Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Cherokee County, Iowa

34 tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 51st of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 11. 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
34
Deaths
0
Injuries
11
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, October 4, 2013

The strongest

  1. EF4 Pierson tornado, Iowa and South DakotaOctober 4, 2013EF4, 24.7 mi (40 km)
  2. F4, Cherokee County, IowaJune 23, 1952F4, 24.1 mi (39 km)
  3. F3, Plymouth, Woodbury, Cherokee and O'Brien counties, IowaMay 5, 1964F3, 67.0 mi (108 km)
  4. F2, Cherokee County, IowaJune 7, 1984F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Cherokee County, IowaApril 1, 1958F2, 8.3 mi (13 km)
  6. F2, Cherokee and Plymouth counties, IowaAugust 7, 1991F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  7. F2, Cherokee County, IowaMarch 16, 1963F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264Unrated
20213EF1
20171EF0
20151EF0
20134EF4
20111EF1
20101EF0
20012F0
19971F0
19911F2
19871F0
19851F1
19842F2
19831F1
19801F1
19771F0
19681F1
19661F0
196417F3
19631F2
19601F0
19582F2
195214F4

Every tornado that crossed Cherokee County

34 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, 20268:10 PM CDTUnratedCherokee0.40
May 17, 20268:11 PM CDTUnratedCherokee0.90
May 17, 20268:15 PM CDTUnratedCherokee0.80
May 17, 20268:25 PM CDTUnratedCherokee0.90
December 15, 20215:05 PM CSTEF1Cherokee3.875$250,000
December 15, 20215:00 PM CSTUnratedCherokee1.850
December 15, 20214:59 PM CSTEF1Cherokee11.2250$1.0 million
August 18, 20179:21 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.850
October 23, 20156:39 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.350$10,000
October 4, 20138:18 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.350
October 4, 20137:46 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.450
October 4, 20137:41 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.650
October 4, 20136:35 PM CDTEF4Pierson tornado24.72,600$2.0 million
April 9, 20119:20 PM CDTEF1Cherokee5.2300$100,000
June 22, 201011:10 PM CDTEF0Cherokee1.250
August 17, 20016:00 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.150
June 13, 200110:18 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.150
July 27, 199712:37 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.150
August 7, 19915:55 PM CDTF2Cherokee8.080$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 19874:05 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.113$500 to $5,000
August 4, 19857:02 PM CDTF1Cherokee0.510$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 19845:29 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.110
June 7, 19844:14 PM CDTF2Cherokee10.077$500,000 to $5 million
September 5, 19836:20 PM CDTF1Cherokee0.130$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 198011:15 PM CDTF1Cherokee0.120$5,000 to $50,000
September 23, 19776:30 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.510
April 3, 19683:20 PM GMT-6F1Cherokee0.5200under $50
July 28, 19662:00 AM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
May 5, 19647:00 PM GMT-5F3Plymouth67.03007$500,000 to $5 million
March 16, 19631:30 PM GMT-6F2Cherokee2.0250$500 to $5,000
August 19, 196012:00 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
May 18, 19582:30 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
April 1, 19582:50 PM GMT-6F2Cherokee8.3200$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19527:30 PM GMT-5F4Cherokee24.14004$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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