Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
TORNADO
TORNADO. A powerful storm characterized by a twisting funnel of wind. On September 28, 1972, a tornado struck near Dubuque in a manner that made it unique. The tornado touched ground near Central City and moved east-northeast. The tornado was sixty-six miles long, four times the average length. Its winds, estimated at 113-157 miles per hour, rated the storm among the twenty-five percent with the highest winds. Only one-tenth of the tornadoes have winds higher. The width of the tornado, 1.6 miles wide, was much larger than the average width of one-quarter mile.