Iowa, 2001

Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, April 5, 2001

April 5, 2001 · NWS DMX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

The seasons first severe weather event took place during the afternoon of the 5th. A strong upper level low pressure system over the southwest was in place with a broad area of south winds across the Plains.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

The seasons first severe weather event took place during the afternoon of the 5th. A strong upper level low pressure system over the southwest was in place with a broad area of south winds across the Plains. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico streamed north wit surface dew points in the 60s to low 70s from central Iowa south to the Gulf Coast. The moisture was fairly deep with 850 Mb dew points in the 10 to 15 degree C. range as well. Thunderstorms formed to the southwest of the Des Moines CWA in an area of strong Theta-E advection. The storms moved into southwest and south central Iowa during the afternoon before sinking south into Missouri by early evening. Three quarter inch diameter hail occurred in Adams and Ringgold Counties as the stronger storms moved overhead. In addition, high winds occurred in Ringgold County. Several large trees were downed by the high winds. In addition, structural damage was reported to a few buildings in the town of Redding.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 5, 12:00 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 5, 12:00 PM CST, 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
100 PM CDT THU APR 5 2001

SHORT TERM...

SYNOPTIC PATTERN IS FAVORING A HEAVY RAIN EPISODE REST OF THIS
AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.  COUNTY FLOOD GUIDANCE ALSO QUITE LOW
IN FAVORED TERRAIN AREA FOR FLASH FLOODING SW IA.  WILL ISSUE FFA
TIL 5 PM, AND AFTERNOON PACKAGE CAN ADJUST.  FFA WILL INCLUDE SAME
COUNTIES AS SVR WATCH.

.DSM...FFA AND SVR WATCH TIL "5 PM.

KULA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 5, 10:25 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1125 AM CDT THU APR 5 2001

IAZ081>086-092>097-061100-
ADAMS-APPANOOSE-CLARKE-DAVIS-DECATUR-LUCAS-MONROE-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR-
UNION-WAPELLO-WAYNE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CENTERVILLE...CHARITON...CRESTON...LAMONI
AND OTTUMWA
1125 AM CDT THU APR 5 2001

* EVENT TIMING... AFTER 3 PM AND THROUGH TONIGHT.  A SEVERE WEATHER
WATCH MAY BE ISSUED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

* THREAT CATEGORIES...
     TORNADO.........  LOW.
     DAMAGING WINDS..  LOW.
     LARGE HAIL......  MODERATE.
     FLASH FLOODING..  MODERATE.

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK... HIGH.

* THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST KANSAS WILL MOVE
NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN IOWA THIS AFTERNOON...SPREADING EAST AND
POSSIBLY EXPANDING TONIGHT.  MORE STORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP IN
SOUTHERN NEBRASKA TONIGHT MOVING INTO SOUTHERN IOWA...INCREASING THE
THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING.

IAZ047>050-057>062-070>075-061100-
ADAIR-AUDUBON-BOONE-CASS-DALLAS-GUTHRIE-JASPER-MADISON-MAHASKA-
MARION-MARSHALL-POLK-POWESHIEK-STORY-TAMA-WARREN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AMES...ATLANTIC...BOONE...DES MOINES...
GRINNELL...INDIANOLA...KNOXVILLE...MARSHALLTOWN...NEWTON...
OSKALOOSA...PELLA AND PERRY
1125 AM CDT THU APR 5 2001

* EVENT TIMING... AFTER 3 PM AND THROUGH THIS EVENING.  A SEVERE
WEATHER WATCH MAY BE ISSUED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

* THREAT CATEGORIES...
     TORNADO.........  LOW.
     DAMAGING WINDS..  LOW.
     LARGE HAIL......  MODERATE.
     FLASH FLOODING..  MODERATE.

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK... MODERATE.

* THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST KANSAS WILL MOVE
NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN IOWA THIS AFTERNOON...SPREADING EAST AND
POSSIBLY EXPANDING TONIGHT.  MORE STORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP IN
SOUTHERN NEBRASKA TONIGHT MOVING INTO SOUTHERN IOWA...INCREASING THE
THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>046-061100-
BLACK HAWK-BREMER-BUTLER-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CERRO
GORDO-CRAWFORD-EMMET-FRANKLIN-GREENE-GRUNDY-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HARDIN-
HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH-PALO
ALTO-POCAHONTAS-SAC-WEBSTER-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-WRIGHT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALGONA...CARROLL...DENISON...ESTHERVILLE...
FORT DODGE...IOWA FALLS...MASON CITY...WATERLOO...WAVERLY AND WEBSTER
CITY
1125 AM CDT THU APR 5 2001

* EVENT TIMING... 3 PM TO 9 PM.

* THREAT CATEGORIES...
     TORNADO.........  NONE.
     DAMAGING WINDS..  NONE.
     LARGE HAIL......  LOW.
     FLASH FLOODING..  LOW.

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK... LOW.

KULA

-------------------------------------------------------------------

THREAT KEY:
    TORNADO......... ANY TORNADO OCCURRENCE
    DAMAGING WINDS.. WINDS >= 58 MPH
    LARGE HAIL...... HAIL >= 3/4 INCH DIAMETER
    FLASH FLOODING.. FLOODING CAUSED BY HEAVY RAINS WITHIN 6 HOURS
                     OF RAIN EVENT. POSES THREAT TO LIFE OR
                     PROPERTY.

THREAT CATEGORY KEY:  PROBABILITY OF THREAT OCCURRING WITHIN 25
                      MILES OF POINT WITHIN FORECAST AREA
    NONE...... NOT EXPECTED.  LESS THAN 5% ( 2% FOR TORNADOES)
    LOW....... 5-15% (2-15% FOR TORNADOES)
    MODERATE.. 25-35%
    HIGH...... 45% OR GREATER

SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK KEY:
    NOT EXPECTED
    LOW........ ACTIVATION POSSIBLE BUT NOT LIKELY
    MODERATE... POSSIBILITIES ABOUT 50-50
    HIGH....... ACTIVATION LIKELY

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PROBABILISTIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOKS...GO
TO THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER WEBSITE AT
WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/OUTLOOK/PROBINFO.HTML.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Adams

When
April 5, 12:35 PM CST
Where
Adams County, Carbon
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.050, -94.833

Hail, Ringgold

When
April 5, 2:31 PM CST
Where
Ringgold County, Redding
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.600, -94.383

Thunderstorm Wind, Ringgold

When
April 5, 2:40 PM CST
Where
Ringgold County, Redding
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.600, -94.383

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2001

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: 5238692, 5238693, 5238694.