Hail, Audubon
- When
- August 20, 4:20 AM CST
- Where
- Audubon County, 3 mi W of Audubon
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.717, -94.983
Hail in Iowa, August 20, 2002
A small MCS developed over eastern Nebraska into southwest Iowa in advance of an approaching warm front. The thunderstorms trained over southwest Iowa through the night.
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
- $33,000
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- 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.
A small MCS developed over eastern Nebraska into southwest Iowa in advance of an approaching warm front. The thunderstorms trained over southwest Iowa through the night. Though many of the storms were severe to the west of Iowa, most reports indicated only pea to marble size hail as the moved farther into the state. An isolated report of one inch diameter hail was received from Audubon County west of Audubon. The thunderstorms continued into the morning hours. Severe weather was sparse, however a cell became severe over southwest Iowa by late morning. Golf ball size hail fell in the town of Atlantic in Cass County, with one inch diameter hail reported in Anita. The storm weakened below severe levels within about 15 minutes after the hail began.
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 Aug 20, 1:20 AM CST, 3 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 1:20 AM CST, 3 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 220 AM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002 MAIN FOCUS THIS PACKAGE WILL BE COVERAGE/TIMING OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THURSDAY. 06Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS NEARLY STATIONARY BOUNDARY ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI...WITH ELEVATED CONVECTION ONGOING ACROSS SE NEBRASKA...SW IOWA...AND NRN MO. WL CONTINUE TO MONITOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IN FAR SW IA FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO ZONES/GRIDS PRIOR TO ISSUANCE. MUCH OF IOWA STILL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SFC HIGH CENTERED IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN...WITH DEWPOINTS MAINLY IN THE 50S. GOOD MOISTURE LURKING NOT TOO FAR TO THE SOUTH...WITH UPPER 60 DPS IN CENTRAL MO AND NE KS. PER HPC MODEL DISCUSSION...META/AVN BOTH APPEAR TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH SPURIOUS VORTS AND ASSOCIATED QUESTIONABLE QPF PLACEMENT. WITH LOW CONFIDENCE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS...WILL STAY CLOSE TO GOING FORECAST. WL HIGHLIGHT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN COUNTIES FOR LOW POPS TODAY...AND MAY PULL POPS FROM NORTHEAST. WL ALSO INTRODUCE A LOW POP FOR THURSDAY IN THE SOUTH AS BOUNDARY STALLS NEAR IA/MO BORDER. OTHERWISE...CURRENT TRENDS LOOK GOOD WITH THE BEST COVERAGE OF TSRA IN THE NORTH TONIGHT WITH POTENTIAL FOR MCS...AND WEDNESDAY IN THE NORTH/CENTRAL COUNTIES AS COLD FRONT SAGS THROUGH FA. TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE IS SIMILAR...AND ONLY MINOR TWEAKS PLANNED TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. IN THE EXTENDED (FRI-MON)...THUNDERSTORMS ARE A GOOD BET FOR FRIDAY AS MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SWEEP COLD FRONT THROUGH FA. SFC HIGH WILL INFLUENCE AREA SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS. .DSM...NONE KINNEY
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:18 UTC.
Event by event
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Cass
- When
- August 20, 10:11 AM CST
- Where
- Cass County, Atlantic
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- BROADCAST MEDIA
- Coordinates
- 41.400, -95.017
Hail, Cass
- When
- August 20, 10:23 AM CST
- Where
- Cass County, Anita
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.450, -94.767
What these are
- 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
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, August 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, August 20 to 23, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, August 20 to 21, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Texas, August 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Alabama, August 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 20, 2002
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, August 2002
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: 5306939, 5306940, 5306941.