Iowa, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, June 26, 2002

June 26, 2002 · NWS DVN · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

A cold front, which extended from Southwest Wisconsin through Central Iowa early in the afternoon, was the focus for scattered strong to severe thunderstorms. Convective debris and an outflow boundary from early morning thunderstorms stabilized the atmosphere over portions of Eastern Iowa, delaying the development until late afternoon.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 DVN wrote it up.

A cold front, which extended from Southwest Wisconsin through Central Iowa early in the afternoon, was the focus for scattered strong to severe thunderstorms. Convective debris and an outflow boundary from early morning thunderstorms stabilized the atmosphere over portions of Eastern Iowa, delaying the development until late afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms developed in Northeast Iowa and propagated southeast. The activity evolved into short line segments and produced damaging winds of 60 to 70 mph.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 26, 1:07 PM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 26, 1:07 PM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
207 PM CDT WED JUN 26 2002

SURFACE FRONT AT 18Z WAS FROM CENTRAL UPPER MI THROUGH FAR NE IA
SOUTHWEST TO NEAR OMA. THIS IS MUCH SLOWER THAN YESTERDAYS MODELS
HAD FORECAST AND THUS FORECAST CHALLENGE IS MAINLY SHORT TERM WITH
SEVERE POTENTIAL AND POPS IN FIRST PERIOD. THEN FOCUS ON
TEMPERATURES THROUGH WEEKEND.

CONVECTIVE COMPLEX ASSOCIATED WITH A COUPLE OUTFLOWS FROM OVERNIGHT
STORMS THAT COVERGED OVER EASTERN IA HAD EXITED TO SE EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. ASSOCIATED CI DEBRIS SHIELD HOLDING TEMPERATURES DOWN
OVER MOST OF CWFA. THINNING CLOUDS TO WEST SHOULD ALLOW RAPID
WARMING AND DESTABILIZATION IN IA ZONES THIS AFTERNOON. MESOSCALE
BOUNDARY VISIBLE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM CENTRAL TO NE IA WAS
INTERSECTING WITH THE SYNOPTIC FRONT AND ASSISTING SEVERE CONVECTION
ALREADY SEEN IN FAR NE AND SW IA. WITH FROPA DELAYED...SEVERE
POTENTIAL LOOKS HIGHER THAN EARLIER EXPECTED. 18Z SURFACE PRESSURE
FALLS CENTER EAST OF QUAD CITIES INDICATES FRONT AND CURRENT SEVERE
STORMS IN NE IA SHOULD BUILD SE THIS AFTERNOON. ANTICIPATE HIGHEST
SEVERE WIND AND HAIL RISK LATE THIS AFTERNOON OVER MAINLY IA ZONES
NORTH OF I-80...WITH SOME CONTINUING INTO EVENING ALONG FRONT INTO
NW IL AND FAR NE MO.  PER SPC MCD... WATCH MAY BE ISSUED AND WILL
WAIT UNTIL LAST MINUTE FOR SEVERE WORDING.

MODELS IN SOMEWHAT AGREEMENT WITH FRONT LAYING OUT FROM ABOUT
FREEPORT TO IOWA CITY BY 00Z. NGM HAD BEST QPF PLACEMENT FOR MORNING
CONVECTION...THEN MODELS SHOW GREATER VARIABILITY BY 00Z AND 06Z.
ETA HAD FARTHEST NORTH PLACEMENT OF SIGNIFICANT INTO NW IL THROUGH
12Z AND THIS LOOKS REASONABLE LOOKING AT UPPER QG FORCING AND
DELAYED TIMING FROM PREVIOUS FORECASTS. WILL THUS GO WITH LIKELY
POPS TONIGHT FOR ENTIRE AREA EXCEPT NW OF CID-DBQ LINE...WHERE POST
FRONTAL SHOWERS SHOULD END BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

NW FLOW ALOFT AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS AT SURFACE THURSDAY WITH
DRIER AND MUCH COOLER AIRMASS. MIXING TO H85 WOULD PRODUCE LOWER 80S
AND WILL GO CLOSE MOS GUIDANCE. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS EASTWARD
WITH HIGH CENTERED OVER CWFA BY EARLY SATURDAY. THIS SUPPORTS
WARMING TREND AND CAPPED ENVIRONMENT THROUGH REST OF WEEK INTO
WEEKEND AND WILL TREND TOWARD WARMER END OF GUIDANCE. FOR
EXTENDED...MEDUIM RANGE MODELS NOT IN MUCH AGREEMENT WITH TIMING OF
SHORTWAVES ALONG SOUTHERN EDGE OF WESTERLIES FROM SUNDAY INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK. MONDAY NOW LOOKS DRY AND WILL REMOVE TSRA CHANCES...BUT
CONTINUE FOR TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY FOR PORTIONS OF CWFA.

IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

DLS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 26, 10:25 AM CST, 6 hours before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1125 AM CDT WED JUN 26 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1113 AM    ARGYLE                    IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
06/26/02   LEE                            TWO FUNNEL CLOUDS
                                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTERS.
Local storm report, Jun 26, 11:03 AM CST, 5 hours 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1203 PM CDT WED JUN 26 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1033 AM    4 W MT HAMILL             IA   TORNADO
06/26/02   LEE                            REPORTED BY FARMINGTON
                                          FIRE CHIEF.

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When
June 26, 4:25 PM CST
Where
Iowa County, Ladora
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.750, -92.183

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When
June 26, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Iowa County, Victor
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.733, -92.300

Siding blown off several homes.

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
June 26, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Johnson County, 3 mi NW of Coralville
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.717, -91.617

Tree branches knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
June 26, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Johnson County, Coralville
Measured
54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.683, -91.583

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
June 26, 5:35 PM CST
Where
Johnson County, 4 mi E of Iowa City
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.667, -91.467

Thunderstorm Wind, Muscatine

When
June 26, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Muscatine County, Wilton
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.583, -91.017

Hail, Scott

When
June 26, 6:42 PM CST
Where
Scott County, Buffalo
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.450, -90.733

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, June 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: 5300824, 5300825, 5300895, 5300896, 5300897, 5300898, 5300899.