Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, March 26, 1995

An intense low pressure moved from western Kansas into northwest Iowa during the say. Strong southeast winds drew moisture north from the Gulf of Mexico. Surface dew point temperatures reached the lower 50s ahead of a dry line rotating around the south side of the low. Dew point temperatures were in the 10-12° C range at 850 mb. Thunderstorms erupted during the late afternoon and early evening hours just ahead of the dry line. They became severe over south central Iowa and moved/developed north into the north central counties of the state. Helicity values were quite high in spite of the relatively low cape values. Helicity was in the 550 m2-s-2, while CAPE values were around 500 J-kg-1. Initially, the thunderstorms produced hail. There were several reports of hail in the three-quarter to one inch diameter range from Osceola to just south of Des Moines. WSR-88D VIL values were in the 45-50 kg-m-2 range. One of the stronger cells produced a funnel cloud over Warren County. Spotters were able to watch a rotating wall cloud form just before the funnel formed. As the storms worked north, hail nearly an inch in diameter was reported in Hancock County. Gusty winds became a problem. Wind gusts of 60-65 MPH were reported in Winnebago, Cerro Gordo, and Worth Counties. The storms were quite quick moving, however a series of cells moved across the Des Moines area. They produced heavy rainfall with three inches falling in a short period of time over the eastern sections of Des Moines. This resulted in urban flooding in the area with water over the roads. Soil conditions were quite saturated prior to the rainfall.