Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Benton County, Iowa

48 tornadoes have crossed Benton County since 1950, 19th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 42. 1 was 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
48
Deaths
2
Injuries
42
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, August 26, 1965

The deadliest in Benton County

  1. F4, Black Hawk and Benton counties, IowaAugust 26, 19651 killed, 17 injured
  2. F3, Marshall, Tama, Benton and Linn counties, IowaApril 23, 19611 killed, 12 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Black Hawk and Benton counties, IowaAugust 26, 1965F4, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  2. F3, Marshall, Tama, Benton and Linn counties, IowaApril 23, 1961F3, 87.7 mi (141 km)
  3. F3, Poweshiek, Tama and Benton counties, IowaApril 19, 1966F3, 27.1 mi (44 km)
  4. F3, Benton County, IowaMay 18, 1971F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  5. F3, Benton County, IowaMay 18, 1971F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  6. F2, Iowa, Benton, Linn and Delaware counties, IowaApril 30, 1954F2, 65.8 mi (106 km)
  7. EF2, Benton and Buchanan counties, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  8. EF2, Benton and Linn counties, IowaJuly 17, 2016EF2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  9. F2, Tama and Benton counties, IowaApril 26, 1956F2, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  10. EF2, Benton County, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 1.7 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Benton County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF1
20235EF2
20221EF1
20214EF1
20183EF0
20171EF0
201639EF2
20143EF1
20081EF1
20061F0
20045F1
20031F1
20021F0
20012F0
19961F0
19941F0
19901F0
19841F0
19751F1
19721F1
19712F3
19701F1
196614F3
19652117F4
19611112F3
19561F2
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Benton County

48 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 11, 20253:35 PM CDTEF1Benton4.1250
July 11, 20253:17 PM CDTEF1Benton3.820
September 26, 20233:15 PM CDTUnratedBenton0.120
September 22, 20235:42 PM CDTUnratedBenton0.320
March 31, 20234:51 PM CDTUnratedBenton1.410
March 31, 20234:47 PM CDTEF2Benton4.950
March 31, 20234:36 PM CDTEF2Benton1.750
March 5, 20227:10 PM CSTEF1Benton14.0400
July 14, 20218:07 PM CDTUnratedBenton0.110
July 14, 20217:56 PM CDTUnratedBenton0.110
July 14, 20217:36 PM CDTUnratedBenton0.110
July 14, 20217:05 PM CDTEF1Tama5.7590$25,000
October 9, 20183:48 PM CDTEF0Benton0.010
September 3, 20184:45 PM CDTEF0Benton0.015
September 3, 20184:40 PM CDTEF0Benton0.015
June 28, 20177:26 PM CDTEF0Benton0.010
July 17, 20165:15 AM CDTEF2Benton4.0754$275,000
July 17, 20164:58 AM CDTEF2Benton1.61005
June 14, 20165:16 PM CDTEF0Benton0.210
July 6, 20148:56 PM CDTEF0Benton0.110
June 30, 20142:27 PM CDTEF1Benton0.475
June 16, 201410:05 PM CDTEF0Benton0.130
July 2, 20085:10 PM CDTEF1Benton1.575$100,000
April 13, 20067:50 PM CDTF0Benton4.8150$10,000
May 30, 20043:28 PM CDTF0Benton0.240
May 21, 20044:44 PM CDTF0Benton0.050
May 21, 20044:13 PM CDTF1Benton1.7150$50,000
May 21, 20044:07 PM CDTF0Benton0.150
May 21, 20044:05 PM CDTF0Benton0.150
July 20, 200310:17 PM CDTF1Benton6.8150$200,000
June 12, 200212:16 PM CDTF0Benton0.110
April 11, 20015:20 PM CDTF0Benton0.110$20,000
April 8, 20019:50 PM CDTF0Benton0.110
June 29, 19969:35 PM CDTF0Benton0.320
August 3, 19943:40 PM CDTF0Benton0.120
June 28, 19902:47 PM CDTF0Benton0.120$500 to $5,000
June 22, 19848:22 PM CDTF0Benton0.110
August 12, 197510:30 PM CDTF1Benton0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 5, 19729:10 PM CDTF1Benton11.727$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19714:12 PM CDTF3Benton4.3200$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19714:08 PM CDTF3Benton4.3300$5,000 to $50,000
July 14, 19705:30 PM CDTF1Benton11.3300$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19666:00 PM GMT-6F3Poweshiek27.14004$50,000 to $500,000
August 26, 19658:00 PM GMT-5F4Black Hawk4.7200117$500,000 to $5 million
June 27, 19659:30 PM GMT-5F1Benton0.1100$50 to $500
April 23, 196110:15 AM GMT-6F3Marshall87.7800112$500,000 to $5 million
April 26, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F2Tama2.3440$500 to $5,000
April 30, 19548:00 PM GMT-5F2Iowa65.8200

Nearby

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