Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2026

Mesoscale Discussion 441

April 14, 20265 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 14, 2026, 11:36 PM CDT for 5 states. It was in force for 84 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 14, 2026, 11:36 PM CDT (04:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 2026, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe thunderstorm watch 115
All 30 counties

Adams County, IA, Cedar County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Clinton County, IA, Fremont County, IA, Iowa County, IA, Johnson County, IA, Keokuk County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Madison County, IA, Mahaska County, IA, Marion County, IA, Muscatine County, IA, Page County, IA, Poweshiek County, IA, Ringgold County, IA, Scott County, IA, Taylor County, IA, Union County, IA, Warren County, IA, Rock Island County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Washington County, KS, Atchison County, MO, Gage County, NE, Jefferson County, NE, Johnson County, NE, Nemaha County, NE, Pawnee County, NE, Richardson County, NE

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:37 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 235 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2026-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 342 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2026-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
342 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2096 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
288 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 8:32 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, McHenry, Stephenson, Winnebago88 min
Apr 14, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCMercer, Rock Island4 hr
Apr 15, 1:47 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMercer, Rock Island88 min
Apr 15, 3:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCarroll, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, McDonough and 5 more6 hr
Apr 15, 4:49 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Jo Daviess, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and 1 more86 min
Apr 15, 6:15 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Carroll, Hancock, Henderson, Henry and 10 more2 hr
Apr 15, 6:50 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Brown, Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Monroe and 2 more4 hr
Apr 14, 7:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Appanoose, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Fremont and 12 more2 hr
Apr 14, 9:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Adams, Appanoose, Clarke, Davis, Decatur and 16 more4 hr
Apr 15, 10:22 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone and 53 more2 hr
Apr 15, 12:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAudubon, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun and 24 more7 hr
Apr 15, 1:50 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Dallas, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper and 4 more85 min
Apr 15, 2:14 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppanoose, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe and 4 more2 hr
Apr 14, 7:53 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHarper, Kingman, Sedgwick, Sumner97 min
Apr 15, 2:31 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery and 2 more8 hr
Apr 15, 3:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho65 min
Apr 15, 5:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCherokee, Crawford, Labette94 min
Apr 14, 10:35 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Christian, Dade, Greene, Lawrence, McDonald and 2 more85 min
Apr 14, 11:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarry, McDonald, Newton, Stone3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2026Mesoscale Discussions in Nebraska, 2026Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2026Every mesoscale discussion 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.