53
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$30.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Boone County, Iowa: 53 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #337 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Boone County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Boone County is the 2000s, when 13 of the county's 53 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 Boone County archive, tornado makes up 8.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #337 for this hazard and #10 within Iowa, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Boone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-13 | EF5 | 21.3 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-10 | EF4 | 41.1 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF3 | 17.6 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 116.1 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-13 | EF3 | 17.9 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-13 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 333 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 16.3 mi | 125 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 17.7 mi | 125 yd | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 14.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1976 | F5 | 0 | 9 | $25.0M | |
| Nov 12, 2005 | MADRID | F2 | 0 | 2 | $750K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2025 | MACKEY | EFU | $0 |
| May 24, 2024 | MADRID | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 23, 2022 | SHELDAHL | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 23, 2022 | MADRID | EF0 | $2K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | WOLF | EF0 | $5K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | BEAVER | EF1 | $10K |
| May 26, 2020 | OGDEN | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2020 | BERKLEY | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2018 | BERKLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2017 | NAPIER | EF0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Boone County
- Thunderstorm Wind 214
- Hail 193
- Heavy Rain 72
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado began near the Des Moines River just west of Ledges State Park. This tornado tracked northeast for several miles producing mainly EF0 damage. The tornado likely had intermittent contact with the ground, especially near Jordon to the Boone/Story County line. The tornado continued into Story County.
This QLCS tornado started a few miles north of Woodward and moved eastward quickly. Most of the damage along the entire path was to trees although one farmstead south of Luther had damage to one of the outbuildings. The tornado lifted to the south of Napier in eastern Boone County.
This tornado entered Boone County from Greene County. This tornado moved quickly northeast through the northwest corner of Boone County passing just south and east of Boxholm. Damage was relatively limited along the both but there was some impressive tree damage south of Boxholm where the EF1 damage was observed. The tornado moved into Webster County to the northeast of Boxholm.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Boone County, Iowa?
53 tornado events are recorded in Boone County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Boone County?
The strongest tornado on record in Boone County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Boone 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 Boone County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/boone-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.