Thunderstorm Wind, Pocahontas
- When
- October 13, 5:45 PM CST
- Where
- Pocahontas County, 5 mi N of Pocahontas
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 42.800, -94.667
Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, October 13, 2000
A strong southerly flow of air was established over Iowa with near record high temperatures over much of the state. A low pressure moved northeast, passing northwest of the state.
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
- $145,000
- Crop damage
- $22,000
- 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.
A strong southerly flow of air was established over Iowa with near record high temperatures over much of the state. A low pressure moved northeast, passing northwest of the state. A cold front trailing from the low moved into the state toward sunset. Deeper moisture moved into the state just as the front moved in. A line of thunderstorms formed along the front. They became super cellular rather quickly, though the intense storms did not last very long. They produced high winds and some hail as they moved through. One tornado developed over Pocahontas County and moved northeast into Palo Alto County. The tornado passed over open country for the most part. Several wagons were overturned on one farm northeast of Havelock in Pocahontas County. Reports southwest of West Bend in Palo Alto County indicated damage limited to trees for the most part. After overturning several wagons over in Pocahontas County, this tornado crossed into Pocahontas County, where only trees were toppled. The tornado lifted just southwest of West Bend in Palo Alto County. The storms weakened quickly after sunset and continued to move east across the state.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:45 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Pocahontas
- When
- October 13, 5:45 PM CST to 5:56 PM CST
- Where
- Pocahontas County, Havelock
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 6 mi
- Path width
- 50 yd
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.833, -94.700
Wagons were overturned in Pocahontas County before the tornado moved into Palo Alto County.
Tornado, Palo Alto
- When
- October 13, 5:56 PM CST to 6:07 PM CST
- Where
- Palo Alto County, 9 mi SW of West Bend
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 6 mi
- Path width
- 50 yd
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.867, -94.583
Numerous trees toppled as this tornado moved in from Pocahontas County and lifted southwest of West Bend.
Thunderstorm Wind, Palo Alto
- When
- October 13, 6:10 PM CST
- Where
- Palo Alto County, 3 mi E of Mallard
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.933, -94.617
Hail, Kossuth
- When
- October 13, 6:13 PM CST
- Where
- Kossuth County, Algona
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Crop damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.067, -94.233
Thunderstorm Wind, Kossuth
- When
- October 13, 6:34 PM CST
- Where
- Kossuth County, Algona
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 43.067, -94.233
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.
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail in Iowa, October 13, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, October 13, 2000
- Hail in Kansas, October 13, 2000
- Hail in Kansas, October 13, 2000
- Hail in South Dakota, October 13, 2000
- High Wind in Alaska, October 13 to 14, 2000
- Ice Storm in Alaska, October 13, 2000
- Flood in Alaska, October 13 to 15, 2000
- Hail in Kansas, October 13, 2000
- Funnel Cloud in Utah, October 13, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, October 13, 2000
- Hail in Montana, October 13, 2000
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 2000Warnings in Iowa, October 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: 5174524, 5174525, 5174526, 5174527, 5174528, 5174529.