47
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$12.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Sioux County, Iowa: 47 recorded events between 1963 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #432 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Sioux County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Sioux County is the 2010s, when 13 of the county's 47 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 Sioux County archive, tornado makes up 6.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #17 within Iowa, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Sioux County with 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-05-31 | EF3 | 46.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-09-22 | EF3 | 4.7 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-01 | EF2 | 13.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-07 | EF2 | 8.0 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-13 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-08 | EF2 | 0.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-05 | EF2 | 11.9 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-02 | EF2 | 11.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-19 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-16 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 | GRANVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | SIOUX CENTER MUNI AR | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | SIOUX CENTER | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | MAURICE | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2023 | SIOUX CENTER | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2023 | MAURICE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 17, 2017 | MATLOCK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 17, 2017 | ALTON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2016 | GRANVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 23, 2015 | HOSPERS | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sioux County
- Hail 256
- Thunderstorm Wind 223
- Flood 116
- Flash Flood 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado damaged numerous trees, including large trees uprooted, blew windows out of a home, destroyed a metal shed, blew two windows and part of a wall out of a metal building, damaged at least three grain bins, destroyed or damaged numerous outbuildings and small sheds, blew down or snapped off at least 15 power poles, bent a metal light pole, tipped one wagon and blew the top off another, blew down a barb wire fence and pushed fence posts almost to the ground, destroyed a hog barn, and flattened corn stubble, before crossing the county line into Lyon County. Contents inside several damaged or destroyed buildings and sheds were also damaged, especially on one farm where damaged buildings housed a farm and trucking business.
A highly visible tornado developed a quarter mile south of Iowa Highway 10 just to the east of Goldfinch Avenue. The slow-moving tornado was photographed by several members of the public as it tracked generally a bit south of due eastward. Very soon after touching down, the tornado impacted a shelter belt where it did damage to several hardwood trees. After a quarter mile, the tornado track shifted slightly toward the east-northeast across open farmland. The tornado crossed Grant Avenue and lifted shortly thereafter. The average path width was 25 yards. The tornado was rated an EF-0 with a maximum wind speed of 75 mph.
A tornado developed around 3 miles southwest of Granville just east of Lily Avenue and north of 490th Street. The tornado moved generally north-northeast and near the end of the path, the tornado peeled pack the roof panels of an old outbuilding on a farmstead. The tornado lifted before crossing 480th Street. The maximum estimated wind speed was 70 mph and the average path width was 25 yards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Sioux County, Iowa?
47 tornado events are recorded in Sioux County between 1963 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Sioux County?
The strongest tornado on record in Sioux County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Sioux 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 Sioux County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/sioux-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.