Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Hardin County, Iowa

49 tornadoes have crossed Hardin County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 17th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 3. 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
49
Deaths
1
Injuries
3
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 30, 1989

The deadliest in Hardin County

  1. F3, Story, Hardin, Butler and Chickasaw counties, IowaMay 20, 19531 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Hamilton, Story, Hardin and Marshall counties, IowaMay 24, 1989F4, 66.0 mi (106 km)
  2. F4, Hardin and Grundy counties, IowaMay 30, 1989F4, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  3. F3, Story, Hardin, Butler and Chickasaw counties, IowaMay 20, 1953F3, 116.1 mi (187 km)
  4. F3, Story and Hardin counties, IowaMarch 22, 1991F3, 43.0 mi (69 km)
  5. F3, Franklin and Hardin counties, IowaJune 28, 1990F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Grundy and Hardin counties, IowaMarch 22, 1991F2, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  7. F2, Hardin County, IowaMay 31, 1971F2, 4.5 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Hardin County, IowaJuly 14, 1970F2, 1.3 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hardin County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF0
20221Unrated
20212EF1
20196EF0
20181EF0
20171EF1
20161EF0
20145EF1
20093EF0
20052F1
20043F1
20021F0
20011F1
20001F0
19951F0
19941F1
19921F0
19914F3
19903F3
198923F4
19731F1
19711F2
19701F2
19691F1
19641F1
19601F1
195311F3

Every tornado that crossed Hardin County

49 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 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
April 14, 20263:14 PM CDTEF0Hardin1.225
April 14, 20263:22 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.625
July 7, 20225:17 PM CDTUnratedHardin0.320
December 15, 20216:27 PM CSTEF1Hardin22.2140$35,000
December 15, 20216:26 PM CSTEF1Hardin13.0125$5,000
June 15, 20192:21 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.220$1,000
May 29, 20198:54 PM CDTUnratedHardin0.720
May 29, 20198:31 PM CDTEF0Hardin1.350$10,000
May 29, 20198:29 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.640$30,000
May 29, 20198:15 PM CDTEF0Hardin1.230
May 29, 20197:37 PM CDTEF0Hardin1.130
June 20, 20183:27 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.330
March 6, 20176:58 PM CSTEF1Hardin6.3300$25,000
November 28, 201612:44 PM CSTEF0Hardin5.250$5,000
August 31, 20149:11 PM CDTEF0Hardin2.260
August 31, 20149:08 PM CDTEF1Hamilton2.6150$110,000
June 30, 20141:15 PM CDTEF0Marshall6.5150$52,000
June 30, 20141:02 PM CDTEF1Story12.0460$220,000
June 29, 20148:25 PM CDTEF1Hardin1.375$1,000
June 21, 20096:59 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.630
June 21, 20096:39 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.430
June 21, 20096:15 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.730
November 12, 20055:50 PM CSTF0Hardin0.730$10,000
November 12, 20055:20 PM CSTF1Story8.075$730,000
August 16, 20047:16 PM CDTF1Hardin1.775$2,000
August 16, 20047:10 PM CDTF0Hardin0.640$1,000
August 3, 20044:53 PM CDTF0Hardin0.750$20,000
April 18, 20026:00 PM CDTF0Hardin0.225$1,000
April 20, 200112:46 AM CDTF1Hardin0.650$500,000
May 22, 20008:35 PM CDTF0Hardin0.110
June 6, 19958:41 PM CDTF0Hardin0.210$500 to $5,000
June 19, 19944:45 PM CDTF1Story7.060$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19925:58 PM CDTF0Hardin0.120$500 to $5,000
April 29, 19912:25 PM CDTF1Hardin3.040$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19915:30 PM CSTF1Hardin2.023$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19915:25 PM CSTF2Grundy20.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19914:20 PM CSTF3Story43.070$500,000 to $5 million
July 11, 19905:30 PM CDTF0Hardin0.113$500 to $5,000
June 28, 19901:35 PM CDTF0Hardin0.117$5,000 to $50,000
June 28, 19901:09 PM CDTF3Franklin9.090$500,000 to $5 million
May 30, 19897:50 PM CDTF4Hardin11.02003$500,000 to $5 million
May 24, 19896:20 PM CDTF4Hamilton66.0150$5 million to $50 million
September 21, 19737:00 PM CDTF1Hardin0.110$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19716:15 PM CDTF2Hardin4.5300$50,000 to $500,000
July 14, 19707:30 PM CDTF2Hardin1.3250$5,000 to $50,000
July 16, 19698:00 PM GMT-5F1Hardin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19646:30 PM GMT-5F1Hardin2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19607:10 PM GMT-5F1Hardin2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 195310:00 PM GMT-5F3Story116.14001

Nearby

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