Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 56, NWS Des Moines, IA

April 15, 20264 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 15, 2026, 3:59 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 26 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: Apr 15, 2026, 3:59 PM CDT (20:59 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2026, 4:25 PM CDT
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.25 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Adair County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Madison County, IA, Union County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:59 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
Apr 15, 3:40 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 274 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: 721 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 372 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 364 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.8
Supercell composite: 8.0

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 Apr 15, 1:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 1:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 15, 4:11 AM CDT, 11 hours 48 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
411 AM CDT Wed Apr 15 2026

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-
081>086-092>097-160915-
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-
411 AM CDT Wed Apr 15 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight

There is a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe thunderstorms
across much of Iowa this afternoon and evening. Damaging winds,
large hail, tornadoes, and flash floods are all possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

There is an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) for severe thunderstorms
across much Iowa on Friday. Damaging winds and tornadoes are the
primary threats. Large hail is also possible.

River flooding will also be possible this week as multiple rounds
of rainfall occur.

Freezing temperatures are expected in northern Iowa Friday night
and across much of the area Saturday night.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is possible later today.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 15, 12:57 PM CDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 15, 1:27 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 15, 2:09 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 15, 2:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 15, 2:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 15, 3:51 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 14, 11:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Poweshiek, Tama	41 min
Apr 14, 11:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adams, Taylor	48 min
Apr 15, 12:10 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adams, Ringgold, Taylor, Union	50 min
Apr 15, 12:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair, Clarke, Decatur, Madison, Ringgold, Union	45 min
Apr 15, 11:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DMX	Audubon, Carroll, Crawford	38 min
Apr 15, 11:54 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DMX	Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie and 1 more	66 min
Apr 15, 12:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DMX	Boone, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton, Webster	56 min
Apr 15, 2:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Marshall, Story	39 min
Apr 15, 3:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Polk, Story	40 min
Apr 15, 3:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Grundy, Marshall, Tama	39 min
Apr 15, 3:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair, Dallas, Madison	14 min
Apr 15, 3:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Marshall, Story	49 min
Apr 15, 4:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Marshall, Tama	49 min
Apr 15, 4:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Madison, Warren	37 min
Apr 15, 4:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Carroll, Crawford	19 min
Apr 15, 4:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Black Hawk	19 min
Apr 15, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke, Decatur, Ringgold, Union	44 min
Apr 15, 4:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Polk	13 min
Apr 15, 4:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Tama	25 min
Apr 15, 4:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Wayne	34 min
Apr 15, 5:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Decatur, Wayne	17 min
Apr 15, 5:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Lucas, Marion, Monroe	47 min
Apr 15, 6:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Wapello	36 min
Apr 15, 6:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Lucas, Monroe, Wayne	25 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.