70 tornadoes touched Polk County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.9 a year. The strongest was rated EF4 (Mar 5, 2022). Tornadoes here killed 8 and injured 161 people.
Peak month: May.
| Date | Rating | Path | Width | Injured | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 5 | 6 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 15.3 mi | 400 yd | 50 | 2 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 20 mi | 250 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 1953 | F2 | 116 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 40.8 mi | 1,000 yd | 4 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1998 | F2 | 34.1 mi | 100 yd | 85 | 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F2 | 32 mi | — | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 60 yd | 15 | 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 13.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 11, 1966 | F2 | 12.2 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 150 yd | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1986 | F2 | 5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Date | Rating | Path | Width | Injured | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF1 | 6.9 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 25, 2024 | unrated | 0.1 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | 9.2 mi | 80 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | 3.2 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | 1.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 40.8 mi | 1,000 yd | 4 | 0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 150 yd | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 2022 | EF1 | 9.1 mi | 80 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 2022 | unrated | 3.9 mi | 60 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 2022 | EF0 | 2.4 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 5 | 6 |
| May 25, 2020 | EF1 | 1.6 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
Deadliest: Mar 5, 2022, EF4, 6 killed.
70 tornadoes touched Polk County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.9 per year.
The strongest rating recorded was EF4 on Mar 5, 2022, with a 70.6-mile path and 6 deaths.
Most of its tornadoes happened in May (22 of 70). 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).