Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Carroll County, Iowa

37 tornadoes have crossed Carroll County since 1950, 46th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 1. 2 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
37
Deaths
0
Injuries
1
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 27, 1995

The strongest

  1. F4, Carroll, Sac, Calhoun and Pocahontas counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 36.0 mi (58 km)
  2. F4, Guthrie, Carroll and Greene counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  3. F2, Carroll County, IowaMay 27, 1995F2, 22.5 mi (36 km)
  4. EF2, Sac and Carroll counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 17.6 mi (28 km)
  5. F2, Carroll and Greene counties, IowaMay 5, 1960F2, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  6. F2, Carroll County, IowaAugust 11, 1976F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Carroll County, IowaJune 7, 1972F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Carroll County, IowaJune 7, 1972F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231Unrated
20221Unrated
20212EF2
20153EF1
20146EF0
20111EF1
20082EF1
20072EF0
20021F0
20011F0
19982F0
19961F0
199531F4
19931F1
19831F1
19801F1
19761F2
19741F0
19722F2
19711F1
19641F1
19601F2
19571F0

Every tornado that crossed Carroll County

37 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 5, 20239:24 PM CDTUnratedCarroll0.325
July 7, 20222:32 PM CDTUnratedCarroll0.420
December 15, 20215:19 PM CSTEF1Carroll9.780$80,000
December 15, 20215:13 PM CSTEF2Sac17.6100$150,000
November 11, 20152:31 PM CSTEF0Carroll1.540
October 23, 20157:18 PM CDTEF0Carroll3.545$5,000
May 10, 20157:10 PM CDTEF1Carroll23.3700$1.0 million
August 31, 20147:57 PM CDTEF0Carroll5.6100$2,000
August 31, 20147:54 PM CDTEF0Carroll0.860$1,000
August 31, 20147:47 PM CDTEF0Carroll1.6200
August 31, 20147:45 PM CDTEF0Carroll0.780$2,000
August 31, 20147:38 PM CDTEF0Carroll2.6140
August 31, 20147:34 PM CDTEF0Carroll5.090$45,000
June 26, 20118:40 PM CDTEF1Carroll2.4100$100,000
July 19, 20087:39 PM CDTEF1Carroll7.8100$150,000
May 29, 20089:10 PM CDTEF1Carroll4.1100$200,000
August 28, 20077:00 PM CDTEF0Carroll16.250$20,000
August 28, 20076:58 PM CDTEF0Carroll0.130
April 17, 200210:40 PM CDTF0Carroll0.540$1,000
June 18, 20019:25 PM CDTF0Carroll0.230
July 6, 19987:27 PM CDTF0Carroll0.230
May 28, 199810:36 PM CDTF0Carroll0.230
July 16, 199612:58 AM CDTF0Carroll0.225
May 27, 19958:28 PM CDTF2Carroll22.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19957:56 PM CDTF4Guthrie30.02501$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19957:22 PM CDTF4Carroll36.0400$500,000 to $5 million
August 18, 19932:40 PM CDTF1Carroll2.040$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19836:17 PM CDTF1Carroll1.020$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 198010:20 PM CDTF1Carroll0.130$5,000 to $50,000
August 11, 19763:15 PM CDTF2Carroll2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19743:35 PM CDTF0Carroll0.110
June 7, 197212:30 PM CDTF2Carroll1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 197212:25 PM CDTF2Carroll2.0200$500 to $5,000
June 6, 197110:00 PM CDTF1Carroll2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19643:30 PM GMT-5F1Carroll0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
May 5, 19608:00 PM GMT-5F2Carroll13.8150$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19575:50 PM GMT-5F0Carroll0.110

Nearby

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