Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 6, 1994

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 6, 1994
Start: 1994-06-06T15:00
End: 1994-06-06T20:12
Location: Iowa

June 6, 1994 · 12 events in 9 counties and zones

7 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $281,000
Crop damage: $1.3 million
Events: 12

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

7 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Osceola

When: June 6, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Osceola County, Sibley
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Clay

When: June 6, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Clay County, Spencer
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Buena Vista

When: June 6, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Buena Vista County, Sioux Rapids
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Webster

When: June 6, 6:49 PM CST
Where: Webster County, Harcourt
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Webster

When: June 6, 6:54 PM CST
Where: Webster County, Harcourt
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Hamilton

When: June 6, 7:08 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County, Webster City
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Property damage: $500
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Boone

When: June 6, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Boone County, Boone
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $500
Coordinates: 42.150, -93.880

Hail, Plymouth

When: June 6, 7:36 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Craig
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Plymouth

When: June 6, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Plymouth County, Le Mars
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin

When: June 6, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Hardin County, New Providence
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When: June 6, 7:49 PM CST
Where: Boone County, Boone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: June 6, 8:12 PM CST
Where: Marshall County, Marshalltown
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms formed during the middle to late afternoon hours over northwest Iowa. Overall dynamics were weak, however weak moisture advection during the day combined with temperatures warming to around 90 degrees contributed to making the airmass quite unstable. After taking into account the 90 degree temperature and the dew point around the 70 degree mark yielded a CAPE value of over 5000 J-Kg-1 by the late afternoon. The severe storms were confined to a rather narrow area. The first severe weather reported occurred over the far northwest Iowa, where three-quarter inch diameter hail fell at Sibley. The storms drifted southeast and produced hail in Clay County as well. Hail the size of quarters fell southwest of Spencer. Webster County was hard hit with both hail and heavy rainfall. Rain fell at the rate of two to three inches per hour in the Lizard Creek Basin. This caused some minor flooding. Street flooding also occurred in Fort Dodge. No serious flooding occurred however. It was generally urban flooding. Southern Webster County was pelted by hail. In the Harcourt area, dime-size hail accumulated to a depth of two inches. Northwest of Harcourt, golf ball-size hail was reported. Severe crop damage was reported to the corn crop in the area. The storms produced two small tornadoes, although there were several other unconfirmed reports around the central part of the state. One of the tornadoes touched down briefly in Hamilton County south of Webster City. The other was north of Boone, in Boone County. Neither of the tornadoes were on the ground very long and no significant damage was reported. High winds became a problem as the storms moved toward central Iowa. Winds of 60 mph were reported in the city of Boone. High winds took down several large trees in the city of Marshalltown. Most other reports during the afternoon and evening hours were of pea- to marble-size hail and 40 to 45 mph winds. During the evening, a second area of storms that had formed over eastern South Dakota and Minnesota moved into northwest Iowa. Most of them were not severe, though one did drop three-quarter inch diameter west of Le Mars before weakening.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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.

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 The tornado archive for Iowa, 1994 Warnings in Iowa, June 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: 10324234, 10321525, 10322063, 10323828, 10323829, 10321741, 10321868, 10323038, 10323039, 10324503, 10321869, 10323777.