Two More Northeast Iowa Tornadoes Confirmed from August 5th Storms Add to State’s Record 2024

Two more tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS) in La Crosse, Wisconsin from storms the night of August 5th in northeast Iowa. 

The NWS initially confirmed an EF1 tornado north of Waukon near Hanover, with peak wind speeds estimated at 105 mph. It was 50 yards wide and was on the ground for about ten minutes, traveling almost four miles.

Wednesday (08.17), NWS said an EF0 tornado with wind speeds up to 80 mph was on the ground for about a third of a mile near Bluffton in Winneshiek County from 9:57 pm to 9:58 mph August 5th. The brief twister occurred mainly in a farm field, uprooting or breaking a few trees while on the ground. 

Another EF0 was confirmed at Springwater, about five miles north of Decorah, starting at 10:11 pm and ending at 10:14 pm August 5th. The NWS says the short tornado, with winds upwards of 80 mph, damaged trees, crops, and one outbuilding while on the ground for just under a mile. The twister was embedded within a downburst which quickly overtook the tornado, continuing to produce tree damage for another half mile after the tornado dissipated. 

The Bluffton and Springwater tornadoes bring the total number of tornadoes across North Iowa and Southeast Minnesota from the August 5th outbreak to 14. They also give Iowa 129 tornadoes for 2024, a new record for most tornadoes in a single year.