Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Adair County, Iowa

34 tornadoes have crossed Adair County since 1950, 52nd of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 44. 5 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
34
Deaths
7
Injuries
44
F4 and above
5
Worst on record
F5, June 27, 1953

The deadliest in Adair County

  1. EF4 Greenfield tornado, IowaMay 21, 20245 killed, 35 injured
  2. F5 Anita–Adair tornado, IowaJune 27, 19531 killed, 2 injured
  3. EF2, Adair and Guthrie counties, IowaMay 22, 20191 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Anita–Adair tornado, IowaJune 27, 1953F5, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  2. F4, Union, Adair, Guthrie and Dallas counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 57.0 mi (92 km)
  3. F4, Taylor, Adams, Cass and Adair counties, IowaApril 8, 1999F4, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  4. F4, Guthrie, Adair, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaMay 10, 1959F4, 41.1 mi (66 km)
  5. EF4 Greenfield tornado, IowaMay 21, 2024EF4, 40.6 mi (65 km)
  6. F3, Adair County, IowaApril 14, 1994F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  7. EF2, Adair County, IowaMay 21, 2024EF2, 14.6 mi (24 km)
  8. F2, Adair County, IowaMay 4, 1959F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  9. EF2, Adair and Guthrie counties, IowaMay 22, 2019EF2, 4.8 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Adair County, IowaMay 4, 1959F2, 4.5 mi (7 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Adair County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242535EF4
20201EF1
2019111EF2
20183EF1
20172EF1
20151EF1
20141EF1
20111EF0
20042F1
20003F0
199913F4
199512F4
19941F3
19931F0
19881F1
19861F1
19841F0
19813F0
19631F2
19611F1
19601F1
195931F4
1953112F5

Every tornado that crossed Adair County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 21, 20243:39 PM CDTEF2Adair14.6200$750,000
May 21, 20242:59 PM CDTEF4Greenfield tornado40.61,600535$32 million
March 28, 20201:59 PM CDTEF1Adams7.5115$125,000
May 22, 20191:29 AM CDTEF2Adair4.815011$500,000
October 9, 20186:03 PM CDTEF1Adair2.780$5,000
October 9, 20185:58 PM CDTEF0Adair1.630
October 9, 20185:42 PM CDTEF0Adair3.040
June 28, 20174:45 PM CDTEF1Adair7.6100$20,000
June 28, 20173:57 PM CDTEF0Adair14.9100$5,000
August 2, 20156:21 PM CDTEF1Adair5.0300$200,000
June 30, 201412:42 PM CDTEF1Adair7.1200$200,000
March 22, 20115:42 PM CDTEF0Adair1.030
May 22, 200411:33 PM CDTF0Adair0.230
May 22, 20047:07 PM CDTF1Adair7.1100$50,000
May 18, 200010:33 AM CDTF0Adair0.120$1,000
May 18, 200010:31 AM CDTF0Adair0.120$1,000
May 18, 200010:20 AM CDTF0Adair0.220
April 8, 19992:54 PM CDTF4Taylor49.01,0003$2.7 million
May 27, 19957:55 PM CDTF4Union57.05002$500,000 to $5 million
April 14, 19948:48 PM CDTF3Adair14.0130$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 199310:15 PM CDTF0Adair0.120$50 to $500
July 15, 19887:45 PM CDTF1Adair0.833$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 19864:03 PM CSTF1Adair0.220$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19847:23 PM CDTF0Adair0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19815:15 PM CDTF0Adair0.110
May 23, 19815:02 PM CDTF0Adair0.110
May 23, 19814:15 PM CDTF0Adair0.110
April 18, 19635:10 PM GMT-6F2Adair1.9200$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19613:30 PM GMT-6F1Adair2.3100$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 19602:30 PM GMT-5F1Adair0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19592:00 PM GMT-5F4Guthrie41.14001$500,000 to $5 million
May 4, 195911:23 PM GMT-5F2Adair4.5100$500 to $5,000
May 4, 195911:23 PM GMT-5F2Adair5.1100$500 to $5,000
June 27, 19534:45 PM GMT-5F5Anita–Adair tornado0.110012$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Adair CountyThe forecast for Adair CountyThe live radar over Adair CountyEvery county in Iowa

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.