52
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$14.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Plymouth County, Iowa: 52 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #352 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Plymouth County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Plymouth County is the 1960s, when 12 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 Plymouth County archive, tornado makes up 7.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 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
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Plymouth County with 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-06-14 | EF3 | 6.2 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-07 | EF3 | 11.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 67.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1964-05-08 | EF3 | 9.3 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-12 | EF2 | 17.5 mi | 370 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-07 | EF2 | 8.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-07 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 63 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-05 | EF2 | 20.8 mi | 30 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-07-14 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-14 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1967 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 9, 1963 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2024 | STRUBLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | WEST LE MARS | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | HINTON | EFU | $0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | KINGSLEY | EF1 | $50K |
| May 28, 2016 | KINGSLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 23, 2015 | HINTON | EF0 | $1K |
| Oct 4, 2013 | ADAVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | MILLNERVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | MILLNERVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2011 | O LEARY | EF0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Plymouth County
- Hail 277
- Thunderstorm Wind 223
- Flood 110
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado formed around 4 miles east-northeast of Moville in Woodbury County and entered Plymouth County around two miles south of Kingsley, just east of the intersection of Knox Avenue and 100th Street. Numerous large trees were snapped as the tornado entered Plymouth County. The tornado continued to travel north-northeast to a location around one mile east of Kingsley where several outbuildings were destroyed and large trees snapped. The tornado then turned to a northerly track as it crossed County Road C66, where it damaged several power poles. The tornado traveled another mile and a half parallel to Roosevelt Avenue before it destroyed a hoop barn and removed the steel roof from a corn crib, with debris scattered a half mile to the north. The tornado dissipated after another quarter mile at 1642CST. The tornado was rated EF1 while in both Woodbury and Plymouth Counties. The average path width in Plymouth County was 50 yards and the maximum estimated wind speed was 105 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
A tornado spun up in an open field around 4 miles southwest of Struble, about one-half mile south of 130th Street and just west of Kestrel Avenue. The tornado tracked to the northeast for one-half mile before destroying an outbuilding and blowing out a garage door on a single family dwelling on the east side of Kestrel Avenue. The tornado continued northeast for around one mile before it uprooted a one-foot diameter tree at another farmstead before it lifted shortly thereafter. The maximum estimated wind speed was 105 mph and the average path width was 25 yards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Plymouth County, Iowa?
52 tornado events are recorded in Plymouth County between 1951 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Plymouth County?
The strongest tornado on record in Plymouth County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/plymouth-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.