Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Cedar County, Iowa

44 tornadoes have crossed Cedar County since 1950, 27th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 70. 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
44
Deaths
1
Injuries
70
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Cedar County

  1. F4, Cedar, Clinton and Jackson counties, IowaApril 11, 19651 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Cedar, Clinton and Jackson counties, IowaApril 11, 1965F4, 91.5 mi (147 km)
  2. F3, Washington, Johnson and Cedar counties, IowaMay 15, 1998F3, 47.0 mi (76 km)
  3. EF2, Cedar, Scott and Clinton counties, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 19.6 mi (31 km)
  4. EF2, Cedar County, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 16.4 mi (26 km)
  5. F2, Johnson and Cedar counties, IowaMarch 22, 1991F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Muscatine, Cedar and Scott counties, IowaMay 21, 1957F2, 8.9 mi (14 km)
  7. F2, Cedar County, IowaJuly 27, 1995F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  8. F2, Cedar County, IowaMay 9, 1995F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  9. F2, Cedar County, IowaMay 8, 1988F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  10. F2, Cedar County, IowaJune 7, 1961F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cedar County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20243EF1
202342EF2
20202EF1
20191EF0
20181EF0
20171EF1
20151EF0
20071EF1
20031F1
1998247F3
19972F1
19961F0
19954F2
19914F2
19901F0
19882F2
19871F1
19842F1
198311F1
19824F0
1974116F2
1965113F4
196111F2
19571F2

Every tornado that crossed Cedar County

44 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 14, 20258:49 PM CDTEF0Cedar1.950
May 24, 20247:30 AM CDTEF1Cedar15.050
May 24, 20247:20 AM CDTUnratedCedar11.010
May 24, 20246:45 AM CDTEF1Washington22.5150
March 31, 20235:18 PM CDTEF2Cedar19.62002
March 31, 20235:17 PM CDTEF1Cedar5.2100
March 31, 20235:14 PM CDTEF2Cedar16.4250
March 31, 20235:06 PM CDTEF1Cedar8.310
May 23, 202012:57 PM CDTEF1Cedar6.930
May 23, 202012:30 PM CDTEF1Johnson7.050
May 24, 20197:27 PM CDTEF0Cedar0.010
September 25, 20181:53 PM CDTEF0Cedar0.120$3,000
March 6, 201710:18 PM CSTEF1Cedar16.6100$110,000
August 18, 20153:13 PM CDTEF0Cedar0.120
June 1, 200712:44 PM CDTEF1Cedar1.175
July 20, 200311:24 PM CDTF1Cedar2.4440$1.0 million
June 18, 19984:41 PM CDTF0Cedar0.130
May 15, 19985:05 PM CDTF3Washington47.040047$15 million
May 18, 19974:40 PM CDTF1Cedar3.250
April 30, 19973:20 PM CDTF0Cedar3.020$10,000
August 22, 19964:30 PM CDTF0Cedar0.320
July 27, 19957:51 PM CDTF2Cedar7.5100$50,000 to $500,000
July 27, 19955:18 PM CDTF0Cedar0.123$500 to $5,000
July 27, 19954:55 PM CDTF0Cedar0.120
May 9, 19954:11 PM CDTF2Cedar7.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 29, 199111:00 PM CSTF1Cedar1.030$5,000 to $50,000
July 22, 19914:50 PM CDTF0Cedar0.113$5,000 to $50,000
March 22, 19917:30 PM CSTF1Cedar0.120$500 to $5,000
March 22, 19917:10 PM CSTF2Johnson14.080$50,000 to $500,000
March 8, 19905:40 PM CSTF0Cedar0.123$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19883:37 PM CDTF2Cedar7.090$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19884:30 PM CSTF1Cedar2.520$50,000 to $500,000
August 21, 19872:15 AM CDTF1Cedar1.020$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19849:55 PM CDTF0Cedar0.110
June 17, 19848:35 PM CDTF1Cedar0.540$5,000 to $50,000
July 1, 198311:30 PM CDTF1Cedar15.0501$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 198212:50 PM CDTF0Cedar0.110$50 to $500
May 20, 198212:50 PM CDTF0Cedar0.110$50 to $500
May 20, 198212:50 PM CDTF0Cedar0.110$50 to $500
May 20, 198212:50 PM CDTF0Cedar0.110under $50
April 28, 19747:45 PM CDTF2Cedar2.310016$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 196512:55 PM GMT-6F4Cedar91.520013$500,000 to $5 million
June 7, 19613:00 PM GMT-5F2Cedar5.12001$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19576:00 PM GMT-5F2Muscatine8.9100$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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