Iowa, 2002

Hail in Iowa, June 3, 2002

June 3, 2002 · NWS DMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The airmass over Iowa remained very unstable with a persistent frontal boundary extending east to west across the central part of the state. Temperatures rose into the mid 80s to low 90s south of the front with dew point readings in the low 70s.

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
$3,000
Crop damage
$5,000
Events
1

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 airmass over Iowa remained very unstable with a persistent frontal boundary extending east to west across the central part of the state. Temperatures rose into the mid 80s to low 90s south of the front with dew point readings in the low 70s. The airmass was capped with 700 mb temperatures around +12 C much of the day. Thunderstorms erupted during the evening hours over northeast Iowa. Most of the storms remained below severe limits, however one cell did drop nickle size hail in Black Hawk County at Hudson.

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 Jun 3, 12:45 PM CST, 7 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 12:45 PM CST, 7 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
145 PM CDT MON JUN 3 2002

MESSY STTN WITH CAPPING AND VERY UNSTABLE AMS IN PLACE.  FEEL ANY
SIG PCPN WL BE AFT SNST WITH LLJ.  AVN PROBALY LEAST CONTAMINATED
AND BEST MDL TO GO WITH IN TRYING TO TIME THINGS.  WL LEAN TWD
06Z-18Z FOR MST OF PCPN.  SVR POT IS THERE, ESPECIALLY AT BGNG OF
THINGS TNGT, WITH SVR THREAT SHFTG SEWD LTR TNGT AND TUE.  FLY IN
THE OIMTMENT IS STG OUTFLOW BNDRY FM LST NGTS CONVCTN.  STILL VRY
EVIDENT ON 88D THIS AFTN AND WL BE AREA TO WATCH FOR POT DVLPMT.
AFTN TUE, WX IMPVG WITH SEASONABLY COOL AND DRY WX MUCH OF REST OF
WRK WK.  NXT ROUND MOVG IN SAT NGT INTO SUN AND CUR FCST HAS THAT
WELL.  UPTD GUID ON SAT, OTRW OKAY.

.DSM...NONE
MS JUN 02

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Black Hawk

When
June 3, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Black Hawk County, Hudson
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.417, -92.450

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

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: 5294224.