65
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$4.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Webster County, Iowa: 65 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #196 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Webster County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Webster County is the 2000s, when 15 of the county's 65 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 Webster County archive, tornado makes up 8.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #196 for this hazard and #3 within Iowa, putting it in the 93.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Webster County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-04 | EF4 | 2.0 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-08 | EF4 | 2.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-05 | EF4 | 9.9 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF3 | 17.6 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-21 | EF3 | 2.3 mi | 143 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 18.0 mi | 80 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 18.8 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 16.3 mi | 125 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 17.7 mi | 125 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1977 | F4 | 0 | 14 | $250K | |
| Jun 9, 1967 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 5, 1977 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 19, 1974 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2024 | CLARE | EFU | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2023 | CLARE | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2021 | BRUSHY | EFU | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2021 | EVANSTON | EF2 | $75K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | DAYTON | EFU | $0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | DAYTON | EFU | $0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | ROELYN | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | DAYTON | EF2 | $20K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | LENA | EF2 | $200K |
| Aug 9, 2021 | HARCOURT | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Webster County
- Hail 226
- Thunderstorm Wind 216
- Heavy Rain 110
- Flood 68
- Flash Flood 56
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This small but potent tornado formed just over 3 miles north of Dayton and tracked nearly due east, destroying one hog confinement building and leaving a pronounced trail through multiple corn fields. The tornado weakened midway into its track, but still left a path 20 yards wide through several other corn fields before doing some minor tree damage at the end of its track. Tornado was surveyed but track lengthened after high resolution satellite imagery showed additional damage and path length.
This tornado moved into Webster County from Greene County. The tornado entered the county southwest of Lanyon and passed just west of Harcourt continuing northeast before dissipating between Lehigh and Otho. This tornado snapped several large utility poles on its path across the county along with destroying a few outbuildings.
This tornado started on the east side of the Des Moines River valley southwest of Duncombe and moved quickly northeast. The tornado snapped several power poles near the intersection of Taylor Avenue and 220th Street west of Duncombe. Another outbuilding was destroyed northwest of Duncombe near the intersection of 210th Street and the Canadian National Railway. The tornado lifted not long afterwards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Webster County, Iowa?
65 tornado events are recorded in Webster County between 1953 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Webster County?
The strongest tornado on record in Webster County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Webster 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 Webster County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/webster-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.