Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 16, 1992

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 16, 1992
Start: 1992-05-16T02:02
End: 1992-05-16T23:35
Location: Iowa

May 16, 1992 · NWS DSM · 27 events in 15 counties and zones

18 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 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: $28,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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

18 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: May 16, 2:02 AM PST
Where: Woodbury County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 42.400, -96.380

Hail, Worth

When: May 16, 2:18 PM CST
Where: Worth County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 43.450, -93.330

Hail, Worth

When: May 16, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Worth County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.450, -93.220

Hail, Cerro Gordo

When: May 16, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.150, -93.200

Hail, Cerro Gordo

When: May 16, 3:56 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 42.950, -93.380

Hail, Hancock

When: May 16, 4:08 PM CST
Where: Hancock County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.070, -93.820

Tornado, Cerro Gordo

When: May 16, 4:28 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.920, -93.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Hancock

When: May 16, 2:40 PM PST
Where: Hancock County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 43.100, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Cerro Gordo

When: May 16, 2:52 PM PST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Coordinates: 43.150, -93.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Hancock

When: May 16, 3:00 PM PST
Where: Hancock County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 43.020, -93.650

Hail, Pocahontas

When: May 16, 5:18 PM CST
Where: Pocahontas County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.630, -94.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: May 16, 3:35 PM PST
Where: Calhoun County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 42.270, -94.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Mitchell

When: May 16, 3:41 PM PST
Where: Mitchell County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.380, -92.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Wright

When: May 16, 4:18 PM PST
Where: Wright County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 42.850, -93.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Ida

When: May 16, 4:50 PM PST
Where: Ida County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.330, -95.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Cerro Gordo

When: May 16, 4:51 PM PST
Where: Cerro Gordo County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 43.150, -93.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: May 16, 4:53 PM PST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 41.570, -95.950

Hail, Woodbury

When: May 16, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 42.550, -95.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Ida

When: May 16, 5:20 PM PST
Where: Ida County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.350, -95.330

Tornado, Harrison

When: May 16, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.650, -95.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: May 16, 6:30 PM PST
Where: Woodbury County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.500, -96.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Audubon

When: May 16, 9:23 PM PST
Where: Audubon County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.580, -94.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: May 16, 10:25 PM PST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.600, -93.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: May 16, 10:30 PM PST
Where: Story County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.880, -93.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Story

When: May 16, 10:50 PM PST
Where: Story County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 42.020, -93.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: May 16, 11:10 PM PST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 42.050, -93.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: May 16, 11:35 PM PST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.320, -92.930

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1992 Every state in 1992 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1992 Warnings in Iowa, May 1992

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: 10025782, 10157340, 10158211, 10158215, 10158217, 10158219, 10025789, 10025783, 10025784, 10025785, 10158223, 10025786, 10025787, 10025788, 10025790, 10025791, 10025792, 10158227, 10025793, 10025795, 10025794, 10025796, 10025797, 10025798, 10025799, 10025800, 10025801.