The October 4, 2013 tornado
EF4Woodbury and Cherokee counties, Iowa
An EF4 tornado on a 24.7-mile path. It was one of 17 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 3 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happenedEF4 tornado · October 4, 2013
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF4
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 24.7 mi
- Width up to 2,600 yards
- Killed
- 0
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 0
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Friday, October 4, 2013
- 5:35 PM CST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
A tornado severely damaged or destroyed about 10 houses, collapsing most walls on a few of the houses, tearing most of the roofs off other houses, and shifting what was left of some houses off their foundations. The tornado caused significant damage to roofs, windows, and siding of additional houses. Numerous farm outbuildings, storage buildings, and a few silos were destroyed or severely damaged. The tornado also destroyed or damaged several pieces of farm equipment, caused significant tree damage, including numerous trunks snapped or uprooted and other trees stripped, and blew down power poles and lines. The tornado then crossed into Cherokee County.
The storm system that day
Thunderstorms produced eleven tornadoes, several of them causing damage, which tracked wholly or partly in northwest Iowa during the afternoon and early evening of October 4th. There were also two reports of large hail and one report of non tornadic damaging thunderstorm winds.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF4, Wayne County18.3 mi
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.