Tornadoes · United States · Iowa
Tornadoes in Decatur County, Iowa
20 tornadoes have crossed Decatur County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 90th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.8 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 66. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 20
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 66
- F4 and above
- 3
- Worst on record
- F4, June 7, 1984
The deadliest in Decatur County
The strongest
- F4, Harrison, Decatur, Wayne, Lucas and Monroe counties, Missouri and IowaJune 7, 1984
- F4, Adams, Union, Ringgold and Decatur counties, IowaMay 24, 1989
- F4, Decatur and Wayne counties, IowaJune 2, 1980
- F3, Harrison, Decatur and Clarke counties, Missouri and IowaMay 27, 1995
- F2, Decatur, Wayne, Appanoose and Davis counties, IowaApril 23, 1961
- EF2, Decatur, Wayne and Lucas counties, IowaMarch 5, 2022
- F2, Decatur County, IowaJune 22, 1964
- F2, Decatur County, IowaMay 7, 1975
Every year with a tornado
The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Decatur County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.
Every tornado that crossed Decatur County
20 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Iowa. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 23, 2026 | 8:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Decatur | 2.2 | 150 | |||
| March 5, 2022 | 5:20 PM CST | Unrated | Decatur | 2.1 | 60 | |||
| March 5, 2022 | 5:07 PM CST | EF2 | Decatur | 19.4 | 300 | $600,000 | ||
| November 11, 2015 | 2:35 PM CST | EF1 | Ringgold | 11.2 | 200 | $5,000 | ||
| April 8, 2001 | 9:38 PM CDT | F0 | Decatur | 0.3 | 30 | $1,000 | ||
| May 27, 1996 | 3:34 PM CDT | F0 | Decatur | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| May 27, 1995 | 10:03 PM CDT | F3 | Harrison to IA | 30.4 | 150 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 24, 1989 | 6:11 PM CDT | F4 | Adams | 49.0 | 1,760 | $5 million to $50 million | ||
| July 13, 1986 | 12:20 AM CDT | F1 | Decatur | 0.5 | 40 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| July 8, 1986 | 10:45 PM CDT | F0 | Decatur | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| July 8, 1986 | 9:15 PM CDT | F0 | Decatur | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| May 10, 1986 | 7:52 PM CDT | F0 | Decatur | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 7, 1984 | 6:45 PM CDT | F4 | Harrison to IA | 134.0 | 250 | 3 | 64 | $5 million to $50 million |
| June 2, 1980 | 4:25 PM CDT | F4 | Decatur | 31.2 | 140 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| May 7, 1975 | 8:00 PM CDT | F2 | Decatur | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| August 20, 1964 | 10:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Decatur | 0.5 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 22, 1964 | 7:40 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Decatur | 1.0 | 200 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 23, 1961 | 8:25 AM GMT-6 | F2 | Decatur | 68.6 | 600 | 2 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 22, 1958 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Decatur | 1.0 | 50 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 21, 1957 | 12:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Decatur | 0.1 | 10 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Decatur CountyThe forecast for Decatur CountyThe live radar over Decatur 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.