48
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$24.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Warren County, Iowa: 48 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #414 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Warren County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Warren County is the 2000s, when 10 of the county's 48 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 Warren County archive, tornado makes up 5.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #414 for this hazard and #15 within Iowa, putting it in the 85.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Warren County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-05 | EF4 | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-08-20 | EF3 | 5.4 mi | 710 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF3 | 39.0 mi | 0 yd | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-29 | EF3 | 57.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-06-22 | EF2 | 6.4 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 32.0 mi | 0 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-03-29 | EF2 | 9.3 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-18 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-16 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 116.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1953 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Mar 30, 1979 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | BEECH | EF0 | $2K |
| May 21, 2024 | SPRING HILL | EF0 | $10K |
| May 21, 2024 | MARTENSDALE | EF0 | $30K |
| May 7, 2024 | ACKWORTH | EF0 | $50K |
| May 13, 2023 | SANDYVILLE | EF0 | $500 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | LIBERTY CENTER | EF1 | $60K |
| Mar 5, 2022 | CHURCHVILLE | EF2 | $20.0M |
| Aug 20, 2019 | INDIANOLA ARPT | EF3 | $350K |
| Jun 28, 2017 | NEW VIRGINIA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2017 | SANDYVILLE | EF1 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Warren County
- Hail 338
- Thunderstorm Wind 233
- Heavy Rain 122
- Flood 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is a continuation of the tornado which started in Madison county and passed into Warren county. The tornado remained very broad with a maximum width of up to 500 yards at times. Video evidence supports a multi-vortex circulation with the tornado across much of Warren county. The tornado cross Interstate 35 shortly after entering the county but fortunately, no vehicles were impacted. The tornado remained in rural areas to the west southwest of Norwalk producing mostly tree and outbuilding damage. The tornado passed along the southeast edge of Norwalk producing EF0 to EF1 damage along Coolidge Street and along Highway G14 near Warrior Run Golf Course. The tornado crossed Highway 5 just west of the intersections of Highway 5 and Highway 69 approaching the southeast side of Des Moines. The tornado entered into Polk county shortly after crossing Highway 69 near the intersection of Highway 69 and Indianola Avenue.
Tornado spotted by amateur radio, law enforcement, Warren County Emergency Manager, and trained spotters. Touched down near Cumming and lifted south of the Norwalk area. Damage was done to several buildings. One house had the roof taken off. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. The tornado track was generally east-southeast, however the track was not straight.
The second of three tornadoes associated with a fast moving QLCS. The particularly strong tornado moved across rural Warren county producing mainly crop and tree damage. However, the tornado encountered the several large steel buildings with I-beam construction. Significant damage occurred to these buildings with some being totally destroyed producing the EF3 damage. The tornado continued to the southeast beyond this area remaining in rural crop and woodland areas.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Warren County, Iowa?
48 tornado events are recorded in Warren County between 1953 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Warren County?
The strongest tornado on record in Warren County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Warren 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 Warren County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/warren-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.