Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Butler County, Iowa

33 tornadoes have crossed Butler County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 53rd of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 23 people and injured 539. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 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
33
Deaths
23
Injuries
539
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F5, May 15, 1968

The deadliest in Butler County

  1. F5 Charles City tornado, IowaMay 15, 196813 killed, 462 injured
  2. EF5 Parkersburg–New Hartford tornado, IowaMay 25, 20089 killed, 70 injured
  3. F3, Story, Hardin, Butler and Chickasaw counties, IowaMay 20, 19531 killed

The strongest

  1. F5 Charles City tornado, IowaMay 15, 1968F5, 62.1 mi (100 km)
  2. EF5 Parkersburg–New Hartford tornado, IowaMay 25, 2008EF5, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  3. F4, Butler and Bremer counties, IowaSeptember 1, 1961F4, 26.6 mi (43 km)
  4. F3, Story, Hardin, Butler and Chickasaw counties, IowaMay 20, 1953F3, 116.1 mi (187 km)
  5. F2, Butler and Bremer counties, IowaJune 27, 1998F2, 25.5 mi (41 km)
  6. EF2, Butler and Bremer counties, IowaJuly 14, 2021EF2, 12.9 mi (21 km)
  7. F2, Butler and Bremer counties, IowaSeptember 6, 2001F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Butler and Grundy counties, IowaJuly 2, 1999F2, 8.5 mi (14 km)
  9. F2, Butler County, IowaSeptember 9, 1970F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Butler County, IowaJune 4, 1975F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Butler County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20213EF2
20161EF0
20145EF1
20081970EF5
20072EF0
20051F0
20021F1
20012F2
19991F2
19981F2
19971F1
19842F1
19821F0
19751F2
19721F0
19701F2
1968113462F5
196117F4
19601F0
195311F3
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Butler County

33 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 17, 20262:32 PM CDTUnratedButler1.610
July 20, 20263:49 PM CDTEF1Butler3.125
July 20, 20263:56 PM CDTEF1Butler4.425
December 15, 20216:53 PM CSTEF1Butler4.2200$10,000
July 14, 20215:16 PM CDTEF2Butler12.9630$1.3 million
July 14, 20214:57 PM CDTUnratedButler1.250
November 28, 20163:38 PM CSTEF0Grundy5.750$3,000
August 31, 20149:49 PM CDTEF0Butler1.140
July 6, 20147:00 PM CDTEF0Butler0.415
June 16, 20147:52 PM CDTEF1Butler2.1120$200,000
June 16, 20147:45 PM CDTEF0Butler1.7150$400,000
June 16, 20147:39 PM CDTEF1Butler4.7100$200,000
May 25, 20084:48 PM CDTEF5Parkersburg–New Hartford tornado41.02,100970$100 million
June 21, 20074:24 PM CDTEF0Butler0.130
June 21, 20073:51 PM CDTEF0Butler0.125
May 26, 20054:28 PM CDTF0Butler0.225
June 21, 20021:18 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo12.040
September 6, 20015:39 PM CDTF2Butler11.5100$180,000
June 1, 20014:13 PM CDTF0Butler0.125
July 2, 19999:45 PM CDTF2Butler8.550$100,000
June 27, 199810:23 PM CDTF2Butler25.580$10,000
June 5, 19971:13 PM CDTF1Butler13.550$100,000
June 22, 19847:15 PM CDTF0Butler0.110
June 22, 19846:45 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo15.077$500,000 to $5 million
July 6, 19827:25 PM CDTF0Butler0.110under $50
June 4, 19753:40 AM CDTF2Butler0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 3, 19724:00 PM CDTF0Butler0.150$5,000 to $50,000
September 9, 19703:42 PM CDTF2Butler1.9200$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19684:10 PM GMT-5F5Charles City tornado62.160013462$5 million to $50 million
September 1, 19617:00 PM GMT-5F4Butler26.6277$500,000 to $5 million
July 23, 19604:28 PM GMT-5F0Butler0.1150
May 20, 195310:00 PM GMT-5F3Story116.14001
May 23, 19522:00 PM GMT-5F2Butler0.117

Nearby

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