Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford
- When
- May 20, 3:13 AM CST
- Where
- Crawford County, Dow City
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 41.930, -95.500
Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 20, 1998
The cold front that moved south across Iowa during the afternoon of the 19th became stationary to the south of the state during the night. Warm air continued to feed north over the top of the boundary.
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
- $9,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
The cold front that moved south across Iowa during the afternoon of the 19th became stationary to the south of the state during the night. Warm air continued to feed north over the top of the boundary. Surface dew point temperatures to the south of the front were in the 70s. Thunderstorms fired up initially over Nebraska with a north/south bow echo forming in central Nebraska. It raced east and entered Iowa during the predawn hours. High winds were reported in several area. Most locations received at least 50 MPH winds as the storms moved through. Spotty reports were received of wind gusts between 60 and 70 MPH. Damage was limited to tree damage for the most part.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford
- When
- May 20, 4:33 AM CST
- Where
- Crawford County, Dow City
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 41.930, -95.500
Thunderstorm Wind, Warren
- When
- May 20, 4:40 AM CST
- Where
- Warren County, Cumming
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 41.480, -93.770
Thunderstorm Wind, Polk
- When
- May 20, 4:55 AM CST
- Where
- Polk County, Des Moines Arpt
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.530, -93.670
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
- Hail in Iowa, May 20, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Nebraska, May 20, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, May 20, 1998
- Lightning Strike in West Virginia, May 20, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 20, 1998
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 20, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 20 to 21, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 20, 1998
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, May 20, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 20, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, May 20, 1998
- Drought in Louisiana, May 20 to 31, 1998
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 1998
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: 5645903, 5645904, 5645905, 5645906.