Iowa, 1999

Tornado and Hail in Iowa, May 27, 1999

May 27, 1999 · NWS DMX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A weak flow pattern was in place over Iowa with a broad upper level ridge of high pressure over the state. A very weak cold front sagged south into Iowa during the afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
$5,000
Events
3

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 weak flow pattern was in place over Iowa with a broad upper level ridge of high pressure over the state. A very weak cold front sagged south into Iowa during the afternoon. Thunderstorms developed along the front, however the dynamics were quite weak and moisture was quite limited. Along the line, winds of 40 to 50 MPH were common, along with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. A report of hail around three quarters inch in diameter was received during the early afternoon over Emmet County. There wasn't't any other severe weather until the late afternoon hours. A brief spin-up tornado developed in Sac County north of Auburn as two outflow boundaries collided and a strong thunderstorm developed over the area. The tornado was very brief and no damage was reported as it touched down in open country. As the storms moved through Winnebago County lightning struck the Forest City School's wind turbine. Damage was done to the electrical equipment and the turbine was down for a few days.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 hail, 1 lightning, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Emmet

When
May 27, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Emmet County, 1 mi E of Dolliver
Measured
0.75 in hail
Crop damage
$5,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
43.470, -94.620

Lightning, Winnebago

When
May 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Winnebago County, Forest City
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Sac

When
May 27, 6:39 PM CST
Where
Sac County, 2 mi N of Auburn
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.280, -94.880

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 1999Warnings in Iowa, May 1999

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: 5693577, 5693578, 5693576.