Iowa, 1989

Tornado and Hail in Iowa, May 23, 1989

May 23, 1989 · NWS DSM · 19 events in 17 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 tornado, 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
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
19

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

12 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Calhoun

When
May 23, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Calhoun County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.400, -94.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When
May 23, 12:39 AM CST
Where
Polk County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
41.580, -93.670

Tornado, Lyon

When
May 23, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Lyon County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
13 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
43.350, -96.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Osceola

When
May 23, 7:35 PM CST
Where
Osceola County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
43.420, -95.550

Hail, O'Brien

When
May 23, 7:50 PM CST
Where
O'Brien County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.180, -95.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 23, 7:55 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
43.250, -95.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Dickinson

When
May 23, 7:57 PM CST
Where
Dickinson County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
43.250, -95.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Buena Vista

When
May 23, 9:16 PM CST
Where
Buena Vista County
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates
42.650, -95.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Pocahontas

When
May 23, 9:29 PM CST
Where
Pocahontas County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.730, -94.670

Hail, Sac

When
May 23, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Sac County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
42.500, -95.300

Hail, Sac

When
May 23, 9:55 PM CST
Where
Sac County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
42.320, -95.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Webster

When
May 23, 10:08 PM CST
Where
Webster County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
42.500, -94.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
May 23, 10:10 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
42.750, -93.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Wright

When
May 23, 10:20 PM CST
Where
Wright County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
42.670, -93.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
May 23, 10:23 PM CST
Where
Woodbury County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
42.550, -95.880

Hail, Sac

When
May 23, 10:42 PM CST
Where
Sac County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.320, -95.270

Hail, Carroll

When
May 23, 11:00 PM CST
Where
Carroll County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.070, -94.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Ida

When
May 23, 11:13 PM CST
Where
Ida County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.350, -95.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
May 23, 11:25 PM CST
Where
Crawford County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
42.220, -95.350

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

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1989Every state in 1989This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 1989Warnings in Iowa, May 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: 10027279, 10027280, 10027281, 10027282, 10027283, 10027284, 10027285, 10027286, 10027287, 10027288, 10027289, 10027290, 10027291, 10027292, 10027293, 10027294, 10027295, 10027296, 10027297.