair County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.280, -94.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Adair

When: May 26, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Adair County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.300, -94.570

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: May 26, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.320, -95.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: May 26, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 42.020, -94.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: May 26, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.830, -94.120

Hail, Appanoose

When: May 26, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Appanoose County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.730, -92.870

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1987 Every state in 1987 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1987 Warnings in Iowa, May 1987

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: 10014363, 10014364, 10014365, 10014366, 10011805, 10011806, 10011807, 10011808, 10012020, 10012021, 10012022.