Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 207, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 25, 20266 counties in Iowa; Jackson County, Nobles County, Rock County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 25, 2026, 9:53 PM CDT for 6 counties in Iowa; Jackson County, Nobles County, Rock County, Minnesota. It was in force for 37 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
Jul 25, 2026, 9:53 PM CDT (02:53 UTC)
Expired
Jul 25, 2026, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Lyon County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Jackson County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Rock County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:52 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 25, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 275 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2026-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4963 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2026-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
4963 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1465 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
17.3

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 Jul 25, 6:22 PM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Increased confidence in severe storm chances this evening and early overnight. Damaging winds to 75 to 85 mph are possible. Hail will be a secondary threat, possibly to the size of quarters.
  • Extreme Heat Warning through Sunday. Heat index values as high as 115 degrees
  • While details are uncertain and confidence remains low, if storms develop Sunday evening into Sunday night, some may be strong to severe with damaging winds, isolated large hail and locally heavy rain possible.
  • Still a good chance for highs in the 90s next week in most locations. Additional heat headlines are possible.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 25, 6:22 PM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
622 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Increased confidence in severe storm chances this evening and
  early overnight. Damaging winds to 75 to 85 mph are possible.
  Hail will be a secondary threat, possibly to the size of
  quarters.

- Extreme Heat Warning through Sunday. Heat index values as high
  as 115 degrees

- While details are uncertain and confidence remains low, if
  storms develop Sunday evening into Sunday night, some may be
  strong to severe with damaging winds, isolated large hail and
  locally heavy rain possible.

- Still a good chance for highs in the 90s next week in most
  locations. Additional heat headlines are possible.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 117 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

Heat:

Not much change as dew points in the upper 60s to mid 70s provide
the area with an oppressive environment. As temperatures rise into
the 90s today and Sunday, heat indices will jump to between 100-110
degrees in most locations. The hottest conditions continue to look
to be along the James and Missouri River valleys.

For now Monday through Wednesday should see highs generally in the
90s but with a bit less humidity. This will keep the heat index in
the 90s as well. Will have to keep an eye on the dew points trends
as a few more degrees of moisture will push heat indices above 100.

A wave moving through on Wednesday will likely bring slightly cooler
air into the area so the second half of the week may not be quite as
hot.

Thunderstorms:

Overall a capping inversion will be in place for the area through
the afternoon, so development is not expected. One exception may be
in and around Gregory/Charles Mix counties where model soundings
hint at possibly breaking the cap. If this can happen, an isolated
storm with the potential for wind gusts around 70 mph are possible.
CAPE values only running about 500-1500 J/kg with fairly weak shear,
but with a very dry subcloud layer. Otherwise, development should
take place west of the area and move in after about 6-8 pm. This
cluster of storms will likely be a bit pulsy, but with better
instability and still a fairly significant sub cloud dry layer wind
gusts to 75 mph will be likely with the potential for a cold pool to
develop. Hail to the size of quarters will also be possible, but
wind will be the main threat. Many of the latest 12z models are
jumping on this wind threat and the HRRR has been very consistent
bringing this wind threat right down I-90 this evening.

Some lingering showers are possible from midnight into early Sunday
morning, but are not expected to be severe and may even have trouble
reaching the ground with a significant dry layer below. Still a lot
of question marks regarding the severe threat tomorrow afternoon and
tomorrow night. For now a significant amount of dry air in the low
to mid levels should provide enough capping to avoid afternoon
thunderstorm development. If a storm could develop, 2000 J/kg CAPE,
30-40 knots of deep layer shear and a significant dry layer in the
lower levels would support wind gusts to 75 mph and hail to the size
of half dollars. Otherwise during the later evening and overnight
hours the models are really backing off on any potential for the
area and keeping the isolated to scattered activity to the northeast.

A wave will move through the area Wednesday into Thursday morning
and be the next chance for showers and thunderstorms. This will be
the next threat for possible severe storms. The main threat for
showers and thunderstorms should come on Thursday.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 616 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

Scattered convection will continue to develop and move east this
evening. High winds will pose the greatest risks, with potential
for 60+ mph winds moving through the area.

This convection will likely arrive into Huron by 00Z, with
potential for convection to reach FSD around 02Z. MVFR ceilings
are expected in convection, though there remains a high degrees
of uncertainty on if storms will reach the airport.

Sioux City poses even more uncertainty, with most guidance
suggesting convection weakens by time it arrives. At a minimum,
shower activity may continue into Sunday morning.

&&

.FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...Extreme Heat Warning until 8 PM CDT Sunday for SDZ038>040-050-
     052>071.
MN...Extreme Heat Warning until 8 PM CDT Sunday for MNZ071-072-080-
     081-089-090-097-098.
IA...Extreme Heat Warning until 8 PM CDT Sunday for IAZ001>003-
     012>014-020>022-031-032.
NE...Extreme Heat Warning until 8 PM CDT Sunday for NEZ013-014.

&&

DISCUSSION...08
AVIATION...Dux
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 25, 5:25 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
525 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-
098-NEZ013-014-SDZ071-262230-
Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee-
Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-Murray-Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson-
Pipestone-Rock-Dixon-Dakota-Union-
525 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Heat index values between 100 and 110 will continue this evening.

Scattered thunderstorms may approach after dark. These storms may be
in a weakening phase, but could still bring 60 to 70 mph winds as
they move through.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Heat index readings will again climb between 100 to 110 degrees
Sunday afternoon and evening.

While uncertain, isolated to scattered thunderstorms may redevelop
Sunday late afternoon and evening. Large hail and 70 mph winds may be
possible.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed after 10pm.

SDZ038>040-050-052>070-262230-
Beadle-Kingsbury-Brookings-Gregory-Jerauld-Sanborn-Miner-Lake-Moody-
Brule-Aurora-Davison-Hanson-McCook-Minnehaha-Charles Mix-Douglas-
Hutchinson-Turner-Lincoln-Bon Homme-Yankton-Clay-
525 PM CDT Sat Jul 25 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota, east
central South Dakota, south central South Dakota and southeast
South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Scattered severe storms will try to develop and move eastward this
evening and into the early overnight hours. Hail risks of ping pong
ball size, and straight line winds of 75 mph or greater will be
possible.

Heat index values as high as 110 degrees will continue this evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Heat index readings will again climb between 100 to 110 degrees
Sunday afternoon and evening.

While uncertain, isolated to scattered thunderstorms may redevelop
Sunday late afternoon and evening. Large hail and 70 mph winds may be
possible.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will be needed through 12am.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:32 PM CDT, 21 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>
Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:34 PM CDT, 19 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>
Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:39 PM CDT, 14 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>
Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:41 PM CDT, 12 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>
Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:43 PM CDT, 10 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>
Local storm report, Jul 25, 9:48 PM CDT, 5 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 Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 25, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDavison, Douglas, Hutchinson39 min
Jul 25, 7:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBeadle, Kingsbury, Miner, Sanborn52 min
Jul 25, 7:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDHanson, Hutchinson, McCook37 min
Jul 25, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDavison, Hanson, Lake, McCook, Miner, Sanborn46 min
Jul 25, 8:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDHutchinson, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner41 min
Jul 25, 8:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLincoln, Minnehaha, Turner42 min
Jul 25, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDClay, Lincoln, Turner, Union, Yankton48 min
Jul 25, 8:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threatFSDLincoln, Minnehaha37 min
Jul 25, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDClay, Lincoln, Union51 min
Jul 25, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDLincoln, Union34 min
Jul 25, 9:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFSDUnion41 min
Jul 26, 12:39 PM CDTHeat AdvisoryFSDBon Homme, Charles Mix, Clay, Douglas, Gregory, Hutchinson and 4 more31 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2026Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2026Every 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.