40th Anniversary of Twin F-5 Tornadoes

This is how a section of downtown Oelwein looked Thursday morning in an aerial view, after a tornado slashed northward through the community Wednesday (5-15) afternoon. The ruins of the blacksmith shop are shown at near center left with the Christ United Presbyterian Church at an angle across the street. Oelwein's water and sewage system was functioning Thursday and some telephones service had been restored. Hundreds of houses and business places were damaged, with many destroyed, and damage was estimated at $14 million. Two deaths in Oelwein (actually three) were blamed on the storm. First Avenue (1st Ave., Highway 150) runs diagonally across the photo from middle left to lower right. Photo May 16, 1968, by the Gazette.

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By Nick Weig

Story Created: May 15, 2008 at 8:05 AM CST

Story Updated: May 15, 2008 at 4:49 PM CST

CHARLES CITY - 40 years ago, Iowa saw a historic tornado outbreak. In one day, two F-5 tornadoes, with winds over 260mph, struck the towns of Charles City and Oelwein. As you drive through downtown Charles City it's still a historic district...but all the buildings are new.

There were also a handful of other less powerful twisters, all in the north central region of Iowa.

Eighteen people died after twisters that devastated the towns of Charles City and Oelwein.

Since then, the state hasn't seen another fatal F-5 tornado.

For residents like John Culvertson...the tornado is something he'll never forget. "I went out to see what was going on outside my office. As I looked up I saw barns, pieces of tin, and I actually saw a horse flying through the sky." Memories of the Charles City tornado have been collected at the Floyd County Museum.

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