High winds to hit Iowa on Wednesday. What we know about timing, severe weather threat (2024)

FAQs

Where did the tornado hit yesterday in Iowa? ›

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The tornado formed in Urbandale just southeast of Rider Corner at 5:37 p.m., then tracked seven miles southeast into Des Moines. The twister crossed I-235 near 42nd Street and traveled over Ingersoll and Grand Avenues before lifting just northwest of Des Moines Water Works.

Meteorologists with the NWS office in Des Moines determined that damage in the hard-hit community of Greenfield, Iowa, about 60 miles outside of the state capitol, was consistent with a devastating EF-4.

Iowa is often considered a part if Tornado Alley and there are an average of 51 storms that occur each year. Peak tornado season happens during spring and summer.

The May 21 Tornado in Adams County/Greenfield is the first EF-4 in western Iowa area in 25 years. Damage is seen after a tornado moved through Greenfield, Iowa, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Just before 3:00 pm on Tuesday, May 21. A tornado began in far northeast Page County, Iowa.

The tornado destroyed much of Greenfield, a town of about 2,000 around 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines, during a day that saw multiple tornadoes, giant hail and heavy rain in several states. “We do have confirmed fatalities,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said at a news conference Tuesday night.

Tornado Alley in the U.S. is shifting: According to a report published in the April 2024 issue of the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, since 1951 tornado activity has been shifting away from the Great Plains and toward the Midwestern and Southeast U.S. Scientists aren't entirely sure of the reasons for ...

This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925.

Since 1871, Iowa has had eleven F5/EF5 tornadoes (the most intense damage category on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita damage scales - less than 1% of tornado occurrences - wind speeds greater than 200 mph). Since 1950, the United States has experienced fifty-three F5/EF5 tornadoes.

The two most active states for tornadoes are Texas, with 124, and Kansas, with 87, in an average year. They are both located in the heart of Tornado Alley, a nickname given to an area in the Plains between Central Texas and South Dakota that has some of the most tornadic activity in the world.

In fact, 2024 has already had more tornadoes than the average annual total of 1,402. Tornado outbreaks at the end of April and the month of May quickly raised 2024 above the historical average. Since then, a steady stream of tornadoes, including dozens during Hurricane Beryl, has increased that number even more.

How many tornadoes has Iowa had so far in 2024? ›

It's shaping up to be a record-breaking year for tornadoes in Iowa. New figures from the National Weather Service show Iowa's had 86 tornadoes so far this year, with 44 last month and 42 this month. The average in a year is about 50.

These thunderstorms were the result of a low pressure system which lifted north into the area on the night of May 20th, 2024, producing slow moving storms that dropped 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. This resulted in flash flooding over portions of northern and central Iowa through the morning of May 21st, 2024.

Ohio leads nation in tornadoes in 2024. OHIO, USA — Ohio's tornado count is leading the nation and continues to climb. Typically each year, Ohio will see on average 21 tornadoes. That total was surpassed in early April.

Tornado Alley is a part of the central United States with a unique combination of geographic and meteorological factors that make it more susceptible to tornadoes. This area encompasses much of northern Texas northward through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri and parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and eastern Colorado.

Des Moines, Iowa — Tuesday, July 16, 2024 — The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down in Des Moines on Monday, July 15, 2024, at approximately 5:37 p.m. entering the northwest corner of the city at 63rd Street and Hickman Road, crossing I-235 before dissipating south of Grand Avenue.

The Mapleton tornado was the most destructive storm out of 20 reported on April 9, 2011.

– Monday marked 11 years since a catastrophic EF-5 tornado was last documented in the U.S., continuing what is already the longest span between "5-rated" twisters in historical records dating to 1950. The nation's last EF-5 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013.

A Derecho is a very long lived and damaging thunderstorm. A storm is classified as a derecho if wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles and has wind gusts of at least 58 mph or greater along most of the length of the storm's path. For more on derechos visit the Storm Prediction Center's derecho page.