Tornadoes · United States · Iowa

Tornadoes in Webster County, Iowa

64 tornadoes have crossed Webster County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 99 counties in Iowa with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 27. 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
64
Deaths
1
Injuries
27
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, May 4, 1977

The deadliest in Webster County

  1. F3, Boone, Webster and Hamilton counties, IowaNovember 12, 20051 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Calhoun and Webster counties, IowaMay 5, 1965F4, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  2. F4, Webster County, IowaMay 4, 1977F4, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  3. F4, Webster County, IowaJune 8, 1967F4, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  4. F3, Boone, Webster and Hamilton counties, IowaNovember 12, 2005F3, 17.6 mi (28 km)
  5. F3, Webster County, IowaSeptember 21, 1973F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  6. F2, Webster, Hamilton and Wright counties, IowaJune 7, 1953F2, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  7. EF2, Greene and Webster counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 18.8 mi (30 km)
  8. EF2, Calhoun and Webster counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  9. EF2, Greene, Boone and Webster counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 17.7 mi (28 km)
  10. EF2, Boone, Webster and Hamilton counties, IowaDecember 15, 2021EF2, 16.3 mi (26 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Webster County. Each year links to every tornado in Iowa that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20241Unrated
20231Unrated
202113EF2
20181EF0
20172EF1
20151EF0
20145EF1
20131EF0
20111EF0
20082EF0
2005413F3
20048F0
20011F0
19991F1
19981F0
19951F1
19901F0
19891F0
19881F1
19861F0
19822F1
19801F1
1977218F4
197411F1
19731F3
196735F4
19651F4
19641F2
19601F2
19571F0
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Webster County

64 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
May 17, 20269:24 PM CDTEF0Webster4.750
June 4, 20245:31 PM CDTUnratedWebster0.230
October 13, 20232:12 PM CDTUnratedWebster0.225
December 15, 20216:01 PM CSTEF0Hamilton7.680$70,000
December 15, 20216:00 PM CSTEF2Webster5.580$75,000
December 15, 20215:55 PM CSTEF2Hamilton12.1100$180,000
December 15, 20215:49 PM CSTEF2Boone16.3125$105,000
December 15, 20215:42 PM CSTEF2Greene18.8150$225,000
December 15, 20215:40 PM CSTEF2Calhoun18.080$100,000
December 15, 20215:39 PM CSTEF2Greene17.7125$30,000
August 8, 202112:06 AM CDTUnratedWebster0.515
August 8, 202112:02 AM CDTUnratedWebster1.440
August 8, 202111:47 PM CDTUnratedWebster1.9160
August 8, 202111:19 PM CDTUnratedWebster1.7150
August 8, 202111:00 PM CDTUnratedWebster1.6150
July 14, 20214:46 PM CDTUnratedWebster0.330
June 20, 20182:43 PM CDTEF0Webster0.730
March 6, 20175:28 PM CSTEF1Webster2.950$70,000
March 6, 20175:23 PM CSTEF0Webster2.430
June 7, 20151:11 AM CDTEF0Webster0.760$1,000
August 31, 20148:40 PM CDTEF1Webster4.6205
August 31, 20148:35 PM CDTEF1Webster5.3100$200,000
August 31, 20148:24 PM CDTEF0Webster6.4570$2,000
August 31, 20148:19 PM CDTEF0Webster5.2400
August 31, 20148:15 PM CDTEF0Greene9.8360$2,000
June 26, 201312:41 PM CDTEF0Webster0.730
July 11, 20112:52 AM CDTEF0Webster2.250
August 9, 20087:07 PM CDTEF0Webster0.425
August 9, 20086:56 PM CDTEF0Webster0.630
November 12, 20054:27 PM CSTF3Boone17.615013$12 million
May 18, 20056:58 PM CDTF1Calhoun24.5100$90,000
March 30, 200512:40 PM CSTF0Webster0.125
March 30, 200512:25 PM CSTF0Webster0.230
August 8, 20045:00 PM CDTF0Webster0.125
June 11, 20047:49 PM CDTF0Webster0.225
June 11, 20047:41 PM CDTF0Webster0.325
June 11, 20047:30 PM CDTF0Webster7.030
June 11, 20047:20 PM CDTF0Webster0.740$100,000
June 11, 20046:39 PM CDTF0Webster0.740
June 11, 20046:36 PM CDTF0Webster0.530
June 11, 20046:35 PM CDTF0Webster0.225
April 11, 20013:37 PM CDTF0Webster0.225$30,000
June 6, 19993:40 PM CDTF1Webster2.040$10,000
April 6, 19986:55 PM CDTF0Webster0.130
May 27, 19959:49 PM CDTF1Webster4.040$5,000 to $50,000
July 25, 19906:40 PM CDTF0Webster0.113$50 to $500
April 22, 198911:20 AM CDTF0Webster0.230
August 22, 19883:40 AM CDTF1Webster0.520$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19867:35 PM CDTF0Webster0.113
May 17, 19822:28 PM CDTF1Webster1.217$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19822:28 PM CDTF1Webster0.610$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19809:00 PM CDTF1Webster0.530$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19777:32 PM CDTF4Webster2.07014$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19777:20 PM CDTF2Webster1.0704$500,000 to $5 million
June 18, 19748:50 PM CDTF1Webster0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
September 21, 19739:25 AM CDTF3Webster2.3143$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 196710:30 PM GMT-5F2Webster14.21005$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 196710:00 PM GMT-5F4Webster2.0200
April 30, 19674:50 PM GMT-5F2Webster6.8200
May 5, 19655:15 PM GMT-5F4Calhoun9.9200$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19645:38 PM GMT-5F2Webster2.077$5,000 to $50,000
June 16, 19607:00 AM GMT-5F2Webster1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19575:00 PM GMT-5F0Webster0.110under $50
June 7, 195310:00 PM GMT-5F2Webster49.0200

Nearby

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