A fast moving weather pattern was in place over Iowa. A series of strong short waves continued to move through the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
A fast moving weather pattern was in place over Iowa. A series of strong short waves continued to move through the state. Each of the short waves formed an "Alberta Clipper" type low along the baroclinic ribbon as it they raced southeast. One low pass northeast of Iowa during the day on the 10th. High winds developed on the southwest side of the low during the day. Profiler winds indicated a unidirectional flow with wind speeds between 35 and 40 kts through a deep layer from the surface on up. Winds were well mixed in the lower layers of the atmosphere with widespread winds of 25 to 35 MPH sustained across the CWA, with frequent gusts to around 50 MPH. During the early to mid afternoon, convective snow showers developed. Winds became very gusty over southwest Iowa as they moved through. Several locations reported winds near 60 MPH. Creston reported the highest winds with a peak gust of 63 MPH. Damage was limited since the leaves had not yet appeared on the trees.
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 Mar 10, 4:00 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 400 AM CST THU MAR 10 2005 .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN MINNESOTA WILL SINK INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN INTO WESTERN ILLINOIS BY THIS EVENING. A WARM FRONT OVER THE DAKOTAS INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA WILL PUSH ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA BY LATE MORNING AS WELL. WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE CWA IS A BRIEF PERIOD...ABOUT 2 HOURS OR SO...OF WARM ADVECTION SNOW WITH MVFR/IFR COND THEN A CHANGE OVER TO RAIN. THERE IS UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WITH THE LOW SO LOCATIONS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20 AND ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-35 COULD SEE MINOR ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR SO. A SECOND LOBE OF THE LOW SWINGS THROUGH THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON SO THERE WILL LIKELY BE A BREAK IN THE PRECIP THIS MORNING THEN...WITH PEAK HEATING WE COULD SEE A SECOND ROUND OF PRECIPITATION BUT THE AFTERNOON PRECIP SHOULD CERTAINLY BE ALL RAIN. THE SECOND FORECAST ISSUE TODAY WILL BE THAT OF WINDS. THERE IS A TIGHT GRADIENT BEHIND THIS LOW AND WINDS OUT WEST WERE IN THE 20-30KT RANGE WITH GUSTS TO 40. AS THIS ADVECTS INTO THE STATE THE WIND WILL INCREASE AND WE WILL LIKELY SEE A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF ADVISORY CRITERIA WIND. WE HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY CWA WIDE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE GUSTY WIND MAINLY FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH MID EVENING. BEYOND TODAY...SEVERAL WEAK AND FAST MOVING SHORT WAVES CONTINUE TO BE FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA AND BRING A CHANCE FOR RAIN OR SNOW TO THE CWA ABOUT EVERY 36 TO 48 HOURS. THERE IS STILL VARIABILITY FROM RUN TO RUN AS TO TIMING AND PLACEMENT BUT IT DOES APPEAR THAT TEMPS WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. I HAVE NOT CHANGED THE GOING FORECAST MUCH BECAUSE OF THE TIMING VARIABILITY OF THESE SHORTWAVES. THE ONLY THING WORTH AN ADDITIONAL MENTION IS THE SYSTEM TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NEXT WEEK. DEPENDING ON THE TRACK AND SPEED OF THE LOW...WE COULD SEE OUR BEST POTENTIAL SNOW MAKER YET IN A VERY LONG TIME. ATTM THIS SYSTEM BEARS WATCHING. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY FOR ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA 9 AM-9PM. && FAB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 926 AM CST THU MAR 10 2005 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-111200- ADAIR-ADAMS-APPANOOSE-AUDUBON-BLACK HAWK-BOONE-BREMER-BUTLER-CALHOUN- CARROLL-CASS-CERRO GORDO-CLARKE-CRAWFORD-DALLAS-DAVIS-DECATUR-EMMET- FRANKLIN-GREENE-GRUNDY-GUTHRIE-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HARDIN-HUMBOLDT- JASPER-KOSSUTH-LUCAS-MADISON-MAHASKA-MARION-MARSHALL-MONROE- PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-POLK-POWESHIEK-RINGGOLD-SAC-STORY-TAMA-TAYLOR- UNION-WAPELLO-WARREN-WAYNE-WEBSTER-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-WRIGHT- 926 AM CST THU MAR 10 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TODAY AND INTO THE EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE SEVERAL CHANCES OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION FROM SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HOWEVER NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. COGIL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, March 2005
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: 5440897, 5440898, 5440899, 5440900, 5440901, 5440902, 5440903, 5440904, 5440905, 5440961.