Tornado and Damaging Winds in Iowa, June 20, 1994

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Iowa, June 20, 1994
Start: 1994-06-20T14:00
End: 1994-06-20T17:42
Location: Iowa

June 20, 1994 · 16 events in 6 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $436,000
Crop damage: $13,000
Events: 16

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

15 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: June 20, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Benton County, Vinton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A line of thunderstorm developed during the early afternoon hours and moved southeast across northeast and east-central Iowa. They produced gusty winds and heavy rains, but only one became severe. High winds downed several trees in Benton County at Vinton as the line passed through.

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When: June 20, 3:37 PM CST
Where: Union County, Creston
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 41.028, -94.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, O'Brien

When: June 20, 3:45 PM CST
Where: O'Brien County, Sheldon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, O'Brien

When: June 20, 4:00 PM CST
Where: O'Brien County, Sanborn
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Merrill
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Property damage: $500
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Kingsley
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Le Mars
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Merrill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, O'Brien

When: June 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: O'Brien County, Sanborn
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Kingsley
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Remsen
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Remsen
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When: June 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Le Mars
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: June 20, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County, Climbing Hill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: June 20, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County, Salix
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50
Coordinates: 42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: June 20, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Denison
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.037, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A weak cold front dropped southeast into Iowa. The airmass was not as unstable as it had been over the previous days. Thunderstorms developed early in the day and took some of the punch out of the system. During the late afternoon hours, a line of thunderstorms developed ahead of the cold front. They were severe for a brief period of time. One tornado touched down in Plymouth County at Merrill. The tornado only made a brief touchdown and did not cause any significant damage. A short time later, a funnel cloud was seen near Moville in Woodbury County. Most of the damage by the storms was due to gusty winds. There were numerous reports of trees and power lines downed. The strongest winds were in Plymouth County. A 77 mph wind gust blew through Le Mars. The winds caused roof damage to one building there. Sixty to sixty five mph winds were reported at Remsen and Kingsley. High winds in Crawford County, at Denison, downed power lines and power poles. After that report, the storms weakened and were below severe levels through the rest of the evening.

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.
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 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Iowa, 1994 Warnings in Iowa, June 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: 10322128, 10323073, 10324092, 10324093, 10323047, 10323048, 10323049, 10323050, 10324094, 10323051, 10323052, 10323053, 10323137, 10324063, 10324064, 10321640.