Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 167, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 2025, 6:45 PM CDT for Polk County, Warren County, Iowa. It was in force for 45 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 20, 2025, 6:45 PM CDT (23:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 20, 2025, 7:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Possible
- Hail
- 0.75 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
Counties Polk County, IA, Warren County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 28 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:44 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 20, 2:45 PM CDT, 4 hours earlier. Its key messages:
- A few storm possible tonight, mainly over the far south and northwest. A strong storm may occur over the northwest.
- Hot and humid conditions expected Tuesday and Wednesday with heat index values in excess of 100 degrees in the afternoons.
- Additional storm chances arrive at the end of the week.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 2:45 PM CDT, 4 hours before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 245 PM CDT Sun Jul 20 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A few storm possible tonight, mainly over the far south and northwest. A strong storm may occur over the northwest. - Hot and humid conditions expected Tuesday and Wednesday with heat index values in excess of 100 degrees in the afternoons. - Additional storm chances arrive at the end of the week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 243 PM CDT Sun Jul 20 2025 Convective trends through Monday are the near term forecast challenge after the past several nights of MCSs moving across the state with some severe weather and heavy rainfall. This afternoon, much of the state is under scattered to broken stratocumulus clouds with a warm layer above keeping convection in check for the most part. There are a few isolated areas of bubbling but this has been mostly short lived. Also monitoring thunderstorms that are ongoing over eastern South Dakota with one primary supercell currently southwest of Huron. This storm should be slightly elevated and is beginning to make a turn southeast into the instability axis which would fit the conceptual model for this. This is the area to watch should stronger convection reach the area, perhaps as early as early this evening. Otherwise, not expecting much for areal coverage in storms overnight with the other focus region just south of the Iowa border into Missouri. As mentioned in the aviation discussion, stratus should move back into the state overnight and into early Monday and it could be further supported with an increasing elevated mixed layer aloft, trapping moisture below it. Some fog could develop as well though at this time, much of the moisture will support the stratus. High temperatures Monday may depend on how quickly this cloud cover can mix out on Monday. The Southern Plains upper ridge will extend lift north with ridging and thermal ridging moving into Iowa later Monday night and into Tuesday which will bring hot and humid conditions to central Iowa. Expected heat index values for Tuesday afternoon are in the 100 to 110 degree range. The current dewpoint forecast for the afternoon is in the mid to upper 70s. That may be a bit high considering the mixing potential though lower mixed dewpoints could result in high actual temperatures. Heat headlines are possible for Tuesday. Heat indicies back in the 95 to 105 range again on Wednesday. The upper ridging will move east Wednesday night into Thursday leading to southwest flow into Iowa with another short wave approaching the area and a boundary dropping into the state. This will bring the next chance for thunderstorms to the region. Those chances will be on and off into the weekend. There is the potential for even stronger upper ridging becoming re-established early next week which would bring another round of very hot conditions though being on the northeast quadrant of this feature could also lead to MCSs dropping into the state. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1228 PM CDT Sun Jul 20 2025 A large swath of stratocumulus is over Iowa early this afternoon with bases rising to MVFR while some scattering has resulted in VFR at times. Most sites should become VFR this afternoon as bases rise further. The low level steering flow comes from the southeast tonight and that is a source region of MVFR to IFR cigs that are currently over parts of Illinois and Ohio. Those cigs will move into central Iowa overnight into early Monday. Thunderstorm chances have decreased during the period therefore no mention in this forecast. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Donavon AVIATION...Donavon
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 2:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 209 PM CDT Sun Jul 20 2025 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-211915- Emmet-Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo- Pocahontas-Humboldt-Wright-Franklin-Butler-Bremer-Sac-Calhoun- Webster-Hamilton-Hardin-Grundy-Black Hawk-Crawford-Carroll-Greene- Boone-Story-Marshall-Tama-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Polk-Jasper- Poweshiek-Cass-Adair-Madison-Warren-Marion-Mahaska-Adams-Union- Clarke-Lucas-Monroe-Wapello-Taylor-Ringgold-Decatur-Wayne- Appanoose-Davis- 209 PM CDT Sun Jul 20 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight Isolated storms are possible (~25% chance) this afternoon into evening, mainly south, and late tonight into the overnight (~20% chance) mainly in the west to northwest. The chances for severe storms remains low at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Isolated thunderstorms may continue into early Monday with some redevelopment possible (~15% chance) later in the day as well, especially south. Severe storms are not expected. Additional storms are possible mid to late next week. Heat builds into the area into mid-week with heat indices topping 100 degrees at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 5:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 11:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Lucas, Wayne | 33 min |
| Jul 20, 12:05 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DMX | Wayne | 25 min |
| Jul 20, 12:29 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DMX | Appanoose | 31 min |
| Jul 20, 12:56 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DMX | Appanoose | 34 min |
| Jul 20, 3:13 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Adair, Madison | 6 hr |
| Jul 20, 3:55 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Dallas, Madison, Polk, Warren | 5 hr |
| Jul 20, 4:27 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DMX | Boone | 33 min |
| Jul 20, 5:23 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Jasper, Mahaska, Marion, Poweshiek | 5 hr |
| Jul 20, 5:56 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DMX | Hardin, Marshall | 34 min |
| Jul 20, 12:27 PM CDT | River Flood Watch | DMX | Warren | 10 hr |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2025Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.