Iowa, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, August 2, 2001

August 2, 2001 · NWS FSD · 5 events in 1 county or zone

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
$5.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 2, 2:30 AM CST, 4 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 2:30 AM CST, 4 hours 17 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
330 AM CDT THU AUG 2 2001

SHWRS/TSTMS AFFECTING FAR SERN CWA NEAR STORM LAKE ATTM...AND ALSO
APPROACHING SWRN CWA FM NEB. OBVIOUSLY THE CHANCES OF SHWRS/TSTMS
WILL HAVE TO BE COVERED FOR IN SRN CWA FOR MOST OF TDA INTO TNGT
AS TROPICAL RIDGE RIDERS INTERACT WITH LINGERING LOW LVL BOUNDARY.
THERE IS EVEN A CHANCE OF DVLPMT FURTHER N IN CWA AS TROPICAL
MOISTURE INTERACTS WITH NRN STREAM AND WITH RETURN SELY FLW THRU
850MB BY LATE AFTN INTO TNGT. ONLY PLACE THAT COULD BE PROTECTED
IS SWRN MN AND ADJ NWRN IA THRU TNGT AS LOW LVL RDG HOLDS...BUT
THESE AREAS PROBABLY ALSO HAVE THE BEST CHCS FOR NGTTIME AND EARLY
MRNG FOG. HIGH TEMPS TDA AND MAYBE FRI MAY BE TEMPERED BY CLDS AND
HUMIDITY ESP IN SRN CWA. BEST CHC MIXING TO LWR TO MID 90S WL BE
NWRN CWA NR HON...MHE...AND CHB FRI...OTRW MID TO UPR 80S MAY BE
THE BRULE.

.FSD...NONE
RYRHOLM

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
August 2, 6:47 AM CST
Where
Woodbury County, Sioux City
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
42.500, -96.383

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
August 2, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Woodbury County, (Sux)sioux City Arpt
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.400, -96.383

Hail, Woodbury

When
August 2, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Woodbury County, Sioux City
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.500, -96.383

Hail, Woodbury

When
August 2, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Woodbury County, 1 mi W of Sioux City
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.500, -96.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
August 2, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Woodbury County, Sioux City
Measured
85 kt (98 mph)
Property damage
$5.0 million
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.500, -96.383

Downburst thunderstorm winds caused extensive tree damage in Sioux City. Large trees were uprooted, snapped, and stripped. A few vehicles were completely destroyed by the falling trees. Houses and other buildings, including a nursing home, were also damaged by trees and debris. Many streets were blocked. Power lines and poles were also blown down, resulting in power outages affecting at least forty thousand people. Traffic lights were blown down. Roofs were damaged, including the roof blown off a medical office building, and sheet metal ducting blown off a roof. A 95 foot radio tower was also blown down, damaging a car and small building.

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.

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, August 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: 5264440, 5264441, 5264442, 5264443, 5264444.