2020 Iowa Tornadoes

Above is a map of the tornadoes that occurred across Iowa in 2020. Mouse over each icon to view more information on that tornado, which will appear in the box to the right. A season summary and table of these tornadoes is provided below. Detailed KMZ files for many of the tracks can be downloaded and viewed in Google Earth by clicking on the appropriate icon in the table below. To download the full year map shown above, click the download button below.

Please note: Track lines and contours are often interpolated and may not encompass the full extent of the damage. Surveying procedures vary between NWS offices. Downloadable tracks may not be available for weak tornadoes that were not surveyed.

*EFU - EF Unknown rating. This is used in instances that a tornado does not impact damage indicators used to assigned an EF rating.

The 2020 tornado season kicked off on March 28th, with nine tornadoes across central and eastern Iowa. Most damage was to trees and sheds or outbuildings, however in Oelwein multiple apartment buildings sustained significant damage. It would then be nearly two months before another tornado occurred in Iowa. Five tornadoes occurred on May 23rd with the two strongest occurring to the southeast of Cedar Rapids. On May 25th, Memorial Day, a single tornado went through Johnston in the Des Moines metro. While it went through a fairly populated area, nearly all reported damage was to trees and power line poles rather than homes and businesses. The next day brought seven more tornadoes, with another occurring in a suburb of Des Moines - this time in Waukee. This tornado caused minor damage to a church before moving into open farmland. The strongest tornado of the day occurred south of Eagle Grove, resulting in significant tree damage and destroying a large machine shed.  The next tornado occurred on June 18th when one weak tornado occurred in Kossuth county in a rural field with no damage. There was a relatively long break in activity from June 19th through all of July until several tornadoes touched down during the August 10th derecho.  3 tornadoes were recorded in Marshall county with another one in Tama county and another in Linn county as the derecho plowed through the state.  Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were observed with the tornado activity in 2020. Iowa tornado statistics for 2020 can be accessed here.