Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, March 13, 1990

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, March 13, 1990
Start: 1990-03-13T00:50
End: 1990-03-13T23:20
Location: Iowa

March 13, 1990 · 38 events in 22 counties and zones

20 tornado, 12 thunderstorm wind, 6 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: 16
Property damage: $114 million
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

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

Hail, Cedar

When: March 13, 12:50 AM CST
Where: Cedar County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 41.730, -91.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: March 13, 1:10 AM CST
Where: Clinton County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.880, -90.680

Hail, Scott

When: March 13, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.700, -90.580

Hail, Clinton

When: March 13, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.870, -90.370

Hail, Clinton

When: March 13, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Measured: 0.87 in hail
Coordinates: 41.900, -90.300

Tornado, Davis

When: March 13, 3:32 PM CST
Where: Davis County
Rating: F1
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.650, -92.370

Hail, Bremer

When: March 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Bremer County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.880, -92.280

Tornado, Sac

When: March 13, 4:31 PM CST
Where: Sac County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.520, -90.470

Hail, Chickasaw

When: March 13, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Chickasaw County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.970, -92.200

Tornado, Scott

When: March 13, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.600, -90.280

Tornado, Scott

When: March 13, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Rating: F3
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.600, -90.280

Tornado, Linn

When: March 13, 4:53 PM CST
Where: Linn County
Rating: F4
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 42.230, -91.420

Tornado, Scott

When: March 13, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Scott County
Rating: F1
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.600, -90.330

Tornado, Jones

When: March 13, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jones County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 42.270, -91.330

Tornado, Clinton

When: March 13, 5:07 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 43 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.750, -90.370

Tornado, Jones

When: March 13, 5:08 PM CST
Where: Jones County
Rating: F1
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.230, -91.200

Tornado, Pottawattamie

When: March 13, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Pottawattamie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.380, -95.830

Tornado, Delaware

When: March 13, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Rating: F4
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 42.330, -91.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: March 13, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.430, -91.600

Tornado, Dubuque

When: March 13, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Dubuque County
Rating: F4
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 42.380, -91.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: March 13, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.670, -90.350

Tornado, Dubuque

When: March 13, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Dubuque County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.570, -91.000

Tornado, Dallas

When: March 13, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.620, -93.950

Tornado, Boone

When: March 13, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Boone County
Rating: F2
Path length: 16 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.030, -94.030

Tornado, Boone

When: March 13, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Boone County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.180, -93.850

Tornado, Hamilton

When: March 13, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.300, -93.880

Tornado, Polk

When: March 13, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F2
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Injuries: 15 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.730, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: March 13, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 42.350, -93.730

Tornado, Story

When: March 13, 8:13 PM CST
Where: Story County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.930, -93.500

Tornado, Story

When: March 13, 8:36 PM CST
Where: Story County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.020, -93.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: March 13, 8:48 PM CST
Where: Story County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.170, -93.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Cerro Gordo

When: March 13, 9:07 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.970, -93.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: March 13, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Coordinates: 41.800, -96.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: March 13, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Coordinates: 41.650, -95.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Monona

When: March 13, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Monona County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.000, -95.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: March 13, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.930, -95.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: March 13, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.070, -95.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: March 13, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.200, -95.330

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 1990 Every state in 1990 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1990 Warnings in Iowa, March 1990

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: 10026249, 10026250, 10026251, 10027105, 10027106, 10027107, 10027108, 10027109, 10027110, 10027325, 10027326, 10027327, 10027328, 10027329, 10027330, 10027331, 10027332, 10027333, 10027334, 10027335, 10027336, 10027337, 10027338, 10027339, 10027340, 10027341, 10027342, 10027343, 10027344, 10027345, 10027346, 10027347, 10027348, 10027349, 10027350, 10027351, 10027352, 10027353.