Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Page County, Iowa

43 tornadoes have crossed Page County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 34th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 71. 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
43
Deaths
3
Injuries
71
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, April 12, 1964

The deadliest in Page County

  1. F3, Mills, Fremont and Page counties, IowaAugust 28, 19792 killed, 14 injured
  2. F4, Page County, IowaApril 12, 19641 killed, 28 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Nodaway and Page counties, Missouri and IowaMarch 29, 1979F4, 18.8 mi (30 km)
  2. F4, Page County, IowaApril 12, 1964F4, 13.1 mi (21 km)
  3. F4, Atchison and Page counties, Missouri and IowaApril 5, 1954F4, 6.3 mi (10 km)
  4. F3, Mills, Fremont and Page counties, IowaAugust 28, 1979F3, 38.3 mi (62 km)
  5. EF3, Page, Montgomery and Adams counties, IowaMay 21, 2024EF3, 33.9 mi (54 km)
  6. F3, Page, Taylor and Adams counties, IowaJune 7, 1984F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  7. F3, Page County, IowaJune 19, 1964F3, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  8. F3, Page and Taylor counties, IowaJune 19, 1964F3, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  9. F3, Page County, IowaApril 5, 1954F3, 5.2 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Page County, IowaSeptember 22, 1964F2, 11.8 mi (19 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Page County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20252EF1
20243EF3
20191Unrated
20171EF1
20151EF0
20081EF0
20042F2
20021F1
20001F0
199931F1
19872F1
198413F3
19834F1
19811F0
19793234F4
19751F2
19712F1
19671F1
19644131F4
19601F1
19552F2
195422F4

Every tornado that crossed Page County

43 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Iowa. The 3 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 23, 20266:17 PM CDTEF0Page2.120
June 11, 20265:58 AM CDTEF1Page7.2100
June 11, 20266:11 AM CDTEF1Page1.950
July 11, 20253:46 PM CDTUnratedPage0.010
April 17, 20258:32 PM CDTEF1Fremont19.01,971
May 21, 20242:57 PM CDTEF1Page1.785
May 21, 20242:43 PM CDTEF3Page33.91,300$1.0 million
May 21, 20247:32 AM CDTEF1Page3.380
October 1, 20193:35 PM CDTUnratedPage0.050
June 28, 20174:21 PM CDTEF1Page2.175
November 11, 201512:48 PM CSTEF0Page0.650
June 5, 20087:24 PM CDTEF0Page1.280
August 26, 20046:30 PM CDTF2Page7.01,200
August 26, 20046:25 PM CDTF0Page2.0100
July 26, 20028:48 PM CDTF1Page1.5400
June 13, 20004:20 PM CDTF0Page3.0100
April 8, 19992:48 PM CDTF1Page9.0100$20,000
April 8, 19992:36 PM CDTF1Page8.04401$100,000
April 8, 19992:22 PM CDTF1Page5.070$10,000
July 8, 198712:20 AM CDTF1Page1.023$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19874:15 PM CDTF1Page1.040$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19845:20 PM CDTF3Page25.01003$500,000 to $5 million
May 6, 19836:50 PM CDTF1Page0.130$50,000 to $500,000
May 1, 19833:10 PM CDTF0Page1.010$50 to $500
May 1, 19832:30 PM CDTF1Page10.020$50,000 to $500,000
May 1, 19832:30 PM CDTF0Page1.020$500 to $5,000
May 23, 19813:32 PM CDTF0Page0.110
September 5, 197912:45 AM CDTF1Page0.330$5,000 to $50,000
August 28, 19796:25 PM CDTF3Mills38.3533214$500,000 to $5 million
March 29, 19795:45 PM CSTF4Nodaway to IA18.850020$500,000 to $5 million
June 18, 19757:00 AM CDTF2Page0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19715:40 PM CDTF1Page0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19713:28 PM CDTF0Page0.110$50 to $500
June 7, 19678:00 PM GMT-5F1Page2.0200$50,000 to $500,000
September 22, 19644:10 PM GMT-5F2Page11.8300$50,000 to $500,000
June 19, 19649:21 PM GMT-5F3Page10.62001$50,000 to $500,000
June 19, 19648:10 PM GMT-5F3Page11.53502$500,000 to $5 million
April 12, 19644:45 PM GMT-6F4Page13.1400128$500,000 to $5 million
November 27, 196011:15 PM GMT-6F1Page4.9100$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19551:10 PM GMT-6F2Page1.530$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19557:00 PM GMT-6F1Page0.5440$500 to $5,000
April 5, 19545:30 PM GMT-6F3Page5.2667
April 5, 19545:00 PM GMT-6F4Atchison to IA6.39002$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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