Damaging Wind in Iowa, September 16, 2006

Name: Damaging Wind in Iowa, September 16, 2006
Start: 2006-09-16T03:11
End: 2006-09-16T03:11
Location: Iowa

September 16, 2006 · NWS DMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An area of thunderstorms lifted northeast across Iowa in an area of strong warm air advection. A low level jet of 55 kts was in place to keep the thunderstorms going.

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: $3,000
Crop damage: $2,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

An area of thunderstorms lifted northeast across Iowa in an area of strong warm air advection. A low level jet of 55 kts was in place to keep the thunderstorms going. Zero to 6 km shear was around 35 kts with CAPE in the 1000 to 1500 range. Most of the storms produced gusty winds and small hail. One of the storms produced a 65 MPH wind gust as it moved through the Williams area.

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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 16, 2:35 AM CST, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 16, 2:35 AM CST, 36 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
335 AM CDT SAT SEP 16 2006

.DISCUSSION...
WL BE A BUSY FEW DAYS WX WISE WITH FIRST STTN TAKING PLACE TDA AS
STRONG UPR TROF LFTS NEWD ACRS THE REGION.  GUD SLY FETCH AND DEEP
MSTR IN PLACE, WHICH IS VERY EVIDENT ON SAT PIX THIS MNRG.  INITIAL
SHOT OF THETA-E ADVN LFGT NEWD ACRS IA ATTM AND SHUD BE OUT OF THE
AREA AB MID MRNG.  POTENTIAL PROB IS WITH MCS OVR KS ATTM.  AT CUR
RATE OF MVMT CUD BE A PROB PAST 18Z, COMPLICATING THE STTN.  FEEL
WITH DEMISE OF LLJ THIS SHUD WKN AND CWA WL BE CAPPED OFF THRU MOST
OF THE AFTN.  XPCT QUICK DVLPMT LATE AFTN AND EVE MOVG INTO WRN CWA
WITH SIG SVR POT OVR THE W HLF, THEN DMSHG POT AFT 03Z AS SQALL LN
MOVS EWD.  MOST PCPN OUT OF THE AREA BY MRNG WITH DRY SLOT MOVG OVR
IA DURG THE DAY SUN. A GUD SHOT OF COOLER AIR MOVG DOWN BHND SYS FOR
THE FIRST TO MIDDLE OF THE WK AND WL LIKLY SEE SEASONS FIRST FROST
FM HWY 30 N WED MRNG.  WL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LATER IN THE
WK WITH POT OF A WDSPRD -RN EVENT HEADING INTO THE THU/FRI
TIMEFRAME.  THIS WL NEED TO BE MONITORED, BUT FOR THE TIME BEING
LEANED TWD DRIER ECMWF/GEM/SEF SOLNS.

&&

.DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 15, 10:15 PM CST, 4 hours 56 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1115 PM CDT FRI SEP 15 2006

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-
081>086-092>097-161100-
EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-
POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN-
WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-
BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-
POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION-
CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE-
APPANOOSE-DAVIS-
1115 PM CDT FRI SEP 15 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE COMMON OVER WESTERN AND INTO PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL IOWA. THE THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL
GRADUALLY SUBSIDE AFTER 1 AM IN FAR WESTERN IOWA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY LATE SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ANTICIPATED SATURDAY
AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE
AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT
ACROSS MUCH OF IOWA.

MYERS

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: September 16, 3:11 AM CST
Where: Hamilton County, Williams
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.483, -93.550

What these are

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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, September 2006

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: 5534783.