Iowa, 2015

Tornadoes in Iowa, October 23, 2015

October 23, 2015 · NWS FSD · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Thunderstorms produced several brief tornadoes in northwest Iowa during the late afternoon of October 23rd.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$11,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.

Thunderstorms produced several brief tornadoes in northwest Iowa during the late afternoon of October 23rd.

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Plymouth

When
October 23, 3:10 PM CST to 3:11 PM CST
Where
Plymouth County, 0.86 mi SW of Hinton to 0.72 mi SW of Hinton
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.15 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
42.620, -96.310

A brief tornado caused tree damage, including up to 3 inch diameter branches blown down.

Tornado, Sioux

When
October 23, 4:38 PM CST to 4:39 PM CST
Where
Sioux County, 1.01 mi W of Alton to 0.93 mi WNW of Alton
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.23 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
42.980, -96.020

A brief tornado caused no reported damage.

Tornado, Sioux

When
October 23, 4:49 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where
Sioux County, 2.76 mi S of Newkirk to 2.63 mi S of Newkirk
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.15 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
43.030, -95.950

A brief tornado caused no reported damage.

Tornado, Sioux

When
October 23, 5:01 PM CST to 5:02 PM CST
Where
Sioux County, 0.86 mi NW of Hospers to 0.98 mi NNW of Hospers
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.23 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
43.080, -95.890

A brief tornado in a field caused little damage.

Tornado, O'Brien

When
October 23, 5:21 PM CST to 5:22 PM CST
Where
O'Brien County, 2.4 mi SE of Sheldon to 2.36 mi SE of Sheldon
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.17 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
43.153, -95.840

A brief tornado in a field caused little damage.

Tornado, Cherokee

When
October 23, 5:39 PM CST to 5:41 PM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 1.47 mi NNW of Larrabee to 1.63 mi NNW of Larrabee
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.26 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
42.890, -95.540

A brief tornado tore most of the roof off a house.

What these are

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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 2015Warnings in Iowa, October 2015

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 604077, 604078, 604080, 604081, 604082, 604084.