Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, November 15, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, November 15, 1988
Start: 1988-11-15T16:09
End: 1988-11-15T21:22
Location: Iowa

November 15, 1988 · 15 events in 12 counties and zones

10 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: 4
Property damage: $1.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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

Tornado, Wayne

When: November 15, 4:09 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 40.730, -93.120

Tornado, Appanoose

When: November 15, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Appanoose County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 40.730, -93.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: November 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 42.300, -93.650

Tornado, Monroe

When: November 15, 4:29 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.900, -93.030

Tornado, Keokuk

When: November 15, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Keokuk County
Rating: F1
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.350, -92.180

Tornado, Keokuk

When: November 15, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Keokuk County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.180, -92.050

Tornado, Iowa

When: November 15, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Iowa County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.520, -92.070

Tornado, Bremer

When: November 15, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Bremer County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.730, -92.480

Tornado, Wapello

When: November 15, 7:08 PM CST
Where: Wapello County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 63 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.070, -92.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: November 15, 8:07 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 41.200, -91.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Linn

When: November 15, 8:07 PM CST
Where: Linn County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 42.000, -91.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Linn

When: November 15, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Linn County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.230, -91.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware

When: November 15, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.350, -91.480

Tornado, Delaware

When: November 15, 9:05 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Rating: F2
Path length: 11 mi
Path width: 63 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.480, -91.470

Tornado, Clayton

When: November 15, 9:22 PM CST
Where: Clayton County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.900, -91.230

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, November 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: 10025520, 10025521, 10025522, 10025523, 10025524, 10025525, 10025526, 10025527, 10025528, 10025529, 10025530, 10025531, 10025532, 10025533, 10025534.