Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Muscatine County, Iowa

40 tornadoes have crossed Muscatine County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 39th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 16. 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
40
Deaths
2
Injuries
16
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, June 1, 2007

The deadliest in Muscatine County

  1. F1, Muscatine and Johnson counties, IowaApril 13, 20061 killed, 1 injured
  2. EF1, Muscatine County, IowaJune 24, 20131 killed

The strongest

  1. EF3, Louisa and Muscatine counties, IowaJune 1, 2007EF3, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  2. F3, Scott and Muscatine counties, IowaMay 9, 1995F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  3. F2, Lee, Des Moines, Louisa and Muscatine counties, IowaApril 30, 1954F2, 85.2 mi (137 km)
  4. EF2, Muscatine and Scott counties, IowaMarch 6, 2017EF2, 25.3 mi (41 km)
  5. F2, Muscatine, Cedar and Scott counties, IowaMay 21, 1957F2, 8.9 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Muscatine and Scott counties, IowaMay 7, 1967F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  7. EF2, Muscatine County, IowaApril 25, 2008EF2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  8. F2, Scott and Muscatine counties, IowaJune 14, 2001F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  9. F2, Muscatine County, IowaMay 23, 1966F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  10. EF2, Muscatine County, IowaMarch 6, 2017EF2, 1.8 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20242EF1
20231EF1
201723EF2
20161EF1
201321EF1
20081EF2
200717EF3
2006311F1
20021F1
200113F2
19971F0
19956F3
19912F1
19881F1
19872F1
19811F0
19801F1
19792F1
197711F1
19741F0
19671F2
19661F2
19641F0
19571F2
195411F2
19521F0

Every tornado that crossed Muscatine County

40 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20264:36 PM CDTEF0Johnson2.250
July 15, 20247:02 PM CDTEF0Muscatine to IL3.050
May 24, 20246:55 AM CDTEF1Muscatine15.075
May 7, 20235:48 PM CDTEF1Muscatine5.0100
March 6, 201710:13 PM CSTEF2Muscatine25.31,000$52,000
March 6, 201710:05 PM CSTEF2Muscatine1.82003$100,000
October 6, 201610:07 PM CDTEF1Muscatine9.530
June 24, 20133:08 PM CDTEF1Muscatine6.51001$500,000
May 30, 20134:10 PM CDTEF1Muscatine2.4100$25,000
April 25, 20083:15 PM CDTEF2Muscatine6.5150$200,000
June 1, 200712:07 PM CDTEF3Louisa15.87747$16 million
April 13, 20069:13 PM CDTF0Muscatine to IL6.4220$15,000
April 13, 20068:48 PM CDTF1Muscatine4.8176$80,000
April 13, 20068:45 PM CDTF1Muscatine9.444011$120,000
August 21, 20026:15 PM CDTF1Muscatine1.6100
June 14, 20016:01 PM CDTF2Scott6.52003
April 30, 19973:00 PM CDTF0Muscatine10.020
July 27, 19957:45 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.530$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19954:55 PM CDTF3Scott10.073$500,000 to $5 million
May 9, 19954:29 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.230$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19954:07 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.540$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19954:06 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.223$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19953:43 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.540$500 to $5,000
May 17, 19914:10 PM CDTF1Muscatine0.117$500 to $5,000
May 17, 19914:10 PM CDTF1Muscatine14.530$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19883:10 PM CDTF1Muscatine1.540$50,000 to $500,000
August 21, 19871:38 AM CDTF1Muscatine1.020$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19872:30 PM CDTF1Louisa25.027$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 198111:15 PM CSTF0Washington103.550$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 198012:20 AM CDTF1Muscatine0.220$5,000 to $50,000
July 30, 19795:00 AM CDTF1Muscatine1.030$50,000 to $500,000
July 27, 19798:45 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.110
August 16, 19771:01 AM CDTF1Muscatine0.5101$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19747:10 PM CDTF0Muscatine0.110
May 7, 19675:34 PM GMT-5F2Muscatine8.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19664:30 PM GMT-5F2Muscatine4.9350$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19644:55 PM GMT-5F0Muscatine1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19576:00 PM GMT-5F2Muscatine8.9100$50,000 to $500,000
April 30, 19544:15 PM GMT-5F2Lee85.22001$50,000 to $500,000
November 17, 19521:20 PM GMT-6F0Muscatine0.150

Nearby

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