Tornadoes · United States · Iowa
Tornadoes in Des Moines County, Iowa
24 tornadoes have crossed Des Moines County since 1950, 87th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.2 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 29. None was rated F4 or 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
- 24
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 29
- F4 and above
- 0
- Worst on record
- F3, August 25, 1965
The strongest
- F3, Des Moines County, IowaAugust 25, 1965
- F2, Lee, Des Moines, Louisa and Muscatine counties, IowaApril 30, 1954
- EF2, Lee, Henry, Des Moines and Louisa counties, IowaApril 16, 2024
- F2, Des Moines County, IowaMay 23, 1966
- F2, Des Moines County, IowaMay 4, 1977
- EF2, Des Moines County, IowaJune 15, 2019
- EF2, Des Moines County, IowaJune 15, 2019
- F2, Des Moines County, IowaMay 13, 1974
- EF2, Des Moines County, IowaMarch 31, 2023
Every year with a tornado
The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Des Moines County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.
Every tornado that crossed Des Moines County
24 tornadoes, newest first.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2024 | 4:25 PM CDT | EF2 | Lee | 41.7 | 600 | |||
| March 31, 2023 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF2 | Des Moines | 0.9 | 150 | |||
| June 15, 2019 | 8:24 PM CDT | EF2 | Des Moines | 1.3 | 300 | |||
| June 15, 2019 | 8:20 PM CDT | EF2 | Des Moines | 1.8 | 260 | |||
| June 15, 2019 | 7:54 PM CDT | Unrated | Des Moines | 0.8 | 40 | |||
| May 27, 2019 | 2:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Des Moines | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| June 20, 2015 | 7:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Des Moines | 2.9 | 50 | $300,000 | ||
| May 25, 2011 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Des Moines | 3.6 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25, 2011 | 4:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Des Moines | 4.8 | 100 | $250,000 | ||
| May 8, 1988 | 3:20 PM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 1.0 | 30 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 29, 1983 | 11:58 AM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 13.0 | 40 | 27 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| December 2, 1982 | 12:13 AM CST | F1 | Des Moines | 2.5 | 17 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| July 5, 1980 | 1:45 AM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 0.5 | 30 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| July 5, 1980 | 1:26 AM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 0.1 | 30 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 5, 1980 | 1:24 AM CDT | F1 | Henry | 0.1 | 40 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 5, 1977 | 5:45 PM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 14.1 | 100 | |||
| May 4, 1977 | 3:56 PM CDT | F2 | Des Moines | 2.0 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 13, 1974 | 11:00 PM CDT | F2 | Des Moines | 1.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 13, 1974 | 10:30 PM CDT | F1 | Des Moines | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 16, 1973 | 7:45 PM CDT | F0 | Des Moines | 0.5 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 23, 1966 | 5:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Des Moines | 4.1 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| August 25, 1965 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Des Moines | 3.0 | 100 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 18, 1963 | 5:26 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Des Moines | 14.4 | 300 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 30, 1954 | 4:15 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Lee | 85.2 | 200 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Des Moines CountyThe forecast for Des Moines CountyThe live radar over Des Moines 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.