Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 27, 1989

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 27, 1989
Start: 1989-04-27T06:55
End: 1989-04-27T22:23
Location: Iowa

April 27, 1989 · 38 events in 25 counties and zones

21 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 7 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: 3
Property damage: $761,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 38

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

21 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 7 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Wapello

When: April 27, 6:55 AM CST
Where: Wapello County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.980, -92.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: April 27, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.030, -90.380

Hail, Davis

When: April 27, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Davis County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.870, -92.320

Hail, Wapello

When: April 27, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Wapello County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.920, -92.370

Hail, Wapello

When: April 27, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Wapello County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.980, -92.370

Tornado, Van Buren

When: April 27, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 40.750, -91.980

Hail, Van Buren

When: April 27, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 40.830, -92.100

Tornado, Davis

When: April 27, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Davis County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.800, -92.270

Tornado, Van Buren

When: April 27, 6:03 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Rating: F2
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.730, -92.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: April 27, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.830, -96.550

Hail, Harrison

When: April 27, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.570, -95.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: April 27, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.570, -95.980

Tornado, Woodbury

When: April 27, 6:33 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.370, -96.200

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: April 27, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F0
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.230, -95.920

Tornado, Plymouth

When: April 27, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 42.720, -96.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Monona

When: April 27, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Monona County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.030, -96.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: April 27, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.400, -95.870

Tornado, Shelby

When: April 27, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 41.680, -95.480

Tornado, Shelby

When: April 27, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 41.620, -95.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: April 27, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.800, -96.080

Tornado, Sac

When: April 27, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Sac County
Rating: F1
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.280, -95.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Fremont

When: April 27, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Fremont County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.600, -95.650

Tornado, Calhoun

When: April 27, 8:09 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.430, -94.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Guthrie

When: April 27, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Guthrie County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.680, -94.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: April 27, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.930, -95.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: April 27, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.020, -95.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Page

When: April 27, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Page County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.770, -95.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Page

When: April 27, 8:40 PM CST
Where: Page County
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Coordinates: 40.730, -95.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: April 27, 9:18 PM CST
Where: Taylor County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.830, -94.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: April 27, 9:19 PM CST
Where: Adams County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 40.980, -94.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Adair

When: April 27, 9:20 PM CST
Where: Adair County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.300, -94.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: April 27, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Taylor County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.880, -94.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When: April 27, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Union County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.070, -94.370

Hail, Story

When: April 27, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.030, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Ringgold

When: April 27, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Ringgold County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 40.720, -94.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: April 27, 9:57 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 41.330, -94.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: April 27, 10:17 PM CST
Where: Warren County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 41.480, -93.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: April 27, 10:23 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates: 41.530, -93.670

What these are

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.
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

Every storm in Iowa in 1989 Every state in 1989 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1989 Warnings in Iowa, April 1989

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: 10026668, 10026669, 10026670, 10026671, 10026672, 10026673, 10026674, 10026675, 10026676, 10026677, 10026678, 10026679, 10027034, 10027035, 10027036, 10027037, 10027038, 10027255, 10027256, 10027257, 10027258, 10027259, 10027260, 10027261, 10027262, 10027263, 10027264, 10027265, 10027266, 10027267, 10027268, 10027269, 10027270, 10027271, 10027272, 10027273, 10027274, 10027275.