Thunderstorms & Tornadoes
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The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread thunderstorm outbreaks and tornadoes. Tornadoes, hail, wind damage, and flooding impacts can be found in these summaries. If the event was focused mainly on flooding it will be found under the "Flooding" section. |
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July 15, 2024 Des Moines Metro Tornado/Derecho: Across Iowa
June 25, 2025 Funnel Clouds and Severe Storms
May 24th, 2024 Damaging Winds/Derecho: Across Iowa
May 21st, 2024 Tornadoes and Flash Flooding: Across Iowa
May 6-7, 2024 Severe Storms: Central Iowa
April 26, 2024 Tornadoes: Western to Central Iowa
April 16, 2024 Severe Storms: Central Iowa
2023 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2023 Iowa tornado activity.
April 4, 2023 Severe Storms: Central to Eastern Iowa
March 31, 2023 Severe Storms: Central to Eastern Iowa
2022 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2022 Iowa tornado activity.
April 12, 2022 Tornado Event: Northern Iowa
March 5, 2022 Tornado Outbreak: Central (Winterset to Tama) & Southern Iowa (Chariton, Allerton, Corydon)
2021 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2021 Iowa tornado activity.
Dec 15, 2021 Derecho & Tornado Outbreak: Central & Northern Iowa
July 14, 2021 Tornado Outbreak: North Central Iowa tornadoes
2020 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2020 Iowa tornado activity.
March 28, 2020: Fast Moving Tornadoes
July 11, 2020: Large Hail Producers over Northern Iowa
August 10, 2020 Derecho: Widespread 70-85 mph with winds peaking over 100 mph!
2019 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2019 Iowa tornado activity.
August 20, 2019: Central Iowa Tornadoes
May 29, 2019: Widespread Weak Tornadoes - Poweshiek, Pocahontas and Hardin Counties
May 22, 2019: Adair and Anita Tornadoes
2018 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2018 Iowa tornado activity.
July 19, 2018: Tornadoes - Bondurant, Marshalltown, and Pella
2017 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2017 Iowa tornado activity.
June 28, 2017: Seven tornadoes occurred over southern Iowa during the late afternoon and evening hours.
2016 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2016 Iowa tornado activity.
July 27, 2016: Several short-lived, but highly visible landspouts developed over northern Iowa during the late afternoon.
July 17, 2016: A squall line raced through Iowa during the early morning hours, bringing widespread straight-line wind damage.
April 27, 2016: Multiple short-lived and weak tornadoes across southwest Iowa.
2015 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2015 Iowa tornado activity.
May 10, 2015: A lone supercell produced a 23-mile long EF-1 tornado that struck Lake City.
2014 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2014 Iowa tornado activity
July 6, 2014: Initial storm survey results from two tornadoes in northern Tama and southern Grundy County. These tornado tracks were updated and additional tracks added after this report was written. Please see the 2014 Iowa Tornadoes Page for updated information.
June 30, 2014: Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms produced seven tornadoes (four documented after this writeup was published), baseball size hail driven by powerful straight-line winds, and extensive flash flooding. Please see the 2014 Iowa Tornadoes Page for updated tornado information.
May 11, 2014: A line of thunderstorms generated several tornadoes in central Iowa, one of which hit Lake Panorama.
April 27, 2014: A complex of thunderstorms produced two swaths of straight-line wind damage over southeastern Iowa, including the Oskaloosa and Ottumwa areas. It then went on to produce a tornado in far northern Wapello County that tracked into Keokuk County.
2013 Iowa Tornadoes: A review of 2013 Iowa tornado activity.
June 12, 2013: A cyclic supercell spawned seven tornadoes over the course of a hour over north central Iowa, including a strong EF-3 in Belmond.
May 19, 2013: A strong thunderstorm complex tracked across central Iowa, producing three short-lived tornadoes and significant straight-line wind damage.
2012 Iowa Tornado Review: A review of 2012 Iowa tornado activity.
May 1, 2012: Wind event over Story County and the city of Ames.
April 14, 2012: The initial Creston tornado storm survey summary, including radar imagery and photos. However, the track was modified after the initial survey and for an updated track please see the 2012 Iowa Tornado Review in the first bullet.
2011 Iowa Tornado Review: A review of 2011 Iowa tornado activity.
July 11, 2011: A powerful, long-lasting wind storm known as a derecho plowed through east central Iowa during the early morning of July 11, producing winds of over 100mph.
May 11, 2011: Damage survey of two short-lived tornadoes that hit the community of Lenox within minutes of one another.
April 9, 2011: One of the larger tornado outbreaks in Iowa history that occurred across northwestern Iowa and produced an EF4 tornado in Pocahontas County.
March 22, 2011: An early season tornado outbreak across south central Iowa.
2010 Iowa Tornado Review: A review of 2010 Iowa tornado activity.
July 23, 2010: Damage survey from a pair of EF1 tornadoes in the Indianola area.
July 22, 2010: Damage survey for an EF1 tornado the went through the southeastern corner of the city of Pocahontas.
June 23, 2010: Bremer County, flooding, wind event, and brief EF1 tornado.
June 2, 2010: An intermittient EF2 tornado track across Ringgold County.
2009 Iowa Tornado Review: A review of 2009 Iowa tornado activity.
June 7, 2009: Adel to Grimes wind damage and brief EF0 tornado damage survey.
March 23, 2009: Two brief EF0 tornadoes in Cass County.
August 9, 2009: Wind-Driven Hail Event over northern Iowa. Includes the Eldora, Iowa hail storm.
2008 Iowa Tornado Review: A review of 2008 Iowa tornado activity.
May 25, 2008: The Parkersburg/New Hartford EF5 tornado that carved a 43 mile track across northeastern Iowa and took nine lives. A map of the track and Service Assessment are also available.
June 22, 2007: Two tornadoes in the Norwalk and Cumming areas.
No event summaries written
November 12, 2005: The late season Woodward/Stratford tornadoes.
May 17, 2004 Straight-Line Wind Damage
September 5, 2004 Late Season Tornadoes
September 11, 2003 Creston, Iowa Tornado
No event summaries written
April 11, 2001 Fast-Moving Low-Topped Supercells
No event summaries written
June 29, 1998 Central Iowa Derecho
Flooding
The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread flooding. River and flash flooding can be found in these summaries. If the flooding event accompanied severe thunderstorms or tornado outbreaks, it will likely be included in that event's summary under the "Thunderstorms / Tornadoes" section.
June 21-22, 2024 Heavy Rainfall Leads to Record Flooding on West Fork Des Moines River
June 30, 2018 Major Flash Flooding in Central Iowa: A devastating flash flood pummeled the Des Moines Metro.
September 21-24, 2016: Multiple rounds of heavy rain impacted northern and central Iowa over the course of four days in mid to late September, resulting in widespread flash flooding and record to near-record flooding in the Cedar River basin.
Summer 2010: Service assessment of the 2010 central Iowa floods.
Summer 2008: Service assessment of the 2008 flooding in central and eastern Iowa.
Winter Storms
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The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread winter storms. Heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and blizzards can be found in these summaries. If the event focused on wind chills, it will be found under the "Heat / Cold" section. |
Scroll down the page for year, or go directly:
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January 11-14, 2024 Iowa Blizzard and Extreme Cold
January 8-9, 2024 Much of Central Iowa Widespread Heavy Snowfall
January 2024 A Tale of Two Seasons
January 25-26, 2021 Widespread Heavy Snow over Central and Southern Iowa.
April 16-17, 2020 Heavy Snow Band Southern Half of Iowa.
February 23-24, 2019 Iowa Blizzard: A massive blizzard crippled Iowa with heavy snow, large drifts, and whiteout conditions.
March 23-24, 2016: A strong spring storm system dropped up to a foot of snow in northern Iowa.
May 1-3, 2013: A rare May snowstorm brought over a foot of snow to portions of central Iowa. It was the strongest May snowstorm to ever hit the state.
February 26-28, 2013: A multi-day snowstorm dropped over a foot of snow across east-central Iowa in late February.
December 19-20, 2012: A meteorological review of the powerful Iowa blizzard that struck Iowa just before the holidays. Heavy, wet snow coated power lines and trees, which snapped as winds increased to 50 to 60 mph.
December 11, 2010: A major blizzard across northern Iowa.
December 8-9, 2009: A major blizzard across Iowa.
Extreme Heat & Cold
The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread high heat or extreme cold. Dangerous wind chills and life threatening heat indices can be found in these summaries. If the extreme temperatures were associated with a summer or winter storm, it may be found under the "Thunderstorms & Tornadoes" or "Winter" sections. These events tend to more "rare" compared to others, and has not been broken into yearly sections. If wished, that can be done here also (copy and past a snippet of yearly code from another section, then repeat as needed).
March 2012: Des Moines saw an unprecedented record warm March that would eventually propel 2012 into the record books as the warmest year on record for Des Moines.
March 2012: Facts about the unprecedented record warm March in Waterloo.
Other Events
The following summaries cover events that don't fall under the other categories - such as high wind events (not associated with thunderstorms). Other atmospheric events, such as auroras, may be found here.
May 10-11, 2024 Northern Lights/Aurora
2012 Des Moines Weather Review: A summary of the record setting warm and dry year that befell Des Moines and much of Iowa.
2011 Iowa Weather Review: A summary of the most significant weather events across Iowa in 2011.
August 23, 2011: A heat burst occurred in the late afternoon of August 23 across west central Iowa, producing winds of up to 60 mph and 10 to 15 degree temperature rises.
2009 Iowa Weather Review: A look back at the biggest weather events for Iowa in 2009.
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