58
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$4.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Dallas County, Iowa: 58 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #268 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Dallas County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Dallas County is the 2000s, when 14 of the county's 58 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 Dallas County archive, tornado makes up 6.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #268 for this hazard and #6 within Iowa, putting it in the 90.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Dallas County with 29 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-04-08 | EF4 | 56.0 mi | 1,250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-27 | EF4 | 57.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-10 | EF4 | 41.1 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-13 | EF3 | 17.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 14.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-29 | EF2 | 34.1 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1976-04-14 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-10-14 | EF2 | 13.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-17 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-22 | EF2 | 9.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1998 | GRANGER | F2 | 0 | 2 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | ORTONVILLE | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 27, 2024 | BOONEVILLE | EF0 | $2K |
| Apr 16, 2024 | DALLAS CENTER ARPT | EF0 | $20K |
| May 21, 2021 | MORAN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2020 | SHULER MINE | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2020 | WAUKEE | EF0 | $30K |
| Sep 9, 2019 | MINBURN | EFU | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2019 | DALLAS CENTER | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2018 | PERRY MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $5K |
| Nov 11, 2015 | KENNEDY | EF1 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Dallas County
- Thunderstorm Wind 350
- Hail 249
- Heavy Rain 140
- Flood 83
- Flash Flood 53
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado developed on the north edge of downtown Waukee and moved northwest, causing minor damage at a church and car dealership. The tornado also removed some shingles and roofing to a new house that was still under construction.
A tornado occurred with morning convection as it moved north through central Iowa. This tornado began west of Dallas Center a moved north impacting a few farmsteads with mostly minor damage. This tornado produced a TDS on radar and lifted to the northeast of Minburn.
Tree damage began along 270th Street between R and S Avenues south of Dallas Center in central Dallas County. The QLCS tornado proceeded east northeast rapidly producing tree damage as well as some outbuilding damage at a farmstead. The tornado passed just south of the Dallas Center/Grimes High School before entering Polk County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Dallas County, Iowa?
58 tornado events are recorded in Dallas County between 1955 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Dallas County?
The strongest tornado on record in Dallas County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Dallas 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 Dallas County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/dallas-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.