Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Adams County, Iowa

29 tornadoes have crossed Adams County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 72nd of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 45. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

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
29
Deaths
5
Injuries
45
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF4, May 21, 2024

The deadliest in Adams County

  1. EF4 Greenfield tornado, IowaMay 21, 20245 killed, 35 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Taylor, Adams, Cass and Adair counties, IowaApril 8, 1999F4, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  2. F4, Adams, Union, Ringgold and Decatur counties, IowaMay 24, 1989F4, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  3. EF4 Greenfield tornado, IowaMay 21, 2024EF4, 40.6 mi (65 km)
  4. EF3, Page, Montgomery and Adams counties, IowaMay 21, 2024EF3, 33.9 mi (54 km)
  5. F3, Page, Taylor and Adams counties, IowaJune 7, 1984F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  6. F3, Adams and Taylor counties, IowaJuly 14, 1958F3, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  7. EF2, Adams and Union counties, IowaApril 14, 2012EF2, 16.6 mi (27 km)
  8. EF2, Adams and Union counties, IowaApril 26, 2024EF2, 9.7 mi (16 km)
  9. EF2, Adams County, IowaJune 11, 2026EF2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  10. F2, Adams County, IowaMay 18, 1959F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Adams County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF2
20245535EF4
20222EF0
20201EF1
20172EF1
20151EF1
201212EF2
20112EF0
20083EF1
200111F1
199923F4
19931F0
19891F4
19881F1
198413F3
19811F0
19591F2
195811F3
19571F0

Every tornado that crossed Adams County

29 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 11, 20266:26 AM CDTEF2Adams6.0200
May 21, 20243:18 PM CDTEF1Adams12.7200$101,000
May 21, 20242:59 PM CDTEF4Greenfield tornado40.61,600535$32 million
May 21, 20242:43 PM CDTEF3Page33.91,300$1.0 million
April 26, 20246:52 PM CDTEF2Adams9.7350$300,000
April 16, 20249:31 AM CDTEF0Adams2.450$15,000
March 5, 20224:01 PM CSTEF0Adams2.8100$10,000
March 5, 20223:38 PM CSTUnratedAdams1.540
March 28, 20201:59 PM CDTEF1Adams7.5115$125,000
June 28, 20174:43 PM CDTEF0Adams1.930$1,000
June 28, 20174:21 PM CDTEF1Adams3.8100$10,000
August 2, 20156:21 PM CDTEF1Adair5.0300$200,000
April 14, 20126:52 PM CDTEF2Adams16.68002$5.0 million
May 11, 20114:58 PM CDTEF0Adams0.430
March 22, 20115:33 PM CDTEF0Adams3.180
June 4, 20088:58 PM CDTEF1Adams5.6150$25,000
June 4, 20088:24 PM CDTEF1Adams9.5150$15,000
June 4, 20088:13 PM CDTEF0Adams2.375
April 8, 200110:49 PM CDTF1Adams1.0501$100,000
July 16, 19995:25 PM CDTF0Adams0.10
April 8, 19992:54 PM CDTF4Taylor49.01,0003$2.7 million
July 24, 199310:55 PM CDTF0Adams0.220$50,000 to $500,000
May 24, 19896:11 PM CDTF4Adams49.01,760$5 million to $50 million
August 22, 19882:30 PM CDTF1Adams4.250$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19845:20 PM CDTF3Page25.01003$500,000 to $5 million
June 14, 19819:22 PM CDTF0Adams0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19592:45 PM GMT-5F2Adams1.0200$50,000 to $500,000
July 14, 19586:55 PM GMT-5F3Adams14.81001$50,000 to $500,000
April 25, 195711:30 AM GMT-6F0Montgomery0.1100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Adams CountyThe forecast for Adams CountyThe live radar over Adams 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.