Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, April 18, 2004

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, April 18, 2004
Start: 2004-04-18T18:10
End: 2004-04-18T18:10
Location: Iowa

April 18, 2004 · NWS FSD · 2 events in 1 county or zone

1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 Apr 18, 2:35 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 2:35 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
335 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

.DISCUSSION...

ONGOING WX AND WL KEEP THIS SHORT. MAIN PBLM TONIGHT WL BE SVR
STORMS AND WND THIS EVE. UPPER LOW LIFTING NEWD ACRS SD AND
INTERACTING ALONG FNT TO TRIGGER TRW. ALSO SCT TRW BEHIND FNT ...BUT
THESE WL LIKELY DISSPIATE TOWARDS SS WITH MAIN FOCUS OF TRW SHIFTING
EWD ALONG FNT. WL CONT WIND ADVY FOR PARTS OF SW MN...NW IA AND NE
NEB THIS EVE.

ANOTHER S/W WILL MOVE ACRS CWA TUE AND TUES NIGHT WITH UPPER WAVE
HAVING MOR NEG TILT. SO WUD EXPECT A BETTER CHC OF RAIN WITH THIS
SYS AND HAVE GONE LIKELY FOR POPS ON TUES. TEMPS WL BE COOLER TUES
WITH CLOUDS AND PRECIP..WITH ABOVE NORM TEMPS ON MON...BUT STILL
MUCH COOLER THAN TODAY.

ANOTHER S/W ACRS CNTRL AND SRN PLAINS THU MAY CLIP SERN CWA WITH A
CHC OF RW-. DRY FRI INTO SUN WITH A WARMING TREND.
&&

.FSD...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...WIND ADVY UNTIL 01Z ZONES 071
MN...WIND ADVY UNTIL 01Z ZONES 072-080-081-089-090.
IA...WIND ADVY UNTIL 01Z ZONES 001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032
NE...WIND ADVY UNTIL 01Z ZONES 013-014.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 18, 9:55 AM CST, 8 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1055 AM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-191200-
AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA-
CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE-
DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON-
IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN-
LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN-
OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN-
SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON-

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS...
LOW PRESSURE AND A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA AND INTO SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA TODAY. THE FRONT WILL THEN
MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...FAR
SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...AND
NORTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
NEAR THE COLD FRONT. WHILE THERE IS JUST A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS...ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP ALONG AND EAST OF THE
COLD FRONT COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS. THE GREATEST RISK OF SEVERE STORMS WILL BE IN SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA.

WIND AND FOG...
STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON IN
NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF
SOUTH DAKOTA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. WIND ADVISORIES
HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS. SUSTAINED WINDS SHOULD
GENERALLY BE FROM 30 TO 40 MPH...BUT WINDS MAY GUST AS HIGH AS 50
TO 55 IN NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.

FIRE DANGER...
WARM TEMPERATURES...DRY VEGETATION...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROPPING
TO 30 TO 35 PERCENT...AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO CAUSE A
VERY HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER. THE WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST IN
NORTHWEST IOWA AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...WHERE SOUTHWEST
WINDS MAY GUST AS HIGH AS 50 TO 55 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER 4 PM.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/FSD. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 18, 5:59 PM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
659 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0633 PM     HAIL             2 N GHENT               44.54N 95.89W
04/18/2004  1.50 INCH        LYON               MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JRM

Local storm report, Apr 18, 6:01 PM CST, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
701 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0655 PM     TSTM WND GST     NORTH SIOUX CITY        42.54N 96.50W
04/18/2004  60 MPH           UNION              SD   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

&&

CPJ

Local storm report, Apr 18, 6:05 PM CST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
705 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0617 PM     HAIL             STORDEN                 44.04N 95.32W
04/18/2004  1.00 INCH        COTTONWOOD         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JRM

Local storm report, Apr 18, 6:06 PM CST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
706 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0617 PM     TSTM WND GST     WESTBROOK               44.04N 95.43W
04/18/2004  75 MPH           COTTONWOOD         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0617 PM     TSTM WND GST     STORDEN                 44.04N 95.32W
04/18/2004  75 MPH           COTTONWOOD         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JRM

Local storm report, Apr 18, 6:08 PM CST, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
708 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0630 PM     HAIL             WILDER                  43.83N 95.21W
04/18/2004  0.75 INCH        JACKSON            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JRM

Local storm report, Apr 18, 6:09 PM CST, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
709 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0625 PM     HAIL             SIOUX CENTER            43.08N 96.17W
04/18/2004  0.75 INCH        SIOUX              IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JRM

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Woodbury

When: April 18, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County, Sioux City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.500, -96.383

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When: April 18, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Woodbury County, Sioux City
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.500, -96.383

Thunderstorm winds blew down tree branches and power lines. One house was slightly damaged when the top of a tree was snapped off by the wind and fell onto the roof.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, April 2004

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: 5393596, 5393597.