Tornado History Map

Cherokee County, Iowa tornado history

36 tornadoes recorded in or across Cherokee County from 1952 to 2021, coloured by rating on the map.

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Years1950 to 2025
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in Cherokee County

The Storm Prediction Center records 36 tornadoes whose paths touched Cherokee County, Iowa between 1952 and 2021. None of them is recorded as having killed anyone. The busiest month is December, with 7 tornadoes. The strongest was an EF4 on 4 October 2013. The most recent was on 15 December 2021.

  • 36tornadoes
  • 0deaths
  • 11injuries
  • 624per 10,000 sq mi of land

A tornado that crossed several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

How strong were the tornadoes in Cherokee County?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF01747%
F1 / EF11028%
F2 / EF2514%
F3 / EF313%
F4 / EF426%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating13%

Cherokee County tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 8 in 2010s.1950s41960s61970s11980s61990s22000s22010s82020s7

The 2020s only run to 2021, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1950.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1950s4
1960s6
1970s1
1980s6
1990s2
2000s2
2010s8
2020s7
Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 7 in Dec.Jan0Feb0Mar1Apr3May2Jun6Jul3Aug6Sep3Oct5Nov0Dec7
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar1
Apr3
May2
Jun6
Jul3
Aug6
Sep3
Oct5
Nov0
Dec7

Records for Cherokee County

  • Strongest: Hornick, Iowa tornado4 October 2013, EF4, 24.7 miles long
  • Longest path: Iowa tornado5 May 1964, F3, 7 injuries, 67 miles long
  • Most recent: Iowa tornado15 December 2021, EF1, 3.9 miles long

Notable tornadoes in Cherokee County

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

More in Iowa

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