Adams County tornado history

28 tornadoes touched Adams County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.4 a year. The strongest was rated EF4 (May 21, 2024). Tornadoes here killed 5 and injured 45 people.

28tornadoes since 1950

EF4strongest rating

5killed · 45 injured

49 milongest path · 1989

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F010

(E)F18

(E)F23

(E)F33

(E)F43

(E)F50

unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 21, 2024	EF4	40.6 mi	1,600 yd	35	5
May 24, 1989	F4	49 mi	1,760 yd	0	0
Apr 8, 1999	F4	49 mi	1,000 yd	3	0
May 21, 2024	EF3	33.9 mi	1,300 yd	0	0
Jun 7, 1984	F3	25 mi	100 yd	3	0
Jul 14, 1958	F3	14.8 mi	100 yd	1	0
Apr 14, 2012	EF2	16.6 mi	800 yd	2	0
Apr 26, 2024	EF2	9.7 mi	350 yd	0	0
May 18, 1959	F2	1 mi	200 yd	0	0
May 21, 2024	EF1	12.7 mi	200 yd	0	0
Jun 4, 2008	EF1	9.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
Mar 28, 2020	EF1	7.5 mi	115 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 21, 2024	EF3	33.9 mi	1,300 yd	0	0
May 21, 2024	EF4	40.6 mi	1,600 yd	35	5
May 21, 2024	EF1	12.7 mi	200 yd	0	0
Apr 26, 2024	EF2	9.7 mi	350 yd	0	0
Apr 16, 2024	EF0	2.4 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 5, 2022	unrated	1.5 mi	40 yd	0	0
Mar 5, 2022	EF0	2.8 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 28, 2020	EF1	7.5 mi	115 yd	0	0
Jun 28, 2017	EF1	3.8 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 28, 2017	EF0	1.9 mi	30 yd	0	0
Aug 2, 2015	EF1	5 mi	300 yd	0	0
Apr 14, 2012	EF2	16.6 mi	800 yd	2	0

Deadliest: May 21, 2024, EF4, 5 killed.

Nearby counties

Taylor County, IA41 Union County, IA42 Montgomery County, IA32 Adair County, IA34 Cass County, IA43 Page County, IA40 Ringgold County, IA29 Worth County, MO14

Questions

How many tornadoes has Adams County, Iowa had?

28 tornadoes touched Adams County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.4 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Adams County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF4 on May 21, 2024, with a 40.6-mile path and 5 deaths.

When is tornado season in Adams County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (7 of 28). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).