Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 6, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 6, 2001
Start: 2001-04-06T18:45
End: 2001-04-06T19:30
Location: Iowa

April 6, 2001 · NWS DMX · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

The storm mentioned in the previous narrative continued to track northeast during the day on the 6th. S.

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: $58,000
Crop damage: None recorded
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 storm mentioned in the previous narrative continued to track northeast during the day on the 6th. As the evening progressed, the storms system "bombed" out as a strong negatively tilted trough aloft moved across the central U.S. Warm and dry air moved in aloft, tending to cap the convection during the afternoon. By evening the colder air begin to wrap around the surface low pressure as rapid deepening took place. Thunderstorms erupted again north of the warm front as it lifted north across the state. High winds were the result as a very strong wind profile was in place. High winds caused damage on a farm near Lakota in Kossuth County. At least one grain bin was blown over and several others were damaged. A tree was downed on a house in Worth County in Manly. There were numerous reports of damage around the county caused by the winds and broken branches. A semi-tractortrailer was overturned by the high winds on Interstate 35 near the Joice exit. Fortunately the driver was not injured.

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 6, 3:30 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 3:30 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
430 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

RUNNING LATE ENOUGH ALREADY SO ILL CUT TO THE QUICK. WARM FRONT
OVER SRN IA WL LIFT NORTH TONIGHT AS THE CENTRAL PLAINS LOW PULLS
NORHTEAST.  ACTIVITY OVER KS AND NE AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE WILL END UP
BEING OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE TO DMX. ETA/MESOETA INITIALIZING VERY
WELL ALTHOUGH THEY ARE PROBABLY OVERDOING THE 850 MB WIND FOR
TOMORROW.  IN ANY EVENT SVR POTENTIAL REMAINS PRETTY GOOD FOR THE
AREA THIS EVENING FOR HAIL AND WIND.  WE STILL HAVE CONCERNS FOR
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH SWOLLEN RIVERS AND SATURATED GROUND SO I
KEPT THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SRN IA GOING FOR THE EVENING.

FOR SATURDAY...GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THE 850 MB WINDS AND THE
FORECAST SURFACE WIND AND THE LOCATION OF THE LOW WE WILL BE IN A
GOOD POSITION FOR A STRONG WIND EVENT.  I HAVE ISSUED A HGIH WIND
WATCH FOR SATURDAY AS A RESULT.  BY LATE SATURDAY THE LOW WILL PULL
NE ENOUGH THAT THE GRADIENT WILL RELEASE SOME OVER THE STATE SO I
DONT SEE THE EVENT GOING INTO SATURDAY NIGHT.
S
.DSM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH I-80 AND SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
       HIGH WIND WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN WARNING AREA
       ON SATURDAY.

FAB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 6, 6:10 PM CST, 35 minutes before

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...CORRECTED TYPOS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
710 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

...ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
A WARM FRONT IS LIFTING NORTH ACROSS THE STATE.  IN ADDITION...A
STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS LIFTING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS
AND WILL BE IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA BY SATURDAY MORNING.  ISOLATED
SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE WARM FRONT AND OVER NORTHWEST
IOWA IN AN AREA OF INSTABILITY THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SEE SITE SPECIFIC DETAILS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.

IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033>035-071107-
CALHOUN-EMMET-HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-SAC-WEBSTER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALGONA...ESTHERVILLE AND FORT DODGE
656 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

* EVENT TIMING...THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

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

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK...MODERATE.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE AREA BUT THEY ARE MOVING INTO A
LESS FAVORED ENVIRONMENT FOR HAIL AND WIND.  AS THE WARM FRONT MOVES
INTO THE AREA.  THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL WILL
BECOME MORE PREVALENT IF THE THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST.

IAZ044>046-057>059-070>072-081>083-092>094-071107-
ADAIR-ADAMS-AUDUBON-CARROLL-CASS-CLARKE-CRAWFORD-DALLAS-DECATUR-
GREENE-GUTHRIE-MADISON-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR-UNION-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ATLANTIC...CARROLL...CRESTON...DENISON...
LAMONI AND PERRY
656 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

* EVENT TIMING...THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

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

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK...LOW.

IF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP IN THE AREA THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL AND
FLASH FLOODING WILL BE MODERATE DUE TO LOW FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE
VALUES.

IAZ006-007-016-017-025>028-036>039-047>050-060>062-073>075-084>086-
095>097-071107-
APPANOOSE-BLACK HAWK-BOONE-BREMER-BUTLER-CERRO
GORDO-DAVIS-FRANKLIN-GRUNDY-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HARDIN-JASPER-LUCAS-
MAHASKA-MARION-MARSHALL-MONROE-POLK-POWESHIEK-STORY-TAMA-WAPELLO-
WARREN-WAYNE-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-WRIGHT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AMES...BOONE...CENTERVILLE...CHARITON...DES
MOINES...GRINNELL...INDIANOLA...IOWA FALLS...KNOXVILLE...
MARSHALLTOWN...MASON CITY...NEWTON...OSKALOOSA...OTTUMWA...PELLA...
WATERLOO...WAVERLY AND WEBSTER CITY
656 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

* EVENT TIMING...THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

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

* SPOTTER ACTIVATION OUTLOOK...LOW.
IF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP IN THE AREA THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING
WILL BE MODERATE DUE TO LOW FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES.

FAB

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kossuth

When: April 6, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Kossuth County, Lakota
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 43.383, -94.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Worth

When: April 6, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Worth County, Manly
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 43.283, -93.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Worth

When: April 6, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Worth County, Joice
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 43.367, -93.467

Thunderstorm Wind, Worth

When: April 6, 7:16 PM CST
Where: Worth County, Manly
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.283, -93.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Worth

When: April 6, 7:16 PM CST
Where: Worth County, Grafton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.333, -93.067

Thunderstorm Wind, Worth

When: April 6, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Worth County, Grafton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.333, -93.067

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

Every storm in Iowa in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5238788, 5238783, 5238784, 5238785, 5238786, 5238787.