Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, July 15, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, July 15, 1988
Start: 1988-07-15T15:14
End: 1988-07-15T23:29
Location: Iowa

July 15, 1988 · 10 events in 6 counties and zones

5 tornado, 5 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: 88
Property damage: $75 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

5 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: July 15, 3:14 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2.3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 42 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.270, -95.870

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: July 15, 3:16 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2.8 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Injuries: 34 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.270, -95.870

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: July 15, 3:19 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Injuries: 12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.230, -95.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: July 15, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.520, -95.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.400, -95.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Pottawattamie

When: July 15, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.320, -95.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.450, -94.770

Tornado, Guthrie

When: July 15, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Guthrie County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.680, -94.770

Tornado, Adair

When: July 15, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Adair County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.250, -94.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Tama

When: July 15, 11:29 PM CST
Where: Tama County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.200, -92.470

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.
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 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1988 Warnings in Iowa, July 1988

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: 10026163, 10026164, 10026165, 10026166, 10026167, 10026168, 10026169, 10026170, 10026171, 10026172.