As intense low pressure lifted northeast across Minnesota and Wisconsin, strong west to northwest winds swept into Iowa. Winds of 30 to 45 MPH were sustained over western Iowa for several hours, with some higher gusts.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.
As intense low pressure lifted northeast across Minnesota and Wisconsin, strong west to northwest winds swept into Iowa. Winds of 30 to 45 MPH were sustained over western Iowa for several hours, with some higher gusts. A 69 MPH wind bust was recorded at 0334 CST at Creston in Union County, with a 58 MPH wind recorded at Fontanelle in Adair County around 0413 CST. Damage was spotty and minor. Since a fair amount of the leaves had fallen from the trees, this tended to limit damage.
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 Oct 30, 2:53 AM CST, 7 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 114 PM CDT FRI OCT 29 2004 IAZ057>059-070>072-081-082-092-093-301100- ADAIR-ADAMS-AUDUBON-CASS-DALLAS-GUTHRIE-MADISON-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR- UNION- 114 PM CDT FRI OCT 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA... SOUTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 30...AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 4 TO 7 PM TODAY. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS... WITH A LESSOR THREAT OF LARGE HAIL UP TO PENNY SIZE. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT...MAINLY EARLY IN THE STORM DEVELOPMENT. EXPECT WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON BETWEEN 40 AND 45 MPH...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE LIKELY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BETWEEN 4 AND 7 PM TODAY. IAZ006-007-016-017-025>028-036>039-048>050-060>062-301100- BLACK HAWK-BREMER-BUTLER-CERRO GORDO-FRANKLIN-GRUNDY-HAMILTON- HANCOCK-HARDIN-JASPER-MARSHALL-POLK-POWESHIEK-STORY-TAMA-WINNEBAGO- WORTH-WRIGHT- 114 PM CDT FRI OCT 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA... ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80...AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5 TO 9 PM TODAY. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BETWEEN 60 AND 80 MPH...WITH A LESSOR THREAT OF LARGE HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE...MAINLY EARLY IN THE STORM DEVELOPMENT. EXPECT WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE LIKELY SATURDAY. EXPECT A FEW GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH FROM MID MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL DIMINISH SATURDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BETWEEN 5 AND 9 PM TODAY. IAZ073>075-083>086-094>097-301100- APPANOOSE-CLARKE-DAVIS-DECATUR-LUCAS-MAHASKA-MARION-MONROE-WAPELLO- WARREN-WAYNE- 114 PM CDT FRI OCT 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA... SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80...AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5 TO 9 PM TODAY. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BETWEEN 60 AND 80 MPH...WITH A LESSOR THREAT OF LARGE HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT...MAINLY EARLY IN THE STORM DEVELOPMENT. EXPECT WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE LIKELY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BETWEEN 5 AND 9 PM TODAY. IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033>035-044>047-301100- BOONE-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CRAWFORD-EMMET-GREENE-HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH- PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-SAC-WEBSTER- 114 PM CDT FRI OCT 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA... NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 30...AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 4 TO 7 PM TODAY. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS... WITH A LESSOR THREAT OF LARGE HAIL UP TO PENNY SIZE. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT...MAINLY EARLY IN THE STORM DEVELOPMENT. EXPECT WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE LIKELY SATURDAY. EXPECT A FEW GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH FROM MID MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL DIMINISH SATURDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BETWEEN 4 AND 7 PM TODAY. MYERS/KINNEY
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5424955, 5424982, 5424983, 5424984, 5424985, 5424986, 5424987, 5424988, 5424989, 5424990, 5424991, 5424992, 5424993, 5424994, 5424995, 5424996, 5424997, 5424998, 5424999.