Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Linn County, Iowa

68 tornadoes have crossed Linn County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 2nd of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 44. 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
68
Deaths
1
Injuries
44
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, March 13, 1990

The deadliest in Linn County

  1. F3, Marshall, Tama, Benton and Linn counties, IowaApril 23, 19611 killed, 12 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Linn, Delaware, Clayton and Allamakee counties, IowaApril 30, 1954F4, 80.4 mi (129 km)
  2. F4, Linn, Delaware, Jones and Dubuque counties, IowaMarch 13, 1990F4, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  3. F3, Marshall, Tama, Benton and Linn counties, IowaApril 23, 1961F3, 87.7 mi (141 km)
  4. F3, Linn and Jones counties, IowaMay 20, 1953F3, 38.6 mi (62 km)
  5. F3, Linn County, IowaMay 21, 2004F3, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  6. F2, Iowa, Benton, Linn and Delaware counties, IowaApril 30, 1954F2, 65.8 mi (106 km)
  7. F2, Linn, Delaware, Jones and Dubuque counties, IowaSeptember 28, 1972F2, 64.5 mi (104 km)
  8. F2, Linn County, IowaMay 26, 1965F2, 19.8 mi (32 km)
  9. EF2, Linn and Jones counties, IowaJune 28, 2017EF2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  10. EF2, Johnson and Linn counties, IowaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 9.0 mi (14 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 41 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Linn County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20253EF2
20242EF0
20232EF2
202131EF0
20201Unrated
20191Unrated
20184EF1
201711EF2
201624EF2
20151EF1
20141EF0
20091EF1
20071EF1
20061F0
20051F0
20043F3
20033F2
20011F0
200011F0
19992F0
19985F0
19971F1
19951F0
19912F1
19902F4
19891F1
19871F0
19851F1
19841F0
19831F1
19821F0
19792F1
197213F2
19663F2
1965114F2
196411F2
19611112F3
19561F0
19543F4
195317F3

Every tornado that crossed Linn County

68 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
July 31, 20267:52 PM CDTUnratedLinn0.00
August 7, 20265:11 PM CDTEF1Linn0.325
July 11, 20254:04 PM CDTEF1Linn12.4150
July 11, 20253:46 PM CDTEF2Linn6.7300
July 11, 20253:35 PM CDTEF1Benton4.1250
June 25, 20245:25 PM CDTEF0Linn0.550
May 24, 20247:20 AM CDTUnratedCedar11.010
March 31, 20235:06 PM CDTEF2Johnson9.075
January 16, 20232:50 PM CSTUnratedLinn0.810
July 14, 20218:52 PM CDTUnratedLinn0.110
July 14, 20218:50 PM CDTUnratedLinn0.110
April 7, 20218:36 PM CDTEF0Linn0.7401
August 10, 202012:31 PM CDTUnratedLinn0.940
June 9, 20194:24 PM CDTUnratedLinn6.410
September 25, 20181:30 PM CDTEF1Linn0.120$1,000
September 3, 20189:08 PM CDTEF1Linn2.230$35,000
September 3, 20186:08 PM CDTEF0Linn0.015
September 3, 20185:31 PM CDTEF1Linn5.0100
June 28, 20176:38 PM CDTEF2Linn11.72001
August 28, 20164:33 PM CDTEF0Linn0.110
July 17, 20165:15 AM CDTEF2Benton4.0754$275,000
December 23, 20154:34 PM CSTEF1Linn2.350
April 27, 20144:40 PM CDTEF0Linn0.550
April 26, 20094:52 PM CDTEF1Linn21.0100$1.0 million
July 18, 20077:15 PM CDTEF1Linn1.2100$50,000
April 13, 20067:40 PM CDTF0Linn1.0200$70,000
June 29, 200511:51 PM CDTF0Linn0.720
August 26, 200410:36 PM CDTF1Linn0.840
August 26, 200410:28 PM CDTF1Linn0.040$10,000
May 21, 20044:22 PM CDTF3Linn3.0200$250,000
July 20, 200311:52 PM CDTF1Linn0.570$10,000
July 20, 200311:06 PM CDTF2Linn0.3200$2.0 million
July 20, 200310:58 PM CDTF2Linn1.0300$500,000
April 11, 20015:20 PM CDTF0Linn0.110
May 31, 200011:38 AM CDTF0Linn0.1101$50,000
June 10, 19992:17 PM CDTF0Linn0.110
June 10, 19992:00 PM CDTF0Linn0.110
June 18, 19984:40 PM CDTF0Linn0.130
May 28, 19987:12 PM CDTF0Linn0.130
May 28, 19987:05 PM CDTF0Linn0.130
May 8, 19987:01 PM CDTF0Linn0.130
May 8, 19986:40 PM CDTF0Linn0.130$1,000
May 18, 19974:40 PM CDTF1Cedar3.250
July 27, 19956:45 PM CDTF0Linn0.123$500 to $5,000
September 12, 19914:59 PM CDTF0Linn0.120$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19911:58 PM CDTF1Linn1.530
July 4, 199011:20 PM CDTF0Linn0.320$500 to $5,000
March 13, 19904:53 PM CSTF4Linn19.0200$5 million to $50 million
April 26, 19894:22 PM CDTF1Linn6.040$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 19876:23 AM CDTF0Linn0.313$5,000 to $50,000
August 14, 198512:25 PM CDTF1Linn0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 19847:18 PM CDTF0Linn0.530$500 to $5,000
June 29, 19831:50 PM CDTF1Johnson31.040$50,000 to $500,000
October 6, 19821:21 PM CDTF0Linn0.330under $50
July 13, 197910:30 PM CDTF1Linn0.220$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19795:20 PM CDTF1Linn8.030$5,000 to $50,000
September 28, 19722:50 PM CDTF2Linn64.52,2003$500,000 to $5 million
October 14, 19664:20 PM GMT-5F1Linn0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 14, 19664:00 PM GMT-5F2Linn5.010$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 196611:30 PM GMT-5F2Linn0.1100
May 26, 19655:30 AM GMT-5F2Linn19.81014$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19646:30 PM GMT-5F2Linn2.32001$50,000 to $500,000
April 23, 196110:15 AM GMT-6F3Marshall87.7800112$500,000 to $5 million
May 29, 19566:30 PM GMT-5F0Linn0.110$50 to $500
May 23, 19549:15 PM GMT-5F2Linn0.1100$500 to $5,000
April 30, 19548:00 PM GMT-5F2Iowa65.8200
April 30, 19548:00 PM GMT-5F4Linn80.4200
May 20, 195311:10 PM GMT-5F3Linn38.64007

Nearby

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