Tornado and Hail in Iowa, August 17, 1994

Name: Tornado and Hail in Iowa, August 17, 1994
Start: 1994-08-17T17:10
End: 1994-08-17T20:10
Location: Iowa

August 17, 1994 · 8 events in 2 counties and zones

6 hail, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $80,000
Crop damage: $355,000
Events: 8

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

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

Hail, Mitchell

When: August 17, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, Orchard
Measured: 2 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Mitchell

When: August 17, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, Orchard
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Mitchell

When: August 17, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, New Haven
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Mitchell

When: August 17, 5:56 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, Osage
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.280, -92.750

Hail, Howard

When: August 17, 6:54 PM CST
Where: Howard County, Elma
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: August 17, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Howard County, Saratoga
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Howard

When: August 17, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Howard County, Saratoga
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Howard

When: August 17, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Howard County, Lourdes
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.
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 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1994 Warnings in Iowa, August 1994

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: 10323862, 10323863, 10323864, 10323865, 10324527, 10324528, 10324529, 10324530.