Thunderstorm Wind, Wright
- When
- May 31, 8:05 AM CST
- Where
- Wright County, Eagle Grove
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.667, -93.900
Flash Flood and Hail in Iowa, May 31, 2000
The situation remained very active as the meteorological stage was about the same as the previous night. Thunderstorms formed as an upper level short wave moved east across the area.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $85,000
- Crop damage
- $21,000
- Events
- 6
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 situation remained very active as the meteorological stage was about the same as the previous night. Thunderstorms formed as an upper level short wave moved east across the area. At the same time, Iowa fell into the right entrance region of the upper level jet. Thunderstorms erupted around sunrise and became severe. The storms developed into a bow echo over northern Iowa and gusty winds raced across the northern half of the state. Some hail also occurred with the storms as well. One inch diameter hail fall in Grundy County at Conrad, and also in Polk County in Grimes for example. Very heavy rain fell in the Waterloo area, with over 2 inches falling in less than 20 minutes. Reports indicate that up to 5 inches of rain fall in parts of the city. The heavy rainfall caused flash flooding as the county had become quite wet from recent rains. The flooding did do some damage, but abated fairly quickly once the rain stopped.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:04 UTC.
Event by event
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Franklin
- When
- May 31, 8:25 AM CST
- Where
- Franklin County, Popejoy
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -93.417
Hail, Grundy
- When
- May 31, 9:05 AM CST
- Where
- Grundy County, Conrad
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.233, -92.883
Thunderstorm Wind, Butler
- When
- May 31, 9:10 AM CST
- Where
- Butler County, 5 mi N of New Hartford
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 42.633, -92.617
Hail, Polk
- When
- May 31, 9:20 AM CST
- Where
- Polk County, Grimes
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.683, -93.800
Flash Flood, Black Hawk
- When
- May 31, 9:30 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Black Hawk County, Waterloo
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 42.470, -92.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Texas, May 31, 2000
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 31, 2000
- Flash Flood and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, May 31, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, May 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 31, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 31, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 31, 2000
- Flooding and Hail in Illinois, May 31, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, May 31, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 31, 2000
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 2000
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: 5143319, 5143320, 5143321, 5143322, 5143323, 5143324.