Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Guthrie County, Iowa

33 tornadoes have crossed Guthrie County since 1950, 57th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 5. 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
33
Deaths
1
Injuries
5
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, May 27, 1995

The deadliest in Guthrie County

  1. EF2, Adair and Guthrie counties, IowaMay 22, 20191 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Union, Adair, Guthrie and Dallas counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 57.0 mi (92 km)
  2. F4, Guthrie, Adair, Dallas and Boone counties, IowaMay 10, 1959F4, 41.1 mi (66 km)
  3. F4, Guthrie, Carroll and Greene counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  4. EF2, Guthrie and Greene counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  5. EF2, Guthrie and Greene counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 23.4 mi (38 km)
  6. EF2, Guthrie and Greene counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 19.7 mi (32 km)
  7. EF2, Guthrie County, IowaMay 11, 2014EF2, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  8. EF2, Adair and Guthrie counties, IowaMay 22, 2019EF2, 4.8 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Guthrie County, IowaJune 29, 1986F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Guthrie County, IowaMay 7, 1964F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Guthrie County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20214EF2
20202Unrated
2019311EF2
20181EF0
20162EF0
20151EF0
20143EF2
20072EF1
20011F1
20001F1
199523F4
19911F0
19881F0
19862F2
19831F1
19772F1
19701F1
19641F2
19631F1
195911F4

Every tornado that crossed Guthrie County

33 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 15, 20215:27 PM CSTEF2Guthrie23.4150$801,000
December 15, 20215:21 PM CSTEF2Guthrie30.0300$470,000
December 15, 20215:14 PM CSTEF2Guthrie19.7100$450,000
December 15, 20215:10 PM CSTEF1Guthrie11.470$100,000
May 26, 20204:16 PM CDTUnratedGuthrie0.720
May 26, 20203:53 PM CDTUnratedGuthrie2.935
November 30, 20194:13 PM CSTUnratedGuthrie1.225
November 30, 20194:04 PM CSTUnratedGuthrie0.520
May 22, 20191:29 AM CDTEF2Adair4.815011$500,000
October 8, 20186:22 PM CDTEF0Guthrie5.9100
May 9, 20168:18 PM CDTEF0Guthrie1.520
May 9, 20167:46 PM CDTEF0Guthrie5.5130$5,000
November 11, 20152:57 PM CSTEF0Guthrie3.275$5,000
July 6, 20148:41 PM CDTEF0Guthrie0.920
May 11, 20149:56 PM CDTEF1Guthrie4.3190$400,000
May 11, 20149:43 PM CDTEF2Guthrie10.3240$1.3 million
August 28, 20077:02 PM CDTEF0Guthrie0.750$20,000
May 6, 20074:37 AM CDTEF1Guthrie1.250$50,000
April 11, 20012:25 PM CDTF1Guthrie2.075$60,000
July 26, 20003:18 PM CDTF1Guthrie3.640$10,000
May 27, 19957:56 PM CDTF4Guthrie30.02501$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19957:55 PM CDTF4Union57.05002$500,000 to $5 million
March 22, 19913:20 PM CSTF0Guthrie0.120$50 to $500
July 15, 19887:20 PM CDTF0Guthrie0.313$5,000 to $50,000
June 29, 198610:50 PM CDTF2Guthrie2.073$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 198610:05 PM CDTF2Guthrie1.050$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19837:10 PM CDTF1Guthrie0.520$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19778:26 PM CDTF1Guthrie1.030$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19778:15 PM CDTF0Guthrie1.010
May 22, 19707:00 PM CDTF1Guthrie0.110$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19647:30 PM GMT-5F2Guthrie2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19637:45 PM GMT-5F1Guthrie0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19592:00 PM GMT-5F4Guthrie41.14001$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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