Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin
- When
- August 15, 12:53 AM CST
- Where
- Hardin County, Union
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.250, -93.070
Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 15, 1997
A cold front approached Iowa from the northwest. At the same time, the upper level flow had become west with speeds increasing from what they had been the previous several days.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.
A cold front approached Iowa from the northwest. At the same time, the upper level flow had become west with speeds increasing from what they had been the previous several days. The airmass over Iowa was quite unstable with CAPE values around 2500 J/kg. Thunderstorms fired in northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota. The storms became severe quickly and as the moved into Iowa took on a bow echo configuration. The main severe weather feature with these storms was the high winds along the track of the bow echo. At times these winds reached 75 MPH. Considerable tree damage was reported with the storms. One small tornado touched down north of Woodward in Dallas County. The tornado touched down in a field and caused little damage.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:51 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, August 15, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, August 15, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, August 15 to 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 15, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 15, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 15, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 15, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 15, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Hawaii, August 15, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 15, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, August 15, 1997
- Hail in Florida, August 15, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, August 1997
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: 5610231.