Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Union County, Iowa

42 tornadoes have crossed Union County since 1950, 29th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 9. 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
42
Deaths
0
Injuries
9
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, April 8, 1999

The strongest

  1. F4, Union, Adair, Guthrie and Dallas counties, IowaMay 27, 1995F4, 57.0 mi (92 km)
  2. F4, Union, Madison and Dallas counties, IowaApril 8, 1999F4, 56.0 mi (90 km)
  3. F4, Adams, Union, Ringgold and Decatur counties, IowaMay 24, 1989F4, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  4. F3, Worth, Gentry, Ringgold, Union, Clarke and Madison counties, Missouri and IowaApril 11, 2001F3, 76.5 mi (123 km)
  5. F3, Union, Madison and Warren counties, IowaMarch 29, 1979F3, 57.0 mi (92 km)
  6. EF2, Adams and Union counties, IowaApril 14, 2012EF2, 16.6 mi (27 km)
  7. F2, Union and Ringgold counties, IowaApril 26, 1964F2, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  8. EF2, Union and Madison counties, IowaApril 26, 2024EF2, 13.9 mi (22 km)
  9. EF2, Adams and Union counties, IowaApril 26, 2024EF2, 9.7 mi (16 km)
  10. F2, Union County, IowaApril 12, 1964F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20247EF2
20221EF0
20181EF1
20161EF0
20151EF1
201212EF2
20111EF0
20085EF1
20071EF0
20062F0
20031F0
20011F3
199911F4
19961F0
199512F4
19921F1
19891F4
19871F0
19853F0
19831F0
197914F3
19751F0
19731F1
19722F2
19642F2
19621F1

Every tornado that crossed Union County

42 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Iowa.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 17, 202510:21 PM CDTEF1Union4.350$46,000
May 21, 20243:50 PM CDTEF0Union4.075$20,000
May 21, 20243:18 PM CDTEF1Adams12.7200$101,000
April 26, 20247:51 PM CDTEF2Union6.7130$500,000
April 26, 20247:38 PM CDTEF1Union9.4150$25,000
April 26, 20247:19 PM CDTEF2Union13.9150$110,000
April 26, 20247:14 PM CDTEF1Union2.980$50,000
April 26, 20246:52 PM CDTEF2Adams9.7350$300,000
March 5, 20224:01 PM CSTEF0Adams2.8100$10,000
October 9, 20185:09 PM CDTEF1Union2.3250$40,000
April 27, 20165:40 PM CDTEF0Union4.0250$3,000
November 11, 20152:00 PM CSTEF1Taylor21.8450$405,000
April 14, 20126:52 PM CDTEF2Adams16.68002$5.0 million
March 22, 20116:16 PM CDTEF0Union2.0100
June 5, 20089:24 PM CDTEF1Union3.0150$25,000
June 4, 20089:58 PM CDTEF1Union10.9100$5,000
June 4, 20089:37 PM CDTEF1Union3.9150$50,000
June 4, 20089:18 PM CDTEF0Union1.175$5,000
June 4, 20087:04 PM CDTEF0Union0.950
May 6, 20074:45 AM CDTEF0Union4.250$75,000
March 30, 20066:00 PM CSTF0Union0.125
March 30, 20065:57 PM CSTF0Union0.230$40,000
September 11, 20032:52 PM CDTF0Union3.550$250,000
April 11, 200111:30 AM CDTF3Worth to IA76.5500$1.9 million
April 8, 19993:48 PM CDTF4Union56.01,2501$2.4 million
March 24, 19964:15 PM CSTF0Union0.120$30,000
May 27, 19957:55 PM CDTF4Union57.05002$500,000 to $5 million
July 15, 19926:57 PM CDTF1Union1.023$500 to $5,000
May 24, 19896:11 PM CDTF4Adams49.01,760$5 million to $50 million
June 24, 19879:44 PM CDTF0Union0.220$50 to $500
June 26, 19853:25 PM CDTF0Union0.110
June 26, 19853:00 PM CDTF0Union0.110
June 16, 19859:00 PM CDTF0Union0.110
July 3, 19836:02 PM CDTF0Union0.120under $50
March 29, 19797:05 PM CSTF3Union57.05004$500,000 to $5 million
May 7, 19757:15 PM CDTF0Union0.110
April 19, 19736:20 PM CSTF1Union1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
September 12, 19727:00 PM CDTF0Union0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19725:40 PM CDTF2Union2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19648:10 PM GMT-5F2Union14.8300$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 19645:30 PM GMT-6F2Union9.410$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 196210:30 PM GMT-5F1Union0.3250$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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