Thunderstorm Wind, Wapello
- When
- August 15, 10:55 PM CST
- Where
- Wapello County, Ottumwa
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 41.020, -92.400
Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 15, 1997
Thunderstorms erupted over southern Iowa during the late afternoon hours. The airmass remained quite unstable as was the case the previous day.
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
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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.
Thunderstorms erupted over southern Iowa during the late afternoon hours. The airmass remained quite unstable as was the case the previous day. The cold front approaching the state washed out, leaving very humid and unstable air in place over the state. As the storms moved through Ottumwa, strong winds downed several large trees around the city.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:53 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
- 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
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: 5610242.