An upper level disturbance moved across the Upper Midwest during the evening of July 19 as a frontal boundary pushed into central Iowa. Showers and thunderstorms were the result across much of the region, some of which produced damaging wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph.
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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 DVN wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance moved across the Upper Midwest during the evening of July 19 as a frontal boundary pushed into central Iowa. Showers and thunderstorms were the result across much of the region, some of which produced damaging wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph.
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 19, 2:23 PM CST, 4 hours 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 323 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 .SYNOPSIS... COMPLICATED WEATHER SCENARIO ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MCS THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT HAD VERY SCATTERED CONVECTION...SO WE HAD LOCATIONS WITH UP AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN...BUT OTHER LOCATIONS THAT ONLY RECEIVED LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH. A STRIPE FROM APPROXIMATELY CEDAR RAPIDS TO FREEPORT GOT THE MOST RAIN...AND HAD A FEW LOCATIONS WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL OR MORE. THE MCV THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONVECTION HAS MOVED WELL OFF TO THE EAST...AND FOR NOW THE AREA IS DRY. AN MCS MOVED ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA OVERNIGHT AND HAS BEEN DECAYING OVER SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THIS MORNING. IT APPEARS TO HAVE LAID OUT SOME SORT OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARY/WARM FRONT FROM CENTRAL MINNESOTA SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE ARX AREA AND INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS. A COLD FRONT IS DRAPED FROM WESTERN NEBRASKA NORTHEAST ACROSS TO SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND EAST INTO WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN. NEW CONVECTION HAS FIRED ALONG THIS BOUNDARY OVER SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...WHERE THERE IS GOOD PRESSURE FALLS...MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND PLENTY OF INSTABILITY. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT... FROM THE CONFUSED TANGLE OF BOUNDARIES AND FRONTS THIS AFTERNOON THE MAIN CONCERN HAS BECOME WHERE THE NEXT MCS WILL FIRE. THE CONVECTION OVER SOUTH DAKOTA HAS BECOME SURFACE BASED AS IT HAS NOW MOVED AWAY FROM THE INITIATING BOUNDARY AND INTO THE AREA OF PRESSURE FALLS AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE JUST TO THE EAST. FOR OUR FORECAST AREA...WE APPEAR TO BE WEAKLY CAPPED AND THE CLOUDINESS AROUND THIS AFTERNOON IS KEEPING CONVECTION FROM DEVELOPING. TONIGHTS CONVECTION...WHICH I HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED ABOVE OVER SOUTHEAST SD AND SW MN...WILL SLIDE EAST ACROSS THE MN/IA BORDER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IT WILL PUSH A WING OF CONVECTION SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE CWA LATE THIS EVENING...LIKELY STARTING AROUND THE 03Z TIME FRAME...AND LASTING MUCH OF THE NIGHT. THE MAIN RISK WILL BE HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE NORTH AS THE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL BE UP IN THE 1.5 TO 2.0 INCH RANGE. CONVECTION DOES LOOK LIKE IT SHOULD BE FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE...BUT THERE IS SOME RISK OF REPEAT THUNDERSTORMS LATER IN THE EVENT. FOR NOW HAVE DECIDED TO HOLD OFF...AND WILL LET THE EVENING SHIFT DECIDE IF THE POSSIBLE TRAINING WILL SET UP IN THE RIGHT AREA OR NOT. WHILE WE ARE IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...FEEL THAT THE RISK IS GOING TO BE SOMEWHAT ISOLATED AS CONVECTION CURRENTLY MOVING ALONG THE MN/IA BORDER WILL HAVE TO PUSH SOMETHING DOWN INTO THE CWA BEFORE ABOUT 9-10 PM FOR US TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SEVERE...WHICH QUICKLY DIMINISHES AFTER THAT. ...LE... .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... AREA REMAINS IN ACTIVE PATTERN THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY NIGHT AS THE LOW LEVEL BOUNDARY REMAINING IN THE VICINITY...WITH HIGH PW AIRMASS AND FAST ZONAL UPPER FLOW JUST TO THE NORTH KEEPING FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR PERIODIC MCS ACTIVITY. THIS LOOKS TO CHANGE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK AS MODELS IN AGREEMENT WITH UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OUT WEST WITH SURFACE HIGH OVER GREAT LAKES FEEDING DRIER LOW LEVEL AIRMASS INTO THE CWFA. THIS WILL PROVIDE A BREAK FROM DAILY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES AND THE SUMMER HEAT AND HUMIDITY TUE AND WED. PATTERN AGAIN BECOMES ACTIVE THU THROUGH SAT AS UPPER RIDGE FLATTENS AND DEEPER MOISTURE/HIGH PW AIRMASS RETURNS UPSTREAM INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. SUNDAY...CHALLENGE WILL BE HOW FAR SOUTH THE SYNOPTIC FRONT GETS PUSHED BY OVERNIGHT CONVECTION TONIGHT...AND RESULTING AFFECT ON LOCATION OF LATE DAY AND EVENING CONVECTION. BULK OF THE DAY LOOKS TO BE BETWEEN PERIODS OF SYNOPTIC FORCING WITH H7 TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO 10 DEG C CAPPING CONVECTION AND HAVE MAINTAINED ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. DECENT WAA DEVELOPS AT H8 ACROSS THE SOUTH...WITH VALUES APPROACHING 22 DEG BY AFTERNOON RESULTING IN HIGHS REACHING LOWER 90S OVER AT LEAST THE SOUTH. SUN NIGHT INTO MON...FORCING AHEAD OF STRONGER SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO ND ARRIVES SUN NIGHT WITH SUPPLY OF HIGH PW AIRMASS ALREADY POOLING OVER THE CWA AT THE TIME SETTING THE STAGE FOR AN MCS TO DEVELOP OVER OR NEAR THE CWA AND HAVE RIBBON OF HIGH CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL CWA WHERE THE LOW LEVEL BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY RESIDE. WITH GFS PW VALUES AGAIN PROGGED TO EXCEED 2 INCHES...WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR FLASH FLOOD WATCH NEED IN ESPECIALLY E CENTRAL IA THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN HIT BY SEVERAL HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS OVER AREA THROUGH MON UNTIL SYNOPTIC SUBSIDENCE ARRIVES MON NIGHT AND SURFACE FRONT SHIFTS SOUTH. SURFACE HIGH OVER GREAT LAKES TO FEED DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER AIRMASS INTO AREA TUE AND WED...THEN HEAT AND HUMIDITY RETURNS THU THROUGH SAT. BEST POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS ARE CENTERED ON THU AND THU NIGHT...WHEN MODELS...ESPECIALLY THE ECMWF...DEPICT THE NEXT FROPA AND POTENT SURFACE LOW IMPACTING THE REGION WITH HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL. BROUGHT IN SAT AS DRY WITH TEMPS NEAR CLIMO FOR NOW...BUT WITH ACTIVE PATTERN AND CURRENT POOR AGREEMENT AMONG MODELS THAT FAR OUT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS BELOW AVERAGE. ..SHEETS.. && .AVIATION... SCT-BKN MVFR CIGS ACROSS THE TAF LOCATIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...IN A VERY HUMID AIRMASS. THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO TAF LOCATIONS LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WITH MAINLY MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS...WITH OCCASIONAL IFR CONDITIONS IN STRONGER CELLS. MVFR CONDITIONS TO LINGER INTO SUNDAY MORNING BEHIND CONVECTION. ...LE... && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && LE/SHEETS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 450 AM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-201000- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-JACKSON-IOWA-JOHNSON- CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-KEOKUK-WASHINGTON-LOUISA-JEFFERSON- HENRY IA-DES MOINES-VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL- WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON- WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-CLARK- 450 AM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST...AND OUT OF THE OUTLOOK AREA EARLY THIS MORNING. BY AFTERNOON...PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE LOWER TO MID 80S...AND ALONG WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS...THIS WILL PROVIDE THE FUEL FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34 IN IOWA AND ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY RISK WITH STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN ONCE AGAIN...BUT DAMAGING WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. TONIGHT...A LARGE COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OVER IOWA...ILLINOIS...AND WISCONSIN. THIS AREA OF STORMS MAY BRING ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN...AND A RISK FOR FLASH FLOODING TO PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. AREA RIVERS ARE EXPERIENCING FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE LIKELY WITH THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINFALL REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. ERVIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 613 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 IAZ040>042-051>053-063>065-076-077-200115- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-IOWA-JOHNSON-CEDAR- KEOKUK-WASHINGTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...INDEPENDENCE...MANCHESTER...DUBUQUE... VINTON...CEDAR RAPIDS...ANAMOSA...MARENGO...IOWA CITY...TIPTON... SIGOURNEY...WASHINGTON 613 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING LATER THIS EVENING... A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...PRESENTLY MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA...WILL ENTER EASTERN IOWA LATER THIS EVENING. BY 8 PM...THE STORMS WILL REACH THE INDEPENDENCE AREA. BY 9 PM...THE STORMS WILL EXTEND ALONG A LINE THROUGH VINTON AND MANCHESTER. THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST THEREAFTER. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VIVID CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH AND NICKEL SIZED HAIL. JAZ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 721 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 IAZ040>042-051>053-063>065-076-077-200330- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-IOWA-JOHNSON-CEDAR- KEOKUK-WASHINGTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...INDEPENDENCE...MANCHESTER...DUBUQUE... VINTON...CEDAR RAPIDS...ANAMOSA...MARENGO...IOWA CITY...TIPTON... SIGOURNEY...WASHINGTON 721 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING EASTERN IOWA... A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...PRESENTLY MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA...WILL ENTER EASTERN IOWA WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. BY 830 PM...THE STORMS WILL REACH THE INDEPENDENCE AREA. BY 900 PM...THE STORMS WILL EXTEND ALONG A LINE THROUGH VINTON AND MANCHESTER. THEY WILL APPROACH THE MARENGO...CEDAR RAPIDS...ANAMOSA...MONTICELLO AND DUBUQUE AREAS BY 10 PM. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VIVID CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH AND NICKEL SIZED HAIL. JAZ
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:18 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph damaged a storage shed, ripped the roof off a grain bin, damaged some crops, blew a 3 foot diameter tree down, and blew 5 to 6 inch diameter tree limbs down about 4 miles northeast of Independence, IA at 820 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph damaged some crops north of Independence, IA at 820 pm July 19. The damage path was 200 yards wide and extended from approximately 2 miles north of Independence to approximately 2.5 miles northeast of Independence.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph destroyed a barn about 5 miles northeast of Independence, IA at 822 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down some trees throughout Independence, IA, blew some grain bins over about 2 miles southeast of town, and blew some trees down across County Road W35 at 838 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down some tree branches 3 to 4 inches in diameter in Keystone, IA at 838 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed in Keystone, IA at 838 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew 12 inch diameter trees down in Masonville, IA at 900 pm July 19.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew a 2 foot diameter tree down across 25th Street in Marion, IA at 912 pm July 19. Traffic was blocked in both directions. A power outage was also observed in Hiawatha, IA.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 to 70 mph were observed in Hopkinton, IA at 916 pm July 19. This report was relayed by law enforcement officials.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down a large tree across East 4th Street in Anamosa, IA at 920 pm July 19. The tree blocked the entire street.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down numerous 5 inch diameter tree limbs across Anamosa, IA at 920 pm July 19.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 2008
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: 127191, 127194, 127195, 127198, 127201, 127202, 127207, 127224, 127234, 127249, 127255.