Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Marion County, Iowa

47 tornadoes have crossed Marion County since 1950, 21st of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 35. 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.

  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
47
Deaths
0
Injuries
35
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, July 19, 2018

The strongest

  1. F3, Lucas, Warren, Marion and Jasper counties, IowaApril 8, 1999F3, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  2. EF3, Marion, Lucas and Monroe counties, IowaJune 22, 2015EF3, 11.1 mi (18 km)
  3. EF3, Marion and Mahaska counties, IowaJuly 19, 2018EF3, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  4. EF2, Marion, Mahaska, Jasper and Poweshiek counties, IowaSeptember 30, 2007EF2, 21.9 mi (35 km)
  5. EF2, Marion and Mahaska counties, IowaMay 30, 2008EF2, 19.2 mi (31 km)
  6. F2, Marion County, IowaMay 28, 1962F2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Marion County, IowaJune 22, 1964F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  8. F2, Marion County, IowaJune 5, 1972F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marion County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20237EF1
20211EF1
20191EF1
2018413EF3
20174EF1
201521EF3
2008310EF2
20072EF2
20053F0
20031F1
20021F0
20001F1
199915F3
19981F0
19881F1
19871F0
19862F1
198514F1
198412F1
19821F1
19811F0
19761F1
19721F2
19711F1
19691F1
19641F2
19621F2

Every tornado that crossed Marion County

47 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 7, 20241:37 AM CDTEF0Marion5.080$8,000
May 13, 20236:52 PM CDTEF0Marion0.950$2,000
May 13, 20236:20 PM CDTUnratedMarion0.330
May 13, 20233:52 PM CDTEF0Marion0.740$1,000
May 13, 20233:29 PM CDTEF0Marion0.550$10,000
May 13, 20233:23 PM CDTUnratedMarion0.530
May 13, 20231:22 PM CDTEF0Warren1.140$2,000
April 4, 20236:43 PM CDTEF1Warren15.3130$100,000
June 20, 20216:40 PM CDTEF1Marion1.5150$10,000
August 20, 20196:21 AM CDTEF1Marion1.6120$15,000
July 19, 20184:01 PM CDTEF3Marion9.280013$120 million
July 19, 20183:56 PM CDTEF0Marion1.040
July 19, 20183:45 PM CDTEF1Jasper4.0500$8,000
May 3, 20187:48 PM CDTEF0Marion1.125
June 28, 20175:54 PM CDTEF1Warren17.8500$85,000
March 6, 20177:47 PM CSTEF0Marion5.565$25,000
March 6, 20177:35 PM CSTEF1Marion6.880$20,000
March 6, 20177:29 PM CSTEF1Marion5.3120$50,000
November 11, 20153:42 PM CSTEF1Marion4.41001$350,000
June 22, 20155:05 PM CDTEF3Marion11.1575$150,000
June 5, 200812:10 AM CDTEF1Warren18.3150$180,000
May 30, 20085:07 AM CDTEF2Marion19.290010$825,000
May 30, 20084:51 AM CDTEF1Warren7.2125$80,000
September 30, 20076:26 PM CDTEF2Marion21.91,250$4.1 million
June 7, 200712:48 PM CDTEF0Marion0.230
June 13, 20058:53 PM CDTF0Marion0.125
June 13, 20058:47 PM CDTF0Marion0.230
June 13, 20058:30 PM CDTF0Marion0.230
May 10, 20035:26 PM CDTF1Marion18.550$320,000
May 8, 20028:15 PM CDTF0Marion0.230
May 18, 200012:01 PM CDTF1Warren2.030$10,000
April 8, 19995:18 PM CDTF3Lucas39.005$1.4 million
May 19, 19984:45 PM CDTF0Marion0.730
May 8, 198811:56 AM CDTF1Warren11.030$50,000 to $500,000
July 8, 19873:50 PM CDTF0Marion0.113$500 to $5,000
August 14, 19866:37 PM CDTF1Marion0.223$50,000 to $500,000
June 10, 19869:43 PM CDTF0Marion0.113$500 to $5,000
May 11, 19854:40 PM CDTF1Marion2.0504$5,000 to $50,000
October 14, 19845:15 PM CDTF1Monroe5.0402$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19823:10 PM CDTF1Marion0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19815:55 PM CSTF0Marion8.310$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19767:20 PM CSTF1Marion3.633
June 5, 19726:56 PM CDTF2Marion1.9200$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19713:15 PM CDTF1Marion0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19693:45 PM GMT-5F1Marion1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19648:30 PM GMT-5F2Marion6.4200$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 196210:00 PM GMT-5F2Marion11.7200$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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