(Radio Iowa) – Thirty-seven tornadoes have been reported in Iowa so far this year after over 130 were confirmed in Iowa last year. Tornadoes can strike in any month, but the majority of tornadoes tend to strike Iowa from April through the end of July. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says one factor this year was it wasn’t particularly windy this summer.”We’ve been thankfully on a low point in severe weather, but we’ve gotten rainfall and I’ll take this as opposed to the severe weather season last year,” Glisan said.

A derecho formed in South Dakota on July 28th, then swept across northern and eastern Iowa. “If you go back to 2020, the August 10th derecho, we’ve had six since then,” Glisan says. “You’d have to go back to 2013 for another derecho.” Glisan made his comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

2025 tornado image Via the NWS; Photo credit: @adamorgler

One of the largest tornado outbreaks in Iowa occurred on August 31st, 2014. A year later, experts evaluating satellite pictures from that date were able to confirm 35 tornadoes had touched down and caused damage in farm fields.