52
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
30
Direct injuries
$38.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Clinton County, Iowa: 52 recorded events between 1965 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #352 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Clinton County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Clinton County is the 2010s, when 15 of the county's 52 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Clinton County archive, tornado makes up 9.0% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #352 for this hazard and #11 within Iowa, putting it in the 88.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Clinton County with 12 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 91.5 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-06-20 | EF3 | 10.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF3 | 32.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 19.6 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 18.0 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 34.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-27 | EF2 | 10.5 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-27 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-22 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-09 | EF2 | 13.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 1 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 16, 2016 | CLINTON MUNI ARPT | EF1 | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 10, 1975 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 31, 2023 | GRAND MOUND | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 1979 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 2026 | WELTON | EF1 | $0 |
| May 24, 2024 | ELVIRA | EFU | $0 |
| May 24, 2024 | BIG ROCK | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | CLINTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | GRAND MOUND | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | BIG ROCK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2020 | LOST NATION | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2019 | GRAND MOUND | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2018 | GRAND MOUND | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | DELMAR | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clinton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 288
- Hail 141
- Flood 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF0 tornado damaged three farmsteads along a path from 3.2 miles north northeast of Charlotte, IA to 4 miles south southwest of Goose Lake, IA between 547 pm and 605 pm August 4. Several outbuildings were damaged with the total loss of the roofing on many of them. Many trees and branches were damaged, with several large trees blown down or snapped off.
An EF0 tornado touched down just west of Welton, IA between 210 pm and 225 pm July 10. Four farms sustained damage mainly to outbuildings and a barn. Two of the outbuildings were destroyed. One residence sustained some shingle damage and another had a tree limb puncture the roof.
The tornado touched down 8 miles west of Maysville and continued on path for 22 miles and lifted 2 miles south of DeWitt. The tornado began in Scott County, and was on the ground for another 5.8 miles after it moved into Clinton County. It was rated as an EF-1 after an NWS Storm Survey. The tornado snapped numerous trees and there was damage to farm outbuildings.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Clinton County, Iowa?
52 tornado events are recorded in Clinton County between 1965 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Clinton County?
The strongest tornado on record in Clinton County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Clinton County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Clinton County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/clinton-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.