Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Dallas County, Iowa

60 tornadoes have crossed Dallas County since 1950, 7th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 91. 3 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
60
Deaths
0
Injuries
91
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, April 8, 1999

The strongest

  1. F4, Union, Adair, Guthrie and Dallas counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 57.0 mi (92 km)
  2. F4, Union, Madison and Dallas counties, IowaApril 8, 1999F4, 56.0 mi (90 km)
  3. F4, Guthrie, Adair, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaMay 10, 1959F4, 41.1 mi (66 km)
  4. F3, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaJune 13, 1976F3, 17.9 mi (29 km)
  5. F2, Boone, Dallas and Polk counties, IowaJune 29, 1998F2, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  6. F2, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaNovember 12, 2005F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  7. F2, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaApril 4, 1955F2, 11.6 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Dallas County, IowaJune 22, 1964F2, 9.7 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Dallas County, IowaApril 14, 1976F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Dallas County, IowaMay 17, 1966F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Dallas County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20243EF0
20211EF0
20202EF0
20192Unrated
20181EF0
20152EF1
20141EF0
20132EF1
20091EF0
20082EF1
20061F0
200512F2
20044F1
20011F0
20004F0
199921F4
1998285F2
19971F0
199512F4
19931F1
19901F0
19871F0
19868F0
19851F0
19831F1
19821F0
19792F1
19763F3
19751F1
19662F2
19641F2
19601F1
195911F4
19551F2

Every tornado that crossed Dallas County

60 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 24, 20244:38 AM CDTEF0Dallas9.280$60,000
April 26, 20248:21 PM CDTEF0Madison3.650$4,000
April 16, 202411:05 AM CDTEF0Dallas7.060$20,000
May 20, 20219:44 PM CDTEF0Dallas1.950
May 26, 20201:28 PM CDTUnratedDallas1.730
May 26, 20201:18 PM CDTEF0Dallas0.940$30,000
September 9, 20194:33 PM CDTUnratedDallas2.910
September 9, 20194:32 PM CDTUnratedDallas1.410
June 20, 20182:18 PM CDTEF0Dallas2.8100$5,000
November 11, 20152:59 PM CSTEF1Dallas11.3100$10,000
May 17, 20153:00 AM CDTEF0Dallas0.340
May 11, 201410:21 PM CDTEF0Dallas5.9100$100,000
May 19, 20136:45 PM CDTEF1Dallas1.4100$50,000
May 19, 20136:32 PM CDTEF0Dallas2.1100$4,000
June 7, 20096:33 PM CDTEF0Dallas1.9125$10,000
May 29, 200812:50 AM CDTEF1Dallas3.7150$100,000
May 29, 200811:06 PM CDTEF0Dallas0.125
March 30, 20066:04 PM CSTF0Dallas0.125
November 12, 20054:26 PM CSTF2Dallas14.01002$3.3 million
May 22, 20048:27 PM CDTF0Dallas0.225
May 22, 20048:13 PM CDTF0Dallas0.550$1,000
May 22, 20047:55 PM CDTF1Dallas5.0100$2,000
May 22, 20047:45 PM CDTF0Dallas0.225
April 8, 20019:25 PM CDTF0Dallas0.220
June 12, 20005:30 PM CDTF0Dallas0.120
June 12, 20005:03 PM CDTF0Dallas0.120
May 30, 20007:59 PM CDTF0Dallas0.120
May 30, 20007:46 PM CDTF0Dallas0.120
May 16, 19997:36 PM CDTF0Dallas0.30$2,000
April 8, 19993:48 PM CDTF4Union56.01,2501$2.4 million
June 29, 19981:43 PM CDTF1Dallas2.040$250,000
June 29, 19981:20 PM CDTF2Boone34.110085$11 million
August 14, 199712:57 AM CDTF0Dallas0.220
May 27, 19957:55 PM CDTF4Union57.05002$500,000 to $5 million
July 8, 19939:48 PM CDTF1Dallas5.550$5,000 to $50,000
March 13, 19907:20 PM CSTF0Dallas0.113$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19874:40 PM CDTF0Dallas1.020$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19868:49 PM CDTF0Polk0.210
May 9, 19868:40 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 9, 19868:12 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 9, 19868:09 PM CDTF0Dallas0.210
May 9, 19867:55 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 9, 19867:48 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 9, 19867:40 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 9, 19867:36 PM CDTF0Dallas0.210
June 26, 19853:37 PM CDTF0Dallas0.110
May 6, 19837:56 PM CDTF1Dallas0.210$500 to $5,000
June 17, 19826:00 PM CDTF0Dallas0.210under $50
July 10, 19798:25 PM CDTF0Dallas0.130$50 to $500
June 28, 19799:40 PM CDTF1Dallas12.940$50,000 to $500,000
June 13, 19762:58 PM CDTF3Dallas17.9100$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 19766:45 PM CDTF1Madison35.1100$5,000 to $50,000
April 14, 19768:15 PM CSTF2Dallas4.967$50 to $500
June 14, 19751:33 PM CDTF1Dallas5.410$500 to $5,000
July 26, 19664:15 PM GMT-5F0Dallas0.110
May 17, 19662:00 AM GMT-5F2Dallas2.0400$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19647:30 PM GMT-5F2Dallas9.7200$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 196010:30 PM GMT-5F1Dallas1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19592:00 PM GMT-5F4Guthrie41.14001$500,000 to $5 million
April 4, 19554:10 PM GMT-6F2Dallas11.6440$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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