Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 128, NWS Quad Cities, IA
NWS Quad Cities, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 2025, 6:13 PM CDT for 8 counties in Iowa; Rock Island County, Illinois. It was in force for 62 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
- Aug 15, 2025, 6:13 PM CDT (23:13 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 15, 2025, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 62 min
- Issued by
- NWS Quad Cities, IA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Damage threat
- Considerable
- Hail
- 0.75 in
- Wind
- 70.0 mph
Counties Cedar County, IA, Clinton County, IA, Jackson County, IA, Johnson County, IA, Jones County, IA, Linn County, IA, Muscatine County, IA, Scott County, IA, Rock Island County, IL
The radar
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:17 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.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 45 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 369 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -259 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1053 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 117 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 143 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 15, 1:16 PM CDT, 4 hours 57 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening with the main threat from these storms being damaging winds.
- Heat and humidity return today through the weekend, with heat indices near or exceeding 100 degrees. Storms/outflow could interrupt the heat for parts of the area, mainly north of Highway 30 Saturday and Sunday.
- Heat advisory in effect for tomorrow.
- Storm chances (20-30%) return tonight/Saturday and persist through early next week, especially along and north of Highway 30.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 15, 1:16 PM CDT, 4 hours 57 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL
116 PM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening with the
main threat from these storms being damaging winds.
- Heat and humidity return today through the weekend, with heat
indices near or exceeding 100 degrees. Storms/outflow could interrupt
the heat for parts of the area, mainly north of Highway 30
Saturday and Sunday.
- Heat advisory in effect for tomorrow.
- Storm chances (20-30%) return tonight/Saturday and persist
through early next week, especially along and north of Highway
30.
&&
.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Issued at 115 PM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025
The beginning of the period is going to be active with strong
to severe storms affecting the area starting at 00z. Overnight
convection across NE weakened this AM, but then became surface
based late this morning, leading to rapid intensification.
Looking at the downstream environment, it appears that
sufficient parameters are in space to keep this going through
the area.
MLCAPE ahead of the system will be around 2500 to 3500 J/kg,
with a weakly capped environment. This will keep other storms
from forming ahead of the MCS as it approaches. Shear in the
0-3km layer is anywhere from 25 to 35 kts, suggesting that cold
pool balance is achievable. This will lead to a longer lived
wind producing MCS. Low-level winds are backed and shear is
sufficient enough to have brief tornadoes as well. Rain rates
should be high, but short lived so overall rainfall amounts
should remain low, maybe up to an inch. Wind gusts 60 to 70 seem
most likely with possible speeds exceeding 70 mph in the
strongest storms.
As far as motion, expect once the cold pool becomes better
developed, the storms could reach storm motions of 50 to 60 mph.
CIN gradient, along with CAPE gradient, suggests storms move due
east, then start to dive SE across the entire CWA. This will
bring a thunderstorm risk to the entire area.
Tomorrow, no really waves behind this one overnight, may help to
shift the ridge axis north and warm us up tomorrow. This may
push the active storm track north of our area tomorrow. As such,
most of the southern CWA will see heat advisory level heat
indices. Mixing down model temps from H85, matches the NBM well
for highs, so decided to use those tomorrow. Overall, heat
advisory was issued for tomorrow.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
Issued at 325 AM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025
The synoptic pattern doesn't change much for Saturday through Monday
in our region, with hot and humid conditions persisting and periodic
chances (20-30%) of storms, especially for locations along and north
of Highway 30. 850 mb temperatures appear to warm even further for
Saturday and Sunday, with the latest ECMWF EFI indicating values of
0.7 to 0.9 for Saturday and Sunday high temperatures, which suggests
anomalously hot conditions are likely, with highs likely to rise to
the lower to middle 90s. Confidence in dangerous heat indices over
100 degrees F Saturday and Sunday is higher compared to today, with
both HREF and LREF ensemble exceedance probabilities of 100 degree
heat indices around 70 to 90+ percent for locations along and south
of Interstate 80. The LREF has probabilities of exceedance for the
same threshold around 60 to 80 percent for Sunday and Monday. Given
these values, our confidence is pretty high that we will need at
least Heat Advisories both Saturday and Sunday for the southern
portions of the CWA. Confidence is a bit lower farther north on heat
index values due to potential for cloud debris and showers/storm
potential which could tamper these values.
Speaking of, we continue to be on the edge of the "ring of fire"
pattern, with the thermal ridging remaining in place. The baroclinic
zone/stationary front remains to our north, but some showers/storms
could develop along this front. Some of these storms could become
strong to severe, and SPC continues to outlook our northern areas in
a Marginal Risk for both Saturday and Sunday for a damaging
wind/large hail threat. While instability will be quite impressive
over the next few days, shear will be largely lacking to support
organized convective updrafts, but mid-day Saturday along the
Highway 20 corridor looks to be the only time deep-layer shear will
be its highest of this period (between 30-40 knots), so if any
storms can develop during this time, they could become severe at
that time.
Tuesday through Thursday, the heat and humidity looks to be scoured
out by a cold front that will dive southward through the area by
sometime Wednesday (uncertain on the timing of the frontal passage).
Behind this front, guidance is in good agreement on bringing in
cooler and drier conditions for mid to late next week.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 115 PM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025
VFR conditions are expected for the majority of the period.
Later this afternoon and evening, strong to severe storms could
move across the TAF sites. Best chance is around 00z. Sites
could see gusts to 50kts with storms, but kept out of TAFs at
the current time.
&&
.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IA...Heat Advisory from noon to 7 PM CDT Saturday for IAZ051-052-
063>065-067-068-076>078-087>089-098-099.
IL...Heat Advisory from noon to 7 PM CDT Saturday for ILZ015-016-
024>026-034-035.
MO...Heat Advisory from noon to 7 PM CDT Saturday for MOZ009-010.
&&
SHORT TERM...Gibbs
LONG TERM...Schultz
AVIATION...GibbsHazardous weather outlook, Aug 15, 1:14 PM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL 114 PM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-161815- Buchanan-Delaware-Dubuque-Benton-Linn-Jones-Jackson-Iowa-Johnson- Cedar-Clinton-Muscatine-Scott-Keokuk-Washington-Louisa-Jefferson- Henry IA-Des Moines-Van Buren-Lee-Jo Daviess-Stephenson-Carroll- Whiteside-Rock Island-Henry IL-Bureau-Putnam-Mercer-Henderson- Warren-Hancock-McDonough-Scotland-Clark- 114 PM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central Illinois...northwest Illinois...west central Illinois...east central Iowa...northeast Iowa...southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT Thunderstorms are likely for portions of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois late this afternoon and evening. A few of the storms may be severe with damaging winds being the primary threat. There is a low risk for a brief tornado as well. The highest winds are favored near and north of Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa, where the Storm Prediction Center has a Slight Risk, or level 2 of 5 risk for severe weather. Surrounding that risk area is a Marginal Risk, or level 1 of 5 risk, for severe weather into portions of southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois. Heat index readings will top out from the mid 90s to around 100 degrees this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY Hot and humid conditions will continue this weekend with peak heat index readings ranging from the upper 90s to around 110 degrees. Storms and cloud cover could tamper down these values, especially north of Interstate 80. A Heat Advisory has been issued for Saturday afternoon for areas along and south of a line from Cedar Rapids to the Quad Cities. There will be continued chances of storms Saturday and Sunday, some of which could become strong to severe. The Storm Prediction Center continues to have a Marginal Risk of severe storms for portions of the area north of Interstate 80. Locally heavy rainfall and isolated damaging winds and large hail are the main threats. Chances for thunderstorms will continue Monday and Tuesday ahead of a cold front. It is too early to determine the threat for severe weather with these storms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed for portions of the Outlook area late this afternoon and evening. Reports of severe weather would be appreciated along with any rainfall totals over one inch.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 15, 5:50 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Quad Cities, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 11:40 AM CDT | Heat Advisory | DVN | Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines and 15 more | 32 hr |
| Aug 15, 4:11 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | DVN | Buchanan | 49 min |
| Aug 15, 4:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Benton, Buchanan, Linn | 60 min |
| Aug 15, 5:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Benton, Buchanan, Delaware, Iowa, Johnson, Linn | 53 min |
| Aug 15, 5:39 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DVN | Benton, Buchanan | 4 hr |
| Aug 15, 5:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Benton, Cedar, Delaware, Johnson, Jones, Linn | 61 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2025Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.