Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 6, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 6, 2001
Start: 2001-04-06T19:40
End: 2001-04-06T19:40
Location: Iowa

April 6, 2001 · NWS ARX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Wind gusts estimated at 65 to 70 mph caused damage to several farms, knocking down sheds and outbuildings. Ten cattle were killed when a large shed collapsed on them.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.1 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 ARX wrote it up.

Wind gusts estimated at 65 to 70 mph caused damage to several farms, knocking down sheds and outbuildings. Ten cattle were killed when a large shed collapsed on them. A 660 foot chicken house, containing 45,000 chickens, was completely destroyed, injuring and killing many of the animals.

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 2:09 PM CST, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 2:09 PM CST, 5 hours 31 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
309 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

FORECAST FOCUS ON APPROACHING SYSTEM...WITH THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
INTO EARLY SATURDAY AND STRONG WINDS MAINLY ON SATURDAY.

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS HIGH PRESSURE STILL ENTRENCHED OVER
WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR REGION...BUT STRONG LOW TAKING SHAPE OVER THE
PLAINS.  EASTERLY FLOW OVER REGION CURRENTLY...WITH A GOOD DEAL OF
CLOUDS AND FOG AROUND.  REGIONAL RADAR LOOPS SHOWS SOME LIGHT
RETURNS AROUND...WITH THE MORE SIGNIFICANT RAINS IN NEBRASKA.

LOW CONTINUES TO DEEPEN OVER NEBRASKA THIS EVENING...WITH WARM
ADVECTION AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT DRIVING UP INTO THE FORECAST AREA.
GOOD Q-G FORCING AND COUPLED JET STRUCTURE SETTING UP AS WELL.
MODELS ALL DEVELOP SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR THE REGION TONIGHT...WITH
SOME SIGNIFICANT RAIN AMOUNTS.  BUT BEST SUPPORT AND RAIN AMOUNTS
STAY WEST/NORTHWEST OF AREA.  WITH MOST OF RIVERS IN AREA ALREADY
BLANKETED WITH STATEMENTS OF ONE SORT OR ANOTHER...HAVE OPTED NOT TO
GO WITH ANY OTHER STATEMENT OR HEADLINE...HYDROLOGY RELATED.
INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT FOR CONVECTION...AND WITH RELATIVELY
COOL AIRMASS...ELEVATED SEVERE HAILERS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION...
ESPECIALLY OVER PARTS OF IOWA.

WIND IS OF MORE SIGNIFICANCE FOR OUR AREA.  DEEPENING SURFACE LOW
EXPECTED TO REACH ITS PEAK OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA SATURDAY.  THIS
PUTS FORECAST AREA IN GOOD POSITION FOR DOWNWARD TRANSPORT OF STRONG
WINDS ALOFT.  ETA FORECASTS 850 JET OVER 60 KNOTS FOR AREA SATURDAY
MORNING...WITH PRESSURE GRADIENT WINDS SUGGESTING SUSTAINED WINDS
NEAR 30 KNOTS WITH GUSTS UP NEAR 60 POSSIBLE.  POTENTIAL VORTICITY
PLOTS SHOW STRONG DOWNWARD TRANSPORT...WHICH IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY
PRESENCE OF DRY SLOT DRIVING INTO THE AREA AS WELL.  CONSIDERED A
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR ENTIRE FORECAST AREA...BUT OPTED TO GO AHEAD
WITH THE WARNINGS/ADVISORIES NOW RATHER THAN WAITING.  WINDS SHOULD
ALREADY BE BLOWING WITH SOME FORCE BY MORNING...AND GOING THIS
ROUTE WOULD GIVE MORE HEADS-UP FOR PLANNING/TAKING PRECAUTION.
STORM LOOKS SIMILAR TO NOVEMBER 10 1998 SYSTEM...WHICH RESULTED
SIGNIFICANT WINDS FOR THE REGION.

MAY BE SOME LINGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AROUND SATURDAY...
BUT AREA TO CLEAR OUT BY SATURDAY NIGHT.  EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD
LOOKS LIKE REPEATED STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA WITH LONG WAVE
TROUGH ANCHORED OUT ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

THANKS FOR THE COORDINATION.../MKX/MPX/DMX/DVN.

.LSE...HIGH WIND WARNING...SATURDAY...WEST ZONE CUTS
       MNZ079-086-087-094-095-IAZ008>010-018-019-029-
       WIND ADVISORY...SATURDAY...ALONG AND EAST OF MISSISSIPPI R
       MNZ088-096-IAZ011-030-WIZ017-029-032>034-041-044-053>055-061-

WELVAERT

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mitchell

When: April 6, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, Osage
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.283, -92.817

Thunderstorm Wind, Mitchell

When: April 6, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County, 2 mi W of Osage
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 43.283, -92.850

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: 5238255, 5238256.