Hail in Iowa, May 8, 2005

Name: Hail in Iowa, May 8, 2005
Start: 2005-05-08T18:58
End: 2005-05-08T18:58
Location: Iowa

May 8, 2005 · NWS OAX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 hail, 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: 1

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 8, 3:03 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 3:03 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
403 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005

.DISCUSSION...

MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES WILL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY
TONIGHT...THEN THE LOCATION OF NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM MIDWEEK AND ITS
EFFECTS ON POPS AND TEMPERATURES.

IN THE SHORT TERM...WATCHES APPEAR WELL JUSTIFIED.  18Z SOUNDING
SHOWED A SLIGHTLY STRENGTHENED AND LOWERED CAP FROM 12Z...WITH A
MORE UNSTABLE LAPSE RATE ABOVE ALONG WITH HIGHER CAPE.  THIS CAP HAS
BEEN BREACHED ALREADY IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS...WITH MORE TO COME.
SHEAR HAS STRENGTHENED SUBSTAINTIALLY FROM 12Z.  WHILE MUCH OF IT IS
UNIDIRECTIONAL...SLIGHT BACKING HAS OCCURRED PAST FEW HRS ALONG AND
E OF MO RVR FROM OMA NORTHWARD.  EXPECT A LOT OF LINEAR ORGANIZATION
OF CELLS...AS IS ALREADY APPARENT ON SATELLITE...BUT ANY CELL
MANAGING TO GET BY ITSELF COULD BECOME SUPERCELLULAR.  ENOUGH DRY
AIR AT MID LEVELS FOR WIND TO BE A THREAT ALONG WITH HAIL EVEN IN
LINEAR STORMS.  STRONGEST STORMS SHOULD END BY MIDNIGHT AS AFTERNOON
CAPE IS USED UP...THEN COLD FRONT SHOULD SWEEP REMNANTS EAST OF OUR
AREA BEFORE MORNING.

FOR MONDAY...ELECTED TO INTRODUCE A SLIGHT CHC OF WRAPAROUND SHOWERS
TO THE FAR NORTH...WHILE LEAVING THE REST OF THE AREA DRY.  COOL
ADVECTION WILL BE OVER BY LATE MORNING...WITH AFTN SHOWING NET 850
WARM ADVECTION WITH HIGHS STILL WELL IN THE 70S SOUTH...BUT HELD
DOWN BY COOL WRAPAROUND NORTH.

SOUTHERLY FLOW AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAKE A RETURN ON TUESDAY.
WENT FOR NAM SUGGESTION THAT THERE COULD BE ENOUGH LIFT FOR SOME
AFTERNOON THUNDERSHOWERS...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH.

FROM TUESDAY NIGHT ONWARD...MODEL SOLUTIONS DIVERGE SERIOUSLY FOR
OUR AREA.  WHILE THERE IS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT UPPER LOW WILL MOVE
FROM THE WEST COAST INTO THE GREAT BASIN...THEN GRADUALLY PHASE WITH
THE NORTHERN BRANCH AND EJECT OVER MT OR ND FRI...THE PLACEMENT OF
A SURFACE FRONT THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLANS IS MORE UNCERTAIN.  THERE
WILL BE A STRONG GRADIENT OF TEMPS AND POPS ACROSS THIS FRONT.  WITH
WARM HUMID AIR TO THE SOUTH...AND SW FLOW ALOFT...THIS SHOULD BE A
POTENT LIFT BOUNDARY WITH HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL ON THE NORTH
SIDE...AS WELL AS SEVERE POTENTIAL NEAR AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT.
NAM DEVELOPS THE FRONT IN A SOUTHERLY POSITION NEAR THE NE/KS
BORDER...WHILE GFS IS MUCH FARTHER NORTH.  GFS HAS TRENDED A BIT
TOWARD SLOWER ECMWF SOLUTION...BUT ALSO HAS A BIAS WITH PUSHING
WARM FRONTS TOO FAR NORTH INTO A SHALLOW COLD POOL.  IN THIS
VERY UNCERTAIN FORECAST SITUATION...TOOK A BLEND OF PREVIOUS
FORECAST AND NEW NAM.  THIS WAS COOLER AND WETTER FOR MOST OF THE
TIME AND AREA THROUGH FRI...BUT WARMER IN THE SOUTH AS FRONT SETS
UP TUE.

AS UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA NEXT WEEKEND...DRIER
CONDITIONS SHOULD SET IN WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPS.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

NE...NONE.
IA...NONE.

&&

POLLACK

Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 4:22 PM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
522 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005

IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-
042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-090315-
ANTELOPE-BOONE-BURT-BUTLER-CASS-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS-
FREMONT IA-GAGE-HARRISON IA-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-KNOX-LANCASTER-MADISON-
MILLS IA-MONONA IA-MONTGOMERY IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAGE IA-PAWNEE-PIERCE-
PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-RICHARDSON-SALINE-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SEWARD-
SHELBY IA-STANTON-THURSTON-WASHINGTON-WAYNE-
522 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND
SOUTHWEST IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA
UNTIL 9 PM.  SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING
ACROSS THE AREA.  MOST OF THE STORMS WILL BE IN LINES...WITH LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY CONCERNS.  THE RISK OF SEVERE
WEATHER WILL DIMINISH STEADILY IN THE MID TO LATE EVENING...AS DRIER
AIR SPREADS INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST AND INSTABILITY DECREASES.
WEAKER THUNDERSTORMS WILL END AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY

ANOTHER STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ONTO THE PLAINS BY MID
WEEK. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TUESDAY
AND CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER APPEARS TO BE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.
HEAVY RAINS AND FLASH FLOODING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE DURING THIS PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT

SPOTTERS SHOULD BE ACTIVATED AND IN POSITION TO REPORT SEVERE
WEATHER.

FOBERT

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 5:23 PM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
623 PM CDT SUN MAY 08 2005

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

0618 PM     HAIL             3 E KENNARD             41.47N 96.15W
05/08/2005  0.75 INCH        WASHINGTON         NE   PUBLIC

&&

DEWALD

Local storm report, May 8, 5:34 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
634 PM CDT SUN MAY 08 2005

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

0632 PM     HAIL             BLAIR                   41.54N 96.14W
05/08/2005  1.00 INCH        WASHINGTON         NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

DEWALD

Local storm report, May 8, 5:46 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
646 PM CDT SUN MAY 08 2005

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

0638 PM     HAIL             BLAIR                   41.54N 96.14W
05/08/2005  1.00 INCH        WASHINGTON         NE   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

B SMITH

Local storm report, May 8, 5:59 PM CST, 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
659 PM CDT SUN MAY 08 2005

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

0655 PM     HAIL             BLAIR                   41.54N 96.14W
05/08/2005  0.88 INCH        WASHINGTON         NE   AMATEUR RADIO

            PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL. ALSO STREET FLOODING REPORTED.

&&

B SMITH

Special weather statement, May 8, 6:05 PM CST, 53 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
705 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005

NEZ017-031-032-042-090200-

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 234 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EASTERN NEBRASKA
   JEFFERSON...SALINE...SEWARD...BUTLER...COLFAX...WAYNE

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN EASTERN NEBRASKA...

GAGE...PAWNEE...RICHARDSON...NEMAHA...JOHNSON...LANCASTER...
CASS...SARPY....DOUGLAS...SAUNDERS...DODGE...
WASHINGTON...BURT...CUMING...THURSTON.

IN SOUTHWEST IOWA...

MONONA...HARRISON...SHELBY...POTTAWATTAMIE...MONTGOMERY...MILLS...
FREMONT...PAGE.

POLLACK

Local storm report, May 8, 6:18 PM CST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
718 PM CDT SUN MAY 08 2005

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

0710 PM     HAIL             2 ENE MODALE            41.63N 95.98W
05/08/2005  0.88 INCH        HARRISON           IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

B SMITH

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Harrison

When: May 8, 6:58 PM CST
Where: Harrison County, 1 mi NE of Missouri Vly
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.583, -95.883

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, May 2005

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: 5449284.