Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

44 tornadoes have crossed Cerro Gordo County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 28th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 6. 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
0
Injuries
6
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 10, 1953

The strongest

  1. F4, Hancock, Cerro Gordo and Worth counties, IowaMay 10, 1953F4, 26.6 mi (43 km)
  2. F3, Cerro Gordo County, IowaApril 30, 1967F3, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  3. EF2, Wright, Franklin and Cerro Gordo counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 16.7 mi (27 km)
  4. F2, Cerro Gordo County, IowaJune 27, 1998F2, 12.5 mi (20 km)
  5. F2, Cerro Gordo County, IowaJune 27, 1998F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  6. F2, Cerro Gordo County, IowaSeptember 26, 1973F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Cerro Gordo County, IowaMay 29, 1980F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
20251EF0
20221EF1
20216EF2
20181EF0
20142EF1
20081EF0
20054F0
20041F0
20031F0
20021F1
19992F0
19982F2
19951F1
19941F1
19931F0
19921F0
19901F1
19881F1
198422F1
19802F2
19791F1
197711F1
19731F2
19671F3
19602F1
195313F4

Every tornado that crossed Cerro Gordo County

44 tornadoes, newest first. The 4 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
May 17, 202610:07 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo0.240
May 17, 202610:13 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo7.040
May 17, 202610:15 PM CDTUnratedCerro Gordo2.40
May 17, 202610:18 PM CDTUnratedCerro Gordo2.60
July 28, 202512:10 AM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo1.615
April 12, 202210:26 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo4.5100$125,000
December 15, 20216:54 PM CSTEF0Cerro Gordo3.560$500
December 15, 20216:44 PM CSTEF0Cerro Gordo2.940$500
December 15, 20216:25 PM CSTEF2Wright16.7100$105,000
August 27, 20215:35 PM CDTUnratedCerro Gordo2.0110$1,000
August 27, 20215:06 PM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo2.1250$1,000
July 14, 20215:52 PM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo5.1225$10,000
June 9, 20183:36 PM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo1.230
June 16, 20146:56 PM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo1.140$5,000
June 16, 20146:48 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo3.0110$50,000
June 7, 20085:42 PM CDTEF0Cerro Gordo1.040$5,000
July 3, 20056:35 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.125
March 30, 20051:42 PM CSTF0Cerro Gordo0.230
March 30, 20051:42 PM CSTF0Cerro Gordo0.540
March 30, 20051:39 PM CSTF0Cerro Gordo1.150
April 17, 20049:40 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.225
July 4, 20032:08 AM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.120
June 21, 20021:18 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo12.040
August 9, 199910:01 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.10
June 6, 19994:46 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.120
June 27, 19988:22 PM CDTF2Cerro Gordo12.550$120,000
June 27, 19987:46 PM CDTF2Cerro Gordo7.550$50,000
June 6, 19957:21 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo3.540$50,000 to $500,000
July 6, 19942:30 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo11.530$50,000 to $500,000
July 10, 19931:42 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.223$500 to $5,000
May 16, 19925:28 PM CDTF0Cerro Gordo0.220$5,000 to $50,000
August 2, 19905:26 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo3.033$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 19882:45 PM CSTF1Cerro Gordo1.020$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19846:45 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo15.077$500,000 to $5 million
June 16, 19847:25 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo6.0772$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 198011:20 AM CDTF1Cerro Gordo1.030$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19805:30 PM CDTF2Cerro Gordo0.530$5,000 to $50,000
August 28, 19796:45 PM CDTF1Cerro Gordo1.060$5,000 to $50,000
February 23, 19772:10 PM CSTF1Cerro Gordo0.1131$50,000 to $500,000
September 26, 19734:00 AM CDTF2Cerro Gordo2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19676:05 PM GMT-5F3Cerro Gordo7.7250$50,000 to $500,000
August 28, 19606:00 PM GMT-5F1Cerro Gordo1.0200$500 to $5,000
August 28, 19606:00 PM GMT-5F1Cerro Gordo1.0200$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19535:10 PM GMT-5F4Hancock26.6103$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Cerro Gordo CountyThe forecast for Cerro Gordo CountyThe live radar over Cerro Gordo 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.