DES MOINES, Iowa [NWS/Des Moines] — New data shows 122 tornadoes struck Iowa so far in 2024, setting a new state record. The change comes from new damage surveys released by the National Weather Service this week. The surveys confirmed two tornadoes formed in Winneshiek County back on Aug. 5, pushing the state’s annual total above the previous record. Until now, 2004 held the top spot for most tornadoes in a year with 120.

There have been just five years with 100-plus tornadoes in Iowa since records began in 1950. The state averages around 50 tornadoes annually. More than two-thirds of Iowa’s 122 twisters have occurred on just four days in the last five months. The state’s first outbreak of 2024 happened on April 16, when 17 tornadoes formed, the strongest being an EF2 that traveled across southeast Iowa.

The following week, another powerful system hit the state on April 26, producing 29 tornadoes. An EF3 destroyed much of the small town of Minden, and an EF2 caused significant damage in Pleasant Hill. In May, Iowa was dealt two more outbreaks in the same week.

May 21 brought 13 more tornadoes, including the EF4 that devastated Greenfield and killed five people. Three days later, an early-morning derecho produced 23 more tornadoes — most of them in eastern Iowa.

All tolled, a tornado touched down somewhere in Iowa on 16 different days so far this year. While peak tornado “season” has passed, Iowa still often sees tornadoes during the fall months. Multiple November outbreaks have occurred in the last couple of decades. In 2021, 63 tornadoes struck the state during a rare December derecho.

This year’s tornado count could easily still rise above 122.