High Wind in Iowa, May 5, 2002

Name: High Wind in Iowa, May 5, 2002
Start: 2002-05-05T20:05
End: 2002-05-05T21:40
Location: Iowa

May 5, 2002 · NWS DMX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

High winds were reported at scattered locations around the state around the thunderstorms. Mixing and collapsing thunderstorms resulted in high winds for short periods of time around the state.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

High winds were reported at scattered locations around the state around the thunderstorms. Mixing and collapsing thunderstorms resulted in high winds for short periods of time around the state. Sixty one MPH winds were recorded at the Atlantic Airport in Cass County, while 60 MPH winds were measured at the Webster City Airport in Hamilton County, and at Wall Lake in Sac County. About an hour later, a spotter reported winds around 60 MPH 8 miles southwest of Britt in Hancock County.

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 May 5, 1:30 PM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 1:30 PM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
230 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

MAIN FOCUS WILL BE ADVERSE WX FOR LTR TNGT AND PSBLE EVENTS MON AND
TUE.

MODELS REMAIN WITH YESTERDAYS SCENARIO WITH WSW FLO AND WEAK
IMPULSES RUNNING IN THE FLO ACRS THE ST AND INTERACTING SOMEWHERE
WITH A BOUNDARY.  PIN POINTING MOST FAVORED AREAS OF DVLPMNT AND TO
RECEIVE HEAVIER RAINS IS DIFFICULT AS MODELS WITH TIME GO THEIR
SEPERATE WAYS.  AS USUAL AVN MOST AGRESSIVE ON TNGTS S/W IN FLO
COMPARED TO OTHER MODELS.  MONDAY MAYBE MOST RAIN FREE DAY THO MORE
DVLPMNT EXPECTED BY TUESDAY MRNG AND INTO TUESDAY NGT.  BOUNDARIES
MOVG NWRD IE WARM FNTS AND LAID DOWN ONES FROM CONVECTION FUZZ
PICTURE OF WHEN AND WHERE.  THO SOME DVLPMNT THIS AFTN WULD EXPECT
BETTER DVLPMNT LTR THIS EVNEING AND OVRNGT INTO ERY MRNG.  ON MON
WITH NO REAL DISCERNABLE S/W IN FLO DRY AND WARM DAY.  THEN ALL
MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT BRINGING UP NXT S/W TO AID DVLP LT MON
NGT.  THEN LARGE SCALE TROF FM WRN CANADA FINALLY MAKE SIT MOVE ACRS
NRN U.S.  TUE AFNT AND NGT WITH FAIRLY GD CHC OF SVR IN IA TUE AFTN.
HAVE FAVORED SLOWER/DRIER ETA AS THIS MODEL MOST CONSISTENT ON
HALNDING OF UPCOMING SYSTEM.  ETA LEANS INTO DVLPMNT ACRS ENTIRE ST
LTR TNGT WITH GD FORCING AND HINT OF BOUNDARY IN THE AREA UNDER GD
THETA E RIDGE.  REAL PROBLEM WILL BE HOW QUICKLY ALL ELEMENTS COME
TOGETHER AS MOISTURE STILL ON WAY AND CAPES WEAK ATTM HWVR EXPECT
FURTHER DESTABLIZATION.  ETA AND STRONGER HINT FROM AVN TUE NGT OF
PSBLE MCS WITH DECENT QPF.  ERY DVLPMNT LKLY SVR THEN EXPECT TURN
INTO RAINERS WITH LTL OR NO SVR.  IN EARLY PERIODS FAVOR HIER FWCS
THEN WITH COOLING TREND IN LTR PDS GUID COMES TOGETHER.

IN EXTENDED ANOTHER MOSTLY UNSETTLED PERIOD WITH LKLY PERIODS OF
RAIN WED AND AGN LT FRI NGT AND SAT/SAT NGT WITH LINGERING SHWRS
SUN.  CANADIAN AND MRF SPT THESE WET PERIODS AS SEVERAL STG
DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS MOVE ACRS THE AREA IN CONTINUED SWRLY FLO WITH GD
MOISTURE IN PLACE ON FRI NGT AND INTO SAT.  GUID TEMPS LOOK GD WITH
SOME MINOR ADJSTMNTS.

.DSM...NONE

FORSTER

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 5, 5:55 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
655 PM CDT SUN MAY 05 2002

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

0644 PM    6 NW AUDUBON              IA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   AUDUBON                        REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cass

When: May 5, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.332, -94.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sac

When: May 5, 8:07 PM CST
Where: Sac forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hamilton

When: May 5, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hancock

When: May 5, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, May 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: 5287890, 5287891, 5287892, 5287893.