46
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$35.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Jones County, Iowa: 46 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #455 nationally and #19 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jones County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jones County is the 2020s, when 12 of the county's 46 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 Jones County archive, tornado makes up 9.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #455 for this hazard and #19 within Iowa, putting it in the 84.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Jones County with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 19.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 87.7 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-13 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 38.6 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-06-28 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-28 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-13 | EF2 | 5.7 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-28 | EF2 | 64.5 mi | 2,200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 16.6 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-11 | EF1 | 12.5 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1953 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Apr 14, 2006 | ANAMOSA | F1 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | ONSLOW | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | SCOTCH GROVE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | STONE CITY | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | HALE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2024 | HALE | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2024 | HALE | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | WYOMING | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2022 | SCOTCH GROVE | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2021 | CANTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2021 | MONTICELLO MUNI ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jones County
- Thunderstorm Wind 250
- Hail 134
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-1 tornado began around 850 PM CDT on Saturday evening, approximately 4 miles northeast of Anamosa. The tornado tracked 3.22 miles to the east before lifting. The tornado was 25 yards wide with estimated peak winds of 100 MPH. Damage was to trees and outbuilding along the path.
An EF0 tornado touched down on the north end of Martelle, IA around 520 pm August 19. Wind speeds were estimated to be around 80 mph. The tornado snapped and uprooted some trees in the area. In addition, the west side of a storage building was damaged and portions of a corn field were flattened. It was also noted that some glass and dirt was splattered on the east side of a building.
The Jones County Emergency Manager reported that sheriff's deputies followed a mini supercell that had produced funnel clouds. A funnel cloud eventually touched down and the officers reported some damage to crops at this location. The tornado is rated as an EF-U.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jones County, Iowa?
46 tornado events are recorded in Jones County between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jones County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jones County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Jones 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 Jones County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/jones-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.