64
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$32.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Linn County, Iowa: 64 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #203 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Linn County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Linn County is the 1990s, when 13 of the county's 64 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 Linn County archive, tornado makes up 5.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #203 for this hazard and #4 within Iowa, putting it in the 93.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Linn County with 15 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 19.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF4 | 80.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 87.7 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-21 | EF3 | 3.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-18 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 38.6 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-11 | EF2 | 6.7 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 9.0 mi | 75 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-06-28 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-17 | EF2 | 4.0 mi | 75 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 1965 | F2 | 0 | 14 | $250K | |
| Jul 17, 2016 | FAIRFAX | EF2 | 0 | 4 | $250K |
| May 21, 1953 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 8, 2021 | BEVERLY | EF0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2017 | CENTRAL CITY | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 31, 2000 | ALBURNETT | F1 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| May 4, 1964 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2025 | WAUBEEK | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | CENTER PT | EF2 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | CENTER PT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2024 | ELY | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2024 | LISBON | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | MT VERNON | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 16, 2023 | ELY | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2021 | CENTER PT | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2021 | LAFAYETTE | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 8, 2021 | BEVERLY | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Linn County
- Thunderstorm Wind 574
- Hail 389
- Flash Flood 58
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF1 tornado with estimated wind speeds of up to 100 mph touched down near Lafayette, IA around 452 pm and proceeded to track northeast crossing the Linn-Delaware County line around 510 pm, finally lifting just north of Buck Creek, IA around 530 pm. Several farms sustained structural and equipment damage, trees were uprooted or snapped off, some camping trailers were destroyed, and several power lines were blown down.
A tornado from Benton County continued southeast through southeastern portions of Walford. The tornado damaged the roofs of numerous homes. One home was completely destroyed when it collapsed on itself, apparently aided by wind blown debris.
A tornado touched down at Alburnett causing damage. The center section of the horse barn roof at Strand Arabian Stables was torn off. Sheet metal from the horse barn roof littered surrounding yards, and one woman was cut by the sheet metal. She was taken to St. Luke's Hospital where she was treated and released. There were about 45 horses on the grounds of the stables when the tornado hit, but incredibly none were hurt. A barn also collapsed along Lafayette Road. Ten cows were inside the barn, and one was killed. Damage was also found along East Otter Road. A house had it's roof damaged and siding taken off, and a small shed was destroyed. A minivan was pushed off of a driveway and had it's windows broken out. A garage door was also pushed in on a garage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Linn County, Iowa?
64 tornado events are recorded in Linn County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Linn County?
The strongest tornado on record in Linn County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Linn 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 Linn County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/linn-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.