1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
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 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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
411 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0402 PM HAIL 4 W LETCHER 43.90N 98.22W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH SANBORN SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0359 PM HAIL 10 N PLANKINTON 43.86N 98.48W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH AURORA SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0350 PM HAIL NEWCASTLE 42.65N 96.87W
04/18/2004 0.75 INCH DIXON NE FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
&&
CHAPMANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
422 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM TSTM WND GST AVON 43.01N 98.06W
04/18/2004 60 MPH BON HOMME SD TRAINED SPOTTER
TREE BRANCHES DOWN.
&&
CPJPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
424 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0419 PM HAIL ARTESIAN 44.01N 97.92W
04/18/2004 1.75 INCH SANBORN SD TRAINED SPOTTER
MOSTLY NICKEL SIZE
&&
CHAPMANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
433 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0345 PM HAIL 8 NE WHITE LAKE 43.81N 98.60W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH AURORA SD PUBLIC
0350 PM HAIL NEWCASTLE 42.65N 96.87W
04/18/2004 0.75 INCH DIXON NE FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
0350 PM HAIL NEWCASTLE 42.65N 96.87W
04/18/2004 0.75 INCH DIXON NE TRAINED SPOTTER
0358 PM HAIL 10 NE PLANKINTON 43.82N 98.34W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH AURORA SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0359 PM HAIL 10 N PLANKINTON 43.86N 98.48W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH AURORA SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0402 PM HAIL 4 W LETCHER 43.90N 98.22W
04/18/2004 1.00 INCH SANBORN SD TRAINED SPOTTER
0415 PM TSTM WND GST AVON 43.01N 98.06W
04/18/2004 60 MPH BON HOMME SD TRAINED SPOTTER
TREE BRANCHES DOWN.
0419 PM HAIL ARTESIAN 44.01N 97.92W
04/18/2004 1.75 INCH SANBORN SD TRAINED SPOTTER
MOSTLY NICKEL SIZE
0430 PM TSTM WND GST TRIPP 43.22N 97.97W
04/18/2004 60 MPH HUTCHINSON SD LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
CPJPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
445 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0435 PM HAIL HULL 43.19N 96.13W
04/18/2004 0.75 INCH SIOUX IA AMATEUR RADIO
COVERING GROUND
&&
CHAPMANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
458 PM CDT SUN APR 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0455 PM HAIL ADRIAN 43.63N 95.93W
04/18/2004 0.88 INCH NOBLES MN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CPJThe Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:59 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado destroyed a shed, damaged a car, tore the back off a garage, and moved a house slightly from its foundation.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 2004Warnings in Iowa, April 2004
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: 5393473.