49
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$34.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Hardin County, Iowa: 49 recorded events between 1953 and 2022. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #400 nationally and #14 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Hardin County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Hardin County is the 2010s, when 16 of the county's 49 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 Hardin County archive, tornado makes up 10.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #400 for this hazard and #14 within Iowa, putting it in the 86.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Hardin County with 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-24 | EF4 | 66.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-30 | EF4 | 11.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 116.1 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 43.0 mi | 70 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-28 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 90 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-31 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-07-14 | EF2 | 1.3 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-31 | EF2 | 17.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 13.0 mi | 125 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 22.2 mi | 140 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1989 | F4 | 0 | 3 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2022 | EAGLE CITY | EFU | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2021 | IOWA FALLS MUNI ARPT | EF1 | $25K |
| Dec 16, 2021 | IOWA FALLS | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | WHITTEN | EF0 | $1K |
| May 30, 2019 | STEAMBOAT ROCK | EFU | $0 |
| May 30, 2019 | IOWA FALLS MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $10K |
| May 30, 2019 | ELDORA MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $30K |
| May 30, 2019 | NEW PROVIDENCE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2019 | GARDEN CITY | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2018 | ELDORA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hardin County
- Thunderstorm Wind 186
- Hail 129
- Heavy Rain 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved into Hardin county from Hamilton county. This short segment did primarily crop damage but hit a farmstead before dissipating causing the destruction of two grain bins and badly damaging three outbuildings. This tornado was found and rated using high resolution satellite imagery.
This is a multiple segment tornado with three segments that passed through portions of Story, Marshall and Hardin counties. This is the third and final segment in Hardin county. The tornado cycled, made a hard right turn, and began to intensify again after crossing into Hardin County. EF1 damage was sustained to wooden power poles and trees along 335th St. between T and U Ave. Turning NE again after crossing U Ave, the tornado roamed through open farmland and weakened, only causing intermittent tree damage after crossing County Road S62 1.5 miles south of Union. The tornado dissipated shortly before reaching the Iowa River.
Tornado formed 2 miles southwest of Owasa immediately hitting a farmstead destroying a grain bin and uprooting several trees. The tornado then travel across open farmland for the remainder of its path. The tornado was found and rated using high resolution satellite imagery.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Hardin County, Iowa?
49 tornado events are recorded in Hardin County between 1953 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Hardin County?
The strongest tornado on record in Hardin County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Hardin 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 Hardin County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/hardin-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.