It is rare that a tornado outbreak produces an F-5 tornado, as F-5 tornadoes are rare. The last EF-5 tornado in the United States as of writing this article was from Moore OK in 2013, nearly ten years ago. It is even rarer that an outbreak produces two F-5 tornadoes in a similar area, but that is what occurred in northeast Iowa on May 15, 1968.
In this short series detailing every F-5 and EF-5 in Nebraska and Iowa, this installment focuses on the Charles City and Oelwein F-5 tornadoes in northeast Iowa.
SEE MORE F-5 and EF-5 tornadoes in this series - | The Pender NE Tornado of April 23, 1908 | The Denison-Carroll IA Tornado of May 21, 1918 | The Falls City NE Tornado of May 17, 1896
THE SET-UP
The meteorology of May 15, 1968, was volatile. A low-pressure system was set up over eastern Nebraska, lifting northeast into northern Iowa. Ahead of this system, a warm front was draped over northern Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Ahead of this, very warm air was in place as far north as Wisconsin with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. It would be along this warm front which would be the focal point for the violent tornadoes. However, this was a part of a larger outbreak which extended as far south as Arkansas.
THE CHARLES CITY TORNADO
Charles City is a town in northeast Iowa, in Floyd County. Today, it has a population of around 7,000 residents. It is perhaps best known for the invention of the tractor. Two men from Charles City invented the gasoline engine in 1897, and in 1901 coined the word "tractor". The heart of the tractor industry was based from Charles City, and the company which founded the tractors also contributed to the original development of the first washing machines.
Charles City has a storied history of tornadoes, with one destroying what once was a small village in 1858, and another tornado skirted across the southeast side of town in 1908.
On May 15, 1968, the Charles City F-5 tornado touched down east of Hampton, where it destroyed nearly every building on a farmstead and blew it across the road. The tornado then narrowly missed the small town of Aredale, where it smashed farmsteads with debris tossed several miles away. The tornado grew in width as it approached Charles City, striking the city head on at 4:50pm.
The tornado drove due north right down the business section of town, where many homes and businesses were completely destroyed. 372 homes and 58 businesses were destroyed, 188 homes and 90 businesses suffered major damage, and 356 homes and 58 businesses suffered minor damage. Around 60% of Charles City was damaged by the tornado. Debris from Charles City was found 30 miles away, with some checks found 80 miles away in Minnesota. 13 people were killed in the tornado, and more than 450 people were injured. The total damage was estimated around $30,000,000 in 1968 money (around 250 million in 2022 dollars).
The tornado also struck Elma, a town northeast of Charles City, where in one section of town every tree was snapped. The tornado lifted just south of the Iowa/Minnesota border.
THE OELWEIN/MAYNARD TORNADO
The second F-5 tornado hit the town of Oelwein which sits around 45 miles southeast of Charles City. This tornado touched down just southwest of town, quickly cutting power to the community. Tornado sirens only sounded for 15 seconds before power was cut. Like Charles City, this tornado went up the business district of Oelwein. 68 homes were destroyed, 132 homes sustained major damage, and 600 sustained minor damage. It damaged every business in the center of town, destroying 51 of them.
Two people were killed in Oelwein. A 55-year-old woman originally ran to the shelter in her apartment building, but realized she forgot her purse. Running to get it, she was too late getting back into shelter when the tornado hit. A chimney fell on her, where she was still alive when she was rescued, but shortly succumbed to her injuries when she arrived at the hospital. A second fatality occurred in the city of 8,000 residents.
The tornado then took aim at the neighboring town of Maynard, where it ripped through the western side of town. Five square blocks of town were virtually levelled, where 25 houses and a church were destroyed. Farms between Oelwein and Maynard were heavily damaged, some completely swept off of their foundations. The tornado ultimately lifted north of Maynard in Fayette County.
