Alert archive / Iowa / Flood Watches in 2025

Flood Watch 3, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 29, 2025Union County, South Dakota; 10 counties in Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this flood watch at Jul 29, 2025, 2:29 PM CDT for Union County, South Dakota; 10 counties in Iowa. It took effect at Jul 29, 2025, 10:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 29, 2025, 2:29 PM CDT (19:29 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 29, 2025, 10:00 PM CDT
Expired
Jul 30, 2025, 1:29 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Flood severity
None

Counties Buena Vista County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Ida County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Plymouth County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Union County, SD

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:28 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 nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 276 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2025-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 71 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2025-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
71 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-458 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1000 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flood watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flood watch went out at Jul 29, 11:44 AM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 11:44 AM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 29, 11:53 AM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1153 AM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-
098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-301700-
Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee-
Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-Murray-Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson-
Pipestone-Rock-Dixon-Dakota-Beadle-Kingsbury-Brookings-Gregory-
Jerauld-Sanborn-Miner-Lake-Moody-Brule-Aurora-Davison-Hanson-
McCook-Minnehaha-Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Turner-Bon Homme-
Yankton-Union-
1153 AM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest Iowa,
west central Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska,
central South Dakota, east central South Dakota, south central
South Dakota, and southeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms will develop tonight and continue into
Wednesday morning and bring the potential for isolated severe
storms as well as heavy rainfall. Heavy rainfall over the past
couple of weeks has lead to saturated soils in many locations thus
rainfall amounts will not need to be quite as high to cause rapid
rises on creeks and streams as well as some urban flooding
issues. The best chance for the heavier rain will be from about 10
pm through 6 am.

The main concerns for severe weather will be half dollar sized
hail and wind gusts to 70 mph. The higher threat for a few severe
storms will be 7 pm to midnight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 29, 9:59 AM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 29, 11:30 AM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 29, 12:04 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1204 PM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1002 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 N Meriden             42.84N 95.64W
07/28/2025                   Cherokee           IA   Public

            Large trees snapped and uprooted.

&&

TRM
Local storm report, Jul 29, 12:12 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1212 PM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0825 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     7 ESE Menno             43.21N 97.45W
07/28/2025  M62 MPH          Hutchinson         SD   Mesonet

            Mesonet station MNMS2 Menno 7ESE.

&&

TRM
Local storm report, Jul 29, 12:49 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1249 PM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0932 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Hull                    43.19N 96.14W
07/28/2025                   Sioux              IA   Public

            Social media picture of large limb snapped
            from a tree.

&&

JC
Local storm report, Jul 29, 1:57 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
157 PM CDT Tue Jul 29 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0428 PM     Tornado          1 NW Dixon              43.40N 99.49W
07/28/2025                   Gregory            SD   Storm Chaser

            Initial touchdown of tornado which traveled
            for 11 miles to east-southeast.

&&

JC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDAurora, Davison, Hanson, Miner, Sanborn52 min
Jul 28, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDBon Homme, Charles Mix, Douglas, Hutchinson51 min
Jul 28, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDavison, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, Turner43 min
Jul 28, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBon Homme, Clay, Hutchinson, Lincoln, Turner, Union and 1 more65 min
Jul 28, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDHanson, Hutchinson, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner47 min
Jul 28, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDLincoln, Minnehaha, Turner44 min
Jul 28, 8:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDClay, Lincoln, Union38 min
Jul 28, 8:55 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDLincoln, Turner, Union35 min
Jul 28, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Lincoln, Turner, Yankton17 min
Jul 29, 8:12 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDBrookings6 days
Jul 29, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDBrule53 min
Jul 29, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDCharles Mix, Gregory41 min
Jul 29, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDAurora, Brule41 min
Jul 29, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDBrule46 min
Jul 29, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCharles Mix, Douglas, Gregory49 min
Jul 29, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDAurora, Brule17 min
Jul 29, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDAurora, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Gregory41 min
Jul 29, 6:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDavison, Hanson, Miner, Sanborn48 min
Jul 29, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBon Homme, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson45 min
Jul 29, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDAurora, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Gregory25 min
Jul 28, 9:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threatFSDCherokee, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux37 min
Jul 28, 9:34 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDLyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux26 min
Jul 28, 9:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threatFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien and 3 more80 min
Jul 28, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Dickinson, O'Brien, Osceola35 min
Jul 29, 8:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDO'Brien, Sioux19 min
Jul 29, 8:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Dickinson40 min

Nearby

Flood Watches in Iowa, 2025Flood Watches in South Dakota, 2025Every flood watch 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.