An upper level disturbance moved southeast across Iowa, northeast Missouri, and Illinois during the evening of July 27 bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. Some of the thunderstorms surpassed severe thresholds by producing damaging winds over 60 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 southeast across Iowa, northeast Missouri, and Illinois during the evening of July 27 bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. Some of the thunderstorms surpassed severe thresholds by producing damaging winds over 60 mph. Torrential rains and subsequent flash flooding problems were also observed.
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 27, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 245 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 .SYNOPSIS... WILL BE CONCISE AS STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE MCS TO ARRIVE LATE PM AS SPC IN PROCESS OF ISSUING WATCH. NOWCAST TOOLS SHOW MODERATE TO STRONG MCS TO IMPACT AREA...ESPECIALLY SW 2/3 TO 3/4 CWA WITH HEAVY RAIN AND SOME SEVERE RISK SW SECTIONS. SYSTEM MAY CONTINUE INTO MONDAY AM DUE TO COOL POOL AND BACK-BUILDING. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND MONDAY... LOCAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES SUGGEST FORWARDING PROPAGATING MCS WITH SOME BOWING SEGMENTS AND POSSIBLE ASYMMETRICAL VORTEX WITH HIGHEST QPF +/- 40 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A VINTON TO MACOMB LINE. RAIN TOTALS 1/2 UP TO 3 PLUS INCH AMOUNTS EXPECTED MOST/ALL CWA WITH RISK OF FLASH FLOODING LATE EVENING TO PASS TO EVENING SHIFT TO CONSIDER ALONG HEAVY RAIN AXIS. LOW TO MODERATE END SEVERE RISK WITH MAIN RISK STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO POSSIBLY UP TO 80 MPH POSSIBLE ALONG AND SW OF AFOREMENTIONED HEAVY RAIN AXIS. MONDAY...HIGHS MAY NEED LOWERING WITH CLOUDS AND BACK-BUILDING A CONCERN. IF BACK- BUILDING AND COOL POOL INTERACTION OCCURS...6 PLUS INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE WITH SYSTEM. ..NICHOLS.. && .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY... CONFIDENCE HIGHER THAT WE WILL SEE AN ACTIVE PATTERN THROUGH MID WEEK WITH PERIODIC MCS ACTIVITY. RAINFALL WILL BE ENHANCED TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY TIME FRAME WITH MOISTURE FROM REMNANTS OF DOLLY SPREADING NORTHEAST INTO THE REGION. SURFACE DEWPOINTS WILL ALSO RISE WELL INTO THE 70S FOR A VERY MUGGY COUPLE OF DAYS. PRECIPITABLE WATERS ARE FORECAST TO EXCEED 2.3 INCHES AND OPERATIONAL MODELS HINT THAT POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING SOMEWHERE IN OUR REGION. EXACT AREA OF THE REGION AND HOW IT MAY IMPACT THE DVN CWA STILL NOT RESOLVED AND THIS WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED. ANY PREVIOUS MCS EVENTS THAT SATURATE THE GROUND PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF TROPICAL MOISTURE WOULD INCREASE DRAMATICALLY THE FLOODING POTENTIAL. THEN CONFIDENCE LOWERS AGAIN LATER IN THE WEEK WITH RESPECT TO TIMING OF ANY SHORT WAVES IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. NEXT WEEKEND...12Z ECMWF/GFS DEEPENS IMPRESSIVE UPPER TROUGH FROM THE GREAT LAKES TO THE MID-SOUTH. 850 MB TEMPERATURES DROP TO ABOUT 12C OVER OUR REGION FOR ANOTHER SHOT OF COOLER AIR AND LOWER HUMIDITIES. USING 12Z MEX GUIDANCE BUT EVEN THESE TEMPERATURES MAY BE TOO HIGH DEPENDING UPON CLOUD COVER. OF COURSE THIS DOMINATE NORTHWEST FLOW IS THE PATTERN WE HAVE SEEN ALL SUMMER AND SEE NO REASON TO DISCOUNT IT. IN FACT TELECONNECTIONS SUGGEST THIS PATTERN WILL REMAIN PERSISTENT WELL INTO AUGUST. ..HAASE.. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS TO GIVE WAY TO MVR TO IFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 23Z AND 08Z WITH PERIODS OF +TSRA/+SHRA WITH LARGE MCS SYSTEM. PREDOMINATE MVR TO LOCALLY IFR TO CONTINUE INTO MORNING DUE TO CIGS 1-4K AGL WITH SCATTERED LINGERING TSRA/SHRA. PARTIAL CLEARING AND VFR INTO AFTERNOON WITH NEXT MCS IMPACTING TERMINALS LATE PM. ..NICHOLS.. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && NICHOLS/HAASE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 432 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-280945- 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- 432 AM CDT SUN JUL 27 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 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING. THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...BUT MAY PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. ONE OR MORE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. THE GREATEST RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND AND HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH A LESSER RISK OF LARGE HAIL. LOCAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING WHERE MULTIPLE STORMS MOVE OVER THE SAME LOCATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY. IT IS TOO SOON TO DETERMINE IF THESE STORMS MIGHT PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF HEAVY RAINFALL AS A CLUSTER OF STORMS MOVES ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. THIS WILL CREATE A RISK OF LOCALIZED FLOODING WITH THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHEETS/LE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 325 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 IAZ040-041-051-052-063-064-076-077-272300- BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-DELAWARE IA-IOWA IA-JOHNSON IA-KEOKUK IA-LINN IA- WASHINGTON IA- 325 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 2008 ...THUNDERSTORMS TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 4 AND 6 PM... A DEVELOPING AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL IOWA WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST PRODUCING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 45 MPH AND POSSIBLY SOME PEA SIZE HAIL. RAIN AMOUNTS OF UP TO A HALF INCH ARE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY ONE INCH AMOUNTS IN THE STRONGER STORMS. SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER MAY ALSO OCCUR FROM RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 INCHES AN HOUR. NICHOLS
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.
19 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down some branches in What Cheer, IA at 608 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down a 4 foot diameter tree across a street in What Cheer, IA at 610 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down a 4 foot diameter tree across a street in What Cheer, IA at 610 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be over 60 mph were observed 4 miles east of Richland, IA at 628 pm July 27. Heavy rain was also observed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines in Birmingham, IA at 637 pm July 27. A power outage was also observed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 75 mph blew the roof off a house at 1103 Kodi Circle in Fairfield, IA around 637 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down several trees and power lines across all of Fairfield, IA around 637 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines in Keosauqua, IA at 645 pm July 27. A power outage was also observed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines in Bonaparte, IA at 650 pm July 27. A power outage was also observed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down several tree limbs 3 miles north northeast of Keosauqua, IA at 652 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines near Bonaparte, IA around 655 pm July 27. A power outage was observed for most of the eastern half of Van Buren County.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines in Farmington, IA at 655 pm July 27. A power outage was also observed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down several trees and power lines in Farmington, IA around 700 pm July 27. One tree fell on a house at 519 N. 2nd Street. Another tree fell on a car on Washington Street. Additional tree damage was reported near Pearl Street and 4th Street.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down some trees and power lines in Croton, IA around 705 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down several branches in Fairfield, IA at 710 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down numerous trees 6 miles south of Fairfield, IA at 710 pm July 27.
Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down numerous trees and branches across streets about 5 miles northwest of Croton, IA, or in the Farmington, IA area, around 715 pm July 27. A power outage was also observed.
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of Fairfield, IA during the evening of July 27. Several streets in town were flooded with cars stalled out in the flood waters and people swimming in the streets.
Wind gusts estimated to be over 60 mph were observed near the hospital and fairgrounds in West Burlington, IA at 740 pm July 27. This report was relayed by a trained spotter.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew shopping carts across a parking lot in West Burlington, IA at 740 pm July 27. A parked car was damaged by one of the shopping carts.
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: 129403, 129404, 129405, 129407, 129411, 129416, 129437, 129417, 129420, 129422, 129426, 129428, 129429, 129430, 129431, 129432, 129433, 129434, 129435, 129436.