Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 18, 1994

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 18, 1994
Start: 1994-08-18T03:00
End: 1994-08-18T19:50
Location: Iowa

August 18, 1994 · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

4 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $520,000
Crop damage: $205,000
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clayton

When: August 18, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Clayton County, Edgewood
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms moved across northeast Iowa throughout the night. In what appeared to be a downburst situation, high winds struck a farm near Edgewood. A narrow path could be seen in the fields surrounding the farm. The farmstead that sustained damage reported one barn blown down by the winds. Sixty head of cattle were within the barn, 12 of them were killed in the collapse. The garage was pulled away from the farm house and toys were strewn across the fields downwind. A chopper box was also overturned.

Hail, Jackson

When: August 18, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Jackson County to Bellevue
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Jackson

When: August 18, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Maquoketa
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Jackson

When: August 18, 6:32 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Bellevue
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Dubuque

When: August 18, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Dubuque County, Dubuque
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms erupted in an unstable airmass over Iowa. The first storms developed near an old outflow boundary formed from the previous nights convection. The storms produced gusty winds and heavy rainfall for the most part. Three quarter inch diameter hail fell in Jackson and Dubuque Counties. Property damage was minor, however the hail did cause quite a bit of crop damage.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, August 1994

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10321549, 10324309, 10324310, 10324311, 10321752.