2024: Iowa Breaks Tornado Record
If you thought the skies over Iowa seemed particularly volatile this year, you weren't imagining things.
The National Weather Service says there were a record-breaking number of tornadoes in the Hawkeye State in 2024. The final tally is 122, which is two more than the previous high of 120 in 2004.
The National Weather Service says there have been 122 tornadoes in the Hawkeye State this year. The previous record was 120 tornadoes in 2004. Six of the tornadoes were classified as EF-3 (136-165 miles per hour) or EF-4-(166-200 miles per hour), which is another record for a single year.
April and May were the most active months with 49 tornadoes recorded in both.
In all, six people were killed and 44 injured in Iowa tornadoes in 2024. Five of the those deaths and 35 of the injuries occurred in the Greenfield storm, May 21.
The Greenfield tornado was Iowa's largest in 2024. It measured 42.4 miles in length.
The Minden tornado in April was the widest at 1.1 miles. It killed one person and injured three others.
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