Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 280, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

August 15, 20254 counties in Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 2025, 12:57 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 48 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, 12:57 PM CDT (17:57 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 2025, 1:45 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Buena Vista County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Ida County, IA, Woodbury County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:00 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, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 300 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 2025-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1154 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 2025-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 349 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1154 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-170 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
833 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
349 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
265 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 15, 12:34 PM CDT, 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 15, 12:34 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 15, 4:38 AM CDT, 8 hours 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
438 AM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025

IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-
098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-160945-
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-
438 AM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for 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...Today and tonight.

Hot and humid today with afternoon heat indices of 92 to around 100
degrees, with highest readings through the mid to lower Missouri
River corridor.

Although there will be low chances for thunderstorms today, better
chances will come tonight. A few storms could be strong to severe
with hail to the size of half dollars, wind gusts to 60 mph, and
heavy rainfall.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Continued hot and humid on Saturday with afternoon heat indices of
100 to 105 possible south of Interstate 90. Thunderstorms will again
be possible on Saturday night into early Sunday, and a few of these
storms could produce large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 15, 10:24 AM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1024 AM CDT Fri Aug 15 2025

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

0718 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     4 SSE Yale              44.38N 97.96W
08/14/2025                   Beadle             SD   Public

            South side barn door and roof heavily
            damaged. Time estimated from radar.

&&

PR
Local storm report, Aug 15, 12:26 PM CDT, 31 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 15, 12:35 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 15, 1:59 PM CDTHeat AdvisoryFSDAurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison and 10 more30 hr
Aug 15, 11:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, O'Brien59 min
Aug 15, 12:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Ida45 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.