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Tornado in Howard County, Iowa
44 tornadoes events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Tornado.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Howard County, Iowa, has 44 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 25 different years.
May is the busiest month, with 12 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 17 events against 12 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 1.3% of the 3,501 tornado events recorded in Iowa; its 9.3 per 100 square miles compares with 6.3 statewide.
By rating: 22 at (E)F0, 9 at (E)F1, 6 at (E)F2, 2 at (E)F3, 4 at (E)F4, 1 at (E)F5. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with Iowa
| Measure | Howard County | Iowa | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 44 | 3,501 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 9.3 | 6.3 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 46.4 | 11.0 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 100 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | May | May | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
1Apr
4May
12Jun
6Jul
7Aug
7Sep
3Oct
0Nov
0Dec
4
Magnitude distribution
Enhanced Fujita scale wind estimates
- EF0/F0
- 65–85 mph (EF0)
- EF1/F1
- 86–110 mph (EF1)
- EF2/F2
- 111–135 mph (EF2)
- EF3/F3
- 136–165 mph (EF3)
- EF4/F4
- 166–200 mph (EF4)
- EF5/F5
- over 200 mph (EF5)
- Unrated
- no rating recorded
Tornado rating as recorded (Fujita scale before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita after).
Recorded events
All 44 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | $55K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 12 Apr 2022 | Tornado | EF0 | $340K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Apr 2022 | Tornado | EF1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | $600K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | $90K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | $90K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2019 | Tornado | EF0 | $35K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | $1.3M | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2019 | Tornado | EF0 | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | $12K | $5K | — | — | County |
| 6 Sep 2016 | Tornado | EF0 | $200 | — | — | — | County |
| 31 Aug 2014 | Tornado | EF0 | — | $1K | — | — | County |
| 31 Aug 2014 | Tornado | EF0 | — | $1K | — | — | County |
| 22 May 2011 | Tornado | EF2 | $525K | — | — | 3 | County |
| 19 Aug 2009 | Tornado | EF0 | — | $2K | — | — | County |
| 5 Jul 2004 | Tornado | F0 | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Jun 2004 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Jun 2004 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jun 2004 | Tornado | F3 | $190K | $30K | — | — | County |
| 11 Jun 2004 | Tornado | F0 | $100K | $20K | — | — | County |
| 27 Jun 1998 | Tornado | F0 | — | $2K | — | — | County |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Tornado | F0 | $35K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Aug 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | $2K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 1994 | Tornado | F3 | $500K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 1994 | Tornado | F2 | $50K | $5K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 1994 | Tornado | F1 | $500K | $500 | — | — | County |
| 9 Aug 1990 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 May 1982 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Aug 1980 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 May 1980 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Apr 1975 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Tornado | F4 | $2.5M | — | — | 4 | County |
| 15 May 1968 | Tornado | F5 | $3K | — | — | 12 | County |
| 15 May 1968 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Mar 1967 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Sep 1965 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Aug 1965 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 May 1965 | Tornado | F4 | $25K | — | — | 5 | County |
| 5 May 1965 | Tornado | F4 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Sep 1961 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1959 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 May 1953 | Tornado | F4 | — | — | — | 2 | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Howard County had?
44 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of tornadoes became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded tornado event in Howard County?
17 Apr 2026 (Tornado, EF0). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Howard County?
The tornado of 12 Jul 1971, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $2.5M.
How does Howard County compare with Iowa for tornado?
9.3 events per 100 square miles against 6.3 statewide; the county holds 44 of the state's 3,501 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Tornado hub and the county page.