Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 317, NWS Des Moines, IA

August 9, 20265 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 9, 2026, 8:20 AM CDT for 5 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 55 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 9, 2026, 8:20 AM CDT (13:20 UTC)
Expired: Aug 9, 2026, 9:15 AM CDT
In force: 55 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 0.88 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Franklin County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Webster County, IA, Wright County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:23 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, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 250 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 33 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -386 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 888 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 9, 6:33 AM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 6:33 AM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 9, 6:44 AM CDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 9, 4:07 AM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
407 AM CDT Sun Aug 9 2026

IAZ023-024-090930-
Humboldt IA-Pocahontas IA-
407 AM CDT Sun Aug 9 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT EASTERN POCAHONTAS AND WESTERN
HUMBOLDT COUNTIES THROUGH 430 AM CDT...

At 407 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 5
miles east of Pocahontas, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Pocahontas, Rolfe, Gilmore City, Palmer, Bradgate, Pioneer, and
Pocahontas Municipal Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 4267 9426 4264 9438 4264 9444 4263 9444
      4260 9457 4277 9471 4291 9444
TIME...MOT...LOC 0907Z 256DEG 18KT 4271 9456

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

05

Special weather statement, Aug 9, 5:46 AM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
546 AM CDT Sun Aug 9 2026

IAZ005-024-091115-
Humboldt IA-Kossuth IA-
546 AM CDT Sun Aug 9 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL KOSSUTH AND
NORTHERN HUMBOLDT COUNTIES THROUGH 615 AM CDT...

At 546 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 11
miles northwest of Humboldt, or 12 miles northwest of Dakota City,
moving northeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Livermore, Bode, Lu Verne, St. Joseph, Ottosen, and Irvington.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 4277 9437 4289 9442 4303 9420 4286 9402
TIME...MOT...LOC 1046Z 240DEG 12KT 4288 9431

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

05

Special weather statement, Aug 9, 5:56 AM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 9, 4:07 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DMX	Pocahontas	23 min
Aug 9, 4:34 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DMX	Emmet	26 min
Aug 9, 4:39 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Humboldt, Kossuth, Pocahontas	20 min
Aug 9, 4:58 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Emmet	47 min
Aug 9, 5:17 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto	23 min
Aug 9, 5:46 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DMX	Humboldt	29 min
Aug 9, 5:48 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Webster	3 hr
Aug 9, 5:56 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DMX	Kossuth	34 min
Aug 9, 6:15 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Hancock, Kossuth	30 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2026 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

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.