The day most likely to have tornadoes occurs when there is a strong cold front, with the cold front running almost north and south. Warm moist air will be flowing northward ahead of the cold front. Storms will usually begin over the Plains and move eastward.
2020 Iowa Tornadoes
| 2020 Iowa Tornado Listing Click each date for storm survey or event summaries (for select events) |
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| # | Date | Injuries/ Deaths |
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| 1. | 03/28/2020 | 0/0 |
| 2. | 03/28/2020 | 0/0 |
| 3. | 03/28/2020 | 0/0 |
May and June are the peak months for tornadoes in Iowa. On average, the state sees 48 tornadoes per year. Last year was an active year with 57 tornadoes. The most common time of day for tornadoes to occur is between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. However, they can happen at any time.
A derecho (pronounced similar to "deh-REY-cho" in English, or pronounced phonetically as " ") is a widespread, long-lived wind storm. Derechos are associated with bands of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms variously known as bow echoes, squall lines, or quasi-linear convective systems.
DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 75,000 Iowans are still without power one week after a derecho destroyed trees, damaged homes and brought down power lines across the state. “From cities to farms, Iowans are hurting, many still have challenges with shelter, food, and power.
The storm's ferocity caught many residents off-guard, but the Hawkeye state is surprisingly vulnerable. When the derecho tore through Iowa on Aug. 10, it unleashed winds gusting up to 140 mph, equivalent to a major hurricane. Destructive derechos are as common in Iowa as hurricane strikes are in Florida.
Rhode Island has reported the least number of tornadoes of any state in the Lower 48, followed by Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In general, New England experiences the fewest number of tornadoes of any region in the nation.
The single deadliest tornado to ever hit the United States, the "Tri-State Tornado," killed 695 people and injured 2,027 others in Southern Missouri, Illinois and Indiana in 1925. The tornado went on for 219 miles, making it the longest ever recorded.
Tornadoes assigned an EF5/F5 rating have historically been rare, but when they do strike, the damage in the affected communities is devastating. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have been rated EF5/F5, an average of less than one per year, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.
Although the official boundaries of Tornado Alley are not clearly defined, its core extends from northern Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa along with South Dakota.
First officially ranked F5 tornado in the United States. Tornado outbreak of May 29, 1953 – A large church was leveled and pews were jammed 4 ft (1.2 m) into the ground.
Seven people died in Parkersburg and two in rural New Hartford from injuries sustained when a confirmed EF5 tornado struck the region on May 25, 2008.
by Joseph Flaherty, Jeannie Roberts, William Sanders, Stephen Simpson | March 29, 2020 at 9:04 a.m. A tornado Saturday afternoon slammed into Jonesboro, injuring at least a half-dozen people and causing significant damage. The mayor imposed a curfew Saturday night to expedite search-and-rescue efforts.
A violent outburst of weather erupted across parts of the U.S. heartland over the weekend as two dozen tornadoes were reported across several states from Saturday into Sunday.
There's no special reason why tornadoes seem to miss big cities. It just comes down to chance. Densely populated urban areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago or New York are relatively small specks amid vast stretches of forests, mountains or otherwise rural regions.
The spring and the summer are the primary tornado seasons for Iowa. That does not mean that tornadoes can only occur in those timeframes. Although Iowa's tornadoes tend to happen from March-September, tornadoes have been recorded in every month of the year in our state.
Most tornadoes are found in the Great Plains of the central United States – an ideal environment for the formation of severe thunderstorms. In this area, known as Tornado Alley, storms are caused when dry cold air moving south from Canada meets warm moist air traveling north from the Gulf of Mexico.
AccuWeather forecasts a normal to slightly above-normal number of tornadoes in 2020 with a range of 1,350 to 1,450. That range is close to what occurred in 2019 and 5 to 15 percent more than the U.S. annual average.
Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year. In southern states, peak tornado occurrence is March through May, while peak months in northern states are during the summer. Tornadoes are most likely between 3 and 9 p.m. but have occurred at all hours.
Other studies show that the nation's traditional “tornado alley” has shifted, with a slight increase in the number of tornadoes occurring in the Mid-South region and a decrease in western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. As the number of disaster-causing tornadoes has increased, so has their expanse.
While exploring Iowa, you can find attractions like the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium to enrich your knowledge; numerous state parks, like Maquoketa Caves, for an adventure; and plenty of scenic landscapes, such as the Bridges of Madison County, to inspire your more creative side.
Snowfall is light compared with the amount received in other states to the north and east. Snow cover seldom remains throughout the winter months; however, heavy snowfalls have occurred in Iowa in late autumn and early spring. Summers are warm and more humid. Precipitation is seasonal, falling mostly in the summer.
The highest winds occurred
in Iowa, measured at 126 mph (203 km/h; 56.3 m/s) and highest estimated from post-event damage surveys at 140 mph (225 km/h; 62.6 m/s).
August 2020 Midwest derecho.
| Flattened corn field near Adel, Iowa on evening of August 19, 2020. |
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| Largest hail | 2 in (5.1 cm) (Freeport, Illinois) |
