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The end of El Niño could ramp up tornadoes in Iowa. What to expect this year.

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The end of El Niño could ramp up tornadoes in Iowa. What to expect this year.


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Spring started with a vengeance in Iowa in 2023. March had more tornadoes than any other month in Iowa during 2023. This spring season may be the opposite. Long-range forecasters warn of a slow start to severe weather season that will escalate as the year progresses.

Springtime weather patterns will contribute to severe weather throughout Tornado Alley, covering states from Texas through Nebraska, according to AccuWeather.

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“The second half of spring is jumping out to us,” said Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok about the upcoming tornado activity.

More: A 2023 Iowa weather recap: Drought, tornado outbreaks and massive hail

What will this tornado season look like?

Last year’s weather season broke norms for severe weather season. In March, 206 tornadoes swept through the country. This is more than double the monthly historical average of 80, according to AccuWeather.

“The severe weather threat can be more frequent in the Midwest, Tennessee and Ohio valleys later March into May, while the northern Plains and Northeast can have an increase in May,” Pastelok said.

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Tornadoes this year are also expected to near historic average of 1,225. AccuWeather predicts anywhere from 1,250 to 1,375 tornadoes across the country in 2024. That’s a downturn from the 1,423 reported in 2023.

More: Farm insurer joins others in pulling back from Iowa after increased storms

When is the highest risk for tornadoes in Iowa?

The month of May will have the highest risk for tornadoes in Iowa due to a change in weather patterns from the western and central Gulf of Mexico causing higher dewpoints and humidity.

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“In addition, the southern storm track, impacting the Gulf Coast which lift north and meeting up with the northern storm track putting the central Plains and Midwest in a good path for strong severe weather events,” Pastelok said in an email to the Register.

Severe weather can still occur throughout March and April. From March 24 to March 29, Pastelok predicted potential severe weather including damaging wind gust, hail and some tornadoes. While April could have a high frequency of storms or cold fronts.

How many tornadoes were there in Iowa during 2023?

In 2023, 72 tornadoes touched down in Iowa, according to the National Weather Service. Last year had a little more than 20 tornadoes above normal.

2023 was also the earliest start to tornado season since the start of tornado recording in 1950, with two touching down on Jan. 16, 2023 in eastern Iowa, according to the NWS Iowa Tornado summary. March was the peak month for tornadoes in Iowa 2023. There were 25 tornadoes that swept different areas of the state that month.

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Database: Track all of the tornaodes in Iowa since 1950

How many injuries were there in Iowa due to tornadoes in 2023?

In Iowa, there were 11 injuries due to tornadoes in 2023. Zero casualties occurred last year because of tornadoes, according to the NWS.

May could be ‘critical month’ for tornadoes: Why severe weather could increase as the year progresses?

El Niño predicted to conclude in the next few months. The El Niño season caused below average tornadoes and hail. There could be more activity in Tornado Alley during April and into May, according to AccuWeather. The temperatures of the Gulf of Mexico are near to slightly above historical averages, which can dictate severe weather season.

“If the water is slower to warm in March, this could hold back the number of severe weather reports in March, especially compared to March 2023,” Pastelok said.

As the Gulf of Mexico temperature increases later into spring, May could be a “critical month for tornadoes.”

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“The season overall for the spring, for the entire nation will average near normal on severe weather reports but slightly below average on tornadoes (mainly due to the later start of high frequency tornado events),” Pastelok told the Register in an email Friday. “The number of tornadoes can pick up during the summer and the late season severe weather period in the fall.”

More: It’s official: February 2024 was the warmest-ever in Des Moines weather history

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.





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Iowa

Highs and Lows From Iowa’s 8-4 Season

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November 29, 2025

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Highs and Lows From Iowa’s 8-4 Season


An 8-4 record is nothing to be disappointed with, but it sort of feels like that record doesn’t indicate how good the Iowa Hawkeyes truly were this season. With their 6-3 B1G record, they were only three plays away from going 9-0 and being a sure-fire candidate to make the College Football Playoffs.

While Iowa had plenty of dominant wins this year, beating bad teams isn’t necessarily the most fulfilling thing in the world. Beating good teams is, and that’s something Iowa failed to do not once, but four times. One could argue that Iowa State isn’t even a good team, though they were ranked when the Hawkeyes went to Jack Trice Stadium at the beginning of the year.

The CyHawk rivalry is no joke, and once again Iowa State got the best of Iowa. At the time, the Cycoles were ranked No. 16. A ranked loss didn’t look so bad on Iowa’s record, but their offense was sluggish as their defense failed to get a stop when they needed them to the most.

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Sure, Iowa State was coming off a ranked win over Kansas State, but the Wildcats turned out to be horrible. The Cyclones weren’t much better, and they’ll have a chance to end their season with the same record as Iowa.

If there was ever a way to follow up on the Iowa State loss, it was by scoring their most points since October 1, 2021. Iowa dropped 51 on Maryland on that night four years ago, but their dominant victory over UMass was just the beginning of a few blowout victories where Iowa had pleasure in running up the score.

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This game will go down as the biggest “what if?” of the season. Had quarterback Mark Gronowski not gotten hurt, would Iowa have been the one team to take down the Hoosiers this season? It sure seemed like it. Other than only beating Penn State by three, this 20-15 loss was Indiana’s closest game of the season.

Iowa had a chance to go into halftime up 13-7, but a blocked field goal changed the course of the game. The Nittany Lions, down QB Drew Allar and without head coach James Franklin, led Iowa, 21-10. Somehow, the Hawkeyes were able to work some late-game magic, something that later reappeared against Michigan State. Regardless, taking down the Nittany Lions was huge, no matter how shorthanded they were or what their record showed.

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The Hawkeyes had not one, but two chances to punch their ticket to the CFP. Even though they lost to Oregon, the CFP dropped them only one spot. They had a chance to go to Los Angeles and take down USC, something they once again failed to do. Time and time again, Iowa loses big games. There’s no doubt they’ll look back on this season and wonder what could’ve been as their four losses are by a combined 15 points. It’s tragic, to say the least.

While Iowa vs. Nebraska isn’t a true rivalry due to how one-sided it’s been in recent years, it sure felt good to see Iowa go out with a win like that. They dropped 40 points for the third time this year, something that older teams couldn’t even dream of. It was a great season, no doubt, but this could’ve been the one chance the Hawkeyes had to make a deep run.

Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!





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Day before helping Iowa beat Nebraska, Aaron Graves became a father

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1 day ago

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November 28, 2025

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Day before helping Iowa beat Nebraska, Aaron Graves became a father


Aaron Graves had a message for his wife Aubrey before departing for Iowa football’s rivalry game against Nebraska.

“I was like, ‘I’m not leaving you here in the hospital to lose,’” Graves said. “So I was like, ‘We better win this freaking game.’”

Graves echoed a similar sentiment to his fellow defensive linemen before the first drive of the Hawkeyes’ game in Lincoln.

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“I was like, ‘Guys, I did not leave my baby in the hospital to lose this game,’” Graves said. “‘So we better freaking come out firing on all cylinders.’”

On Thanksgiving Day in 2025, Grayson Knox Graves was born at 3:07 p.m. On Black Friday in 2025, Graves helped Iowa beat Nebraska 40-16.

“The last 24 hours are probably the craziest of my life, for sure,” Graves said.

He added: “Just like the emotions of all that in the 24-hour time span is just ridiculous. I mean, last (regular-season) game as a senior, getting the win here in Nebraska and wife, obviously, giving birth to our boy, our first-born of our family.”

Aubrey went into labor on Wednesday. There was uncertainty whether Graves would even make it to Friday’s game if she had not yet given birth by kickoff. But those within the program provided support, including head coach Kirk Ferentz.

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“He was just super happy for us, called us a bunch of times while we were in the hospital,” Graves said. “It was really just about Aubrey’s well-being and how we’re doing as a family. It was nothing like, ‘You better get to the game, too.’ It was just, ‘How are you guys doing?’ He just cares so much about his players, and you can’t ask for a better coach.”

Gestures like that speak to why Graves ended up at Iowa in the first place.

Once a high-profile prospect from Southeast Valley High School in Gowrie, Graves made his college decision long before signing day. Even though he was a member of the 2022 high school class, Graves committed to the Hawkeyes in June of 2019.

“Incredibly grateful,” Graves said of Ferentz’s support while Graves’ wife was in labor. “People ask me all the time like, ‘Why did you choose Iowa so young?’ That’s why. Because I get to play for an awesome man.”

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Grayson was due in January of 2026, which could have brought a different set of challenges with the timing of his birth.

Graves is a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, given to college football’s premier scholar-athlete. He is scheduled to attend an awards dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. Plus, the Hawkeyes are likely to play their bowl game around the new year.

“Something that we’ve been praying about for a long time is just the timing of Grayson,” Graves said. “Because we didn’t know, like with the bowl game, how all that was going to work and going to Vegas here in a couple of weeks for the award banquet. Aubrey was going to stay home and she was really stressing about that, and I know that’s been at the top of our prayer list for a while. Both of our moms have been praying about good timing on it.”

It turned out to be fitting that Grayson was born on Thanksgiving Day.

“It was kind of funny because we found out on Easter that we were having a baby, and then he was born on Thanksgiving,” Graves said. “So my mom was like, he must really like holidays.”

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Video: Aaron Graves became father the day before helping Iowa beat Nebraska

Aaron Graves meets with media after Iowa football’s 40-16 win over Nebraska.

Graves did not travel with the team to Nebraska. Iowa general manager and chief of staff Tyler Barnes stayed back with Graves. They flew on a donor’s plane to Nebraska, arriving around 10 p.m. the night before the game.

The game against Nebraska was Graves’ 51st appearance as a Hawkeye. He has been a consistent force on the Hawkeyes’ defensive line, starting each of the Hawkeyes’ last 25 games.

Iowa did not come out firing on all cylinders against Nebraska like Graves wanted. Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson shredded Iowa on the ground in the first half, rushing for 177 yards before the halftime break. Iowa led by eight points at the intermission.

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“Just some guys getting out of the gaps a few times,” Graves said. “That was the main part. In the second half, it was more just, we need to tackle this guy. We need to wrap him up and actually get him to the ground. Stay in your gap and then get off the ball when he actually gets to your gap.”

It was an entirely different story after halftime. As a team, Nebraska totaled just 42 rushing yards in the second half. Iowa’s offense piled on points as the Hawkeyes turned the game into a blowout. Graves finished the game with two tackles and one pass breakup.

“Hats off to them, they’ve got a really good player in the backfield (Emmett Johnson),” Graves said. “He’s a great player and he made some good plays, but we kind of rallied there and found ways to stop him. That’s something that we like to take pride in, stopping the run.”

Grayson was on Graves’ mind quite often on game day. Asked what in particular he was thinking about, Graves got choked up and could barely muster a response. But he did get out a few words.

“Just how much I love him,” Graves said.

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Graves followed through on his word: He didn’t leave his wife in the hospital to lose. 

Iowa won the freaking game.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com



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Iowa wrestling transfer eyes national title after Division III success

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2 days ago

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November 28, 2025

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Iowa wrestling transfer eyes national title after Division III success


IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa wrestling is hoping to break through and win a national title, as they want to every year.

In the 197-pound weight class, there’s one former Wartburg competitor that might be able to contribute towards that. Massoma Endene is now a Hawkeye, coming to the black-and-gold following a national champion three-peat in Division III at Wartburg.

He’s reached one of the pinnacle programs of college wrestling, and has the same thing on his mind.

“My goal is to be a National Champion again,” Endene said.

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Stepping up to Division I competition

Head coach Tom Brands knows it’s a tougher test.

“This is big boy now. Not saying that his accomplishments are little boy. But he has, you alluded to his skill level. He’s tremendously athletic and gifted. There’s a lot of things that he does very well on the mat. I think that he knows that he has to up it,” Brands said.

Endene might be able to improve quickly just like he’s done his whole wrestling career.

He didn’t start the sport until high school, and might never have if he was a bit better on the pitch.

“I wasn’t the greatest at soccer. I had to switch to a different sport. My brothers were really good and they kind of told me like, ‘Hey it’s probably not the sport for you,’” Endene said.

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Making up for lost time

What the transfer lacks in experience, he gains in the determination to catch up to more veteran wrestlers.

“They’ve been wrestling their whole lives, but I think the fact that we’re here at the same level, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve put the same amount of time, if not more. I believe I put in more time than most of these guys. To me, that’s not really a barrier, it’s just another thing I want to achieve,” Endene said.

Even if there was a barrier, he’s blasted through it.

His last second comeback against an All-American last week proved it.

Unexpected opportunity

But all this almost never happened.

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Endene competed at the junior college level that used to cost a year of eligibility.

He was surprised this offseason, when he found out that was no longer the case and he had another shot.

“Then I learned about the year that I actually do have. So then I was like, ‘Well college for another year isn’t too bad.’ So I just did that for one more year, and ended up at the best college,” Endene said.

Endene will look to once again be the nation’s best at 197 pounds.

Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.

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