A thunderstorm produced damaging winds during the pre-dawn hours of July 7 in Independence, IA.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 DVN wrote it up.
A thunderstorm produced damaging winds during the pre-dawn hours of July 7 in Independence, IA.
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 7, 2:37 AM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 337 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 .SYNOPSIS... WEAK UPPER RIDGE WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF THE MID/UPPER MS VALLEY AT 00Z WITH BROAD TROF OVER THE NRN ROCKIES. DOWN STREAM FROM THE WRN U.S. TROF...BROAD S-SW H8 FLOW HAD PULLED AMPLE MOISTURE NORTH INTO THE MID MS VALLEY WITH A LARGE AREA OF 15C TO 18C DEWPOINTS OVER SRN AND CENTRAL IA. AT THE SURFACE A WEAK WARM FRONT EXTENDED EAST OUT OF CENTRAL IA NEAR I80 INTO EAST CENTRAL IA. BRANCH OF H8 JET POINTING TOWARD THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY OVERNIGHT HAS SPAWNED SEVERAL CLUSTERS OF TSRA OVER THE AREA NEAR AND NORTH OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. FIRST ROUND OF STORMS MOVING THROUGH SE IA AND WCNTRL IL WERE JUST ABOUT OUT OF THE CWFA AS OF 08Z. A NEW ROUND OF STORMS WAS JUST STARTING TO TAKE OFF OVER EAST CENTRAL IA. SO FAR STORMS HAVE BEEN MAINLY HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS WITH HIGH WBZ LIMITING HAIL. THERE HAD BEEN SOME ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE WIND GUSTS FROM THE SERN IA STORMS EARLY THIS MORNING...WHERE DOWNBURSTS WERE STRONG ENUF TO PUNCH THROUGH LOW LEVEL INVERSION. && .SHORT TERM... WILL CONTINUE LIKELY POPS OVER THE NRN FOURTH OF THE CWFA WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION CURRENTLY DEVELOPING ALONG AND NORTH OF I80 AND TAPER OFF TO SLGT CHANCE ALONG/SOUTH OF MO BORDER WHERE AIRMASS APPEARS TO BE CAPPED. EARLY MORNING TSRA TAKING OFF ON NOSE OF EASTERN BRANCH OF LLJ PER RECENT PROFILER DATA. IF THIS IS THE CASE THEN CONVECTION SHOULD DIMINISH BETWEEN 12Z AND 15Z AS LLJ WEAKENS. MORNING TSRA WILL STABILIZE AIRMASS OVER THE NRN HALF OF THE CWFA THIS MORNING...BUT WITH SWLY FLOW AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT...ANY RESIDUAL OUTFLOWS/COOL POOLS SHOULD MIX OUT BY EARLY AFTERNOON RESULTING IN VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE CWFA BY LATE AFTERNOON. FOR THIS REASON WILL KEEP POPS IN FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE BETTER CHANCE OVER THE NRN CWFA...ESPECIALLY NW WHERE MODELS SUGGEST WEAK CONVERGENT LOW LEVEL FLOW WHICH MAY BE ENUF TO POP SCT TSRA AFTER THE CAP DISSIPATES THIS AFTERNOON. BETTER CHANCE FOR TSRA WILL BE LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AND MORE ORGANIZED CONVECTION WILL MOVE IN AHEAD OF COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH WRN AND CENTRAL IA. KEPT LIKELY POPS GOING N WHERE DYNAMICS AND MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT MORE WIDESPREAD TSRA. EXPECT COVERAGE TO DIMINISH AFTER 06Z AS THE TSRA MOVE SOUTHEAST AWAY FROM THE BETTER SHEAR/UPPER SUPPORT AND CAPES DECREASE. HEAVY RAIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE GRIDS BUT CERTAINLY WITH PW/S OF 1.5 TO OVER 2 INCHES NEAR THE COLD FRONT ANY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT DUE TO THE LACK OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING...THE HEAVY RAINS WILL BE LIMITED IN AREAL EXTENT. BY LATE TONIGHT DIMINISHING INSTABILITY AND WEAKER FORCING SHOULD ALSO LIMIT THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT. THE BETTER SEVERE THREAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE THIS EVENING IN THE NORTH WHERE THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION. HOWEVER ANY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSRA THAT DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS. IT APPEARS THAT HAIL...AT LEAST THROUGH MID EVENING...WILL BE A LESSER THREAT DUE TO THE WARM MID LEVELS. ...DLF... .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CWA ON TUESDAY WITH THE BULK OF THE STORMS SHIFTING SOUTH OF I-80...AND THEN SOUTH OF THE CWA BY TUESDAY EVENING. WILL STILL BE A THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS AHEAD OF FRONT AS INSTABILITY WILL BE MAXIMIZED IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE INSTABILITY AXIS MAY ACTUALLY END UP SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 34 DEPENDING UPON THE SPEED OF THE FRONT. BEHIND THE FRONT WE WILL HAVE A BRIEF COOLING FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT NOT AS DRAMATIC AS THE PAST SEVERAL EPISODES OF COOL AIR. THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THIS PERIOD TO BE HIGHLIGHTED BY ACTUAL SUMMER WEATHER. SOMETHING WE HAVENT SEEN MUCH OF. OPERATIONAL MODELS AGREE ON BASICALLY A ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WITH 850 MB TEMPERATURES IN THE 20 TO 24C RANGE. ATMOSPHERE WILL BE CAPPED AS WELL WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED STORMS NORTH OF THE DVN CWA. JUST AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL INTO THE 80S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH MANY LOCATIONS NEAR OR ABOVE 90 THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND. LOOK FOR MUGGY CONDITIONS TOO AS DEWPOINTS SHOULD EXCEED 70 DEGREES. WHAT IS NOT AGREED UPON BY THE MODELS IS THE TIMING OF THE FRONT DROPPING SOUTHWARD INTO THE DVN CWA. THIS FORECAST IS BASED ON THE ECMWF MODEL KEEPING FRONTAL BOUNDARY NORTH OF THE CWA THIS PERIOD...WHICH MAKES SENSE CONSIDERING ZONAL FLOW AND TIME OF YEAR. THE GFS SEEMS TOO AGGRESSIVE DROPPING FRONT INTO THE DVN CWA ALREADY THIS WEEKEND. HOWEVER EVEN THE ECMWF MODEL DOES EVENTUALLY BRING THE FRONT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK BREAKING THE HEAT BUT ONLY BRIEFLY. ..HAASE.. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED EARLY MORNING TSRA TO IMPACT MAINLY KMLI/KCID/KDBQ UNTIL ABOUT 15Z. THEN A LULL IS EXPECTED IN TSRA ACTIVITY UNTIL MID AFTERNOON WHEN AIRMASS WILL BE UNSTABLE ENUF TO SUPPORT ISOLD TO SCATTERED TSRA DEVELOPMENT ESPECIALLY NORTH OF I80. TSRA EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD BY LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT N OF I80 AS MORE ORGANIZED TSRA MOVES IN AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. OTHERWISE EXPECT MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS OUTSIDE OF TSRA FOR MUCH OF THE TIME THROUGH 08/12Z. S TO SW SURFACE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 20KTS AND BECOME GUSTY AT KCID/KDBQ/KMLI BY LATE MORNING AND DIMINISH SOME AFTER 01Z. ...DLF... && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && HAASE/DLF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 447 AM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-071000- 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- 447 AM CDT SUN JUL 6 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 WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THIS MORNING. A MARGINALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MAY PRODUCE HAIL UP TO PENNY SIZE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...MAINLY NORTHWEST OF A DUBUQUE TO MUSCATINE TO WASHINGTON LINE. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GREATER THAN 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL. TORRENTIAL RAINS OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR IS ALSO POSSIBLE WHICH WOULD CAUSE PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM MINNESOTA. A MORE ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TONIGHT...AS A STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET IMPINGES ON THE SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MUCH OF THE AREA NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34 IS OUTLOOKED FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IOWA DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS DURING THE EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...RESULTING IN LOCALIZED FLOODING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE AREA FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY EVENING AS THE BOUNDARY MOVES SOUTH. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAASE/DLF
IAZ064-067-077-078-ILZ015-024-070430-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1029 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A SPECIAL
WEATHER STATEMENT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...
IN IOWA
JOHNSON...MUSCATINE...WASHINGTON AND LOUISA
IN ILLINOIS
ROCK ISLAND AND MERCER
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
ALEDO...ELIZA...ILLINOIS CITY...JOY...MANNON...MILLERSBURG...NEW
BOSTON...SEATON...AINSWORTH...COLUMBUS CITY...COLUMBUS
JUNCTION...CONESVILLE...COTTER...CRAWFORDSVILLE...FAIRPORT...
FRUITLAND...GRANDVIEW...LETTS...LONE TREE...MONTPELIER...
MUSCATINE...NICHOLS...RIVERSIDE...TOOLESBORO...WAPELLO...
WASHINGTON AND WYMAN
AT 1024 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RIVERSIDE...OR ABOUT 11 MILES
NORTHWEST OF COLUMBUS JUNCTION...MOVING EAST AT 32 MPH. THIS STORM
IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...AND POSSIBLY SMALL
HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. RAINFALL MAY FALL AT RATES THAT CREATE MINOR
FLOODING IN URBAN AREAS.
INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
ERVINIAZ076-077-087-088-098-099-070630-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1232 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A SPECIAL
WEATHER STATEMENT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 130 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...
IN IOWA
LEE...VAN BUREN...JEFFERSON...HENRY...WASHINGTON AND KEOKUK
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
ABINGDON...BATAVIA...BIRMINGHAM...BRIGHTON...COPPOCK...DELTA...
FAIRFIELD...HAYESVILLE...HEDRICK...HILLSBORO...LIBERTYVILLE...
LOCKRIDGE...MARTINSBURG...MOUNT PLEASANT...PACKWOOD...PILOT
GROVE...PLEASANT PLAIN...RICHLAND...ROME...SALEM...SIGOURNEY...
ST. PAUL...STOCKPORT...WASHINGTON AND WAYLAND
AT 1229 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES WEST OF ABINGDON...OR ABOUT 12 MILES EAST OF
OTTUMWA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. ANOTHER STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
GLASGOW AND WAS ALSO MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH.
WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 55 MPH...RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IN AN HOUR
AND HAIL ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.
ALSO...INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. IF
OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE
INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS
AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG
UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
103 AM CDT MON JUL 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 AM HAIL 1 SW MOUNT PLEASANT 40.96N 91.55W
07/07/2008 E0.50 INCH HENRY IA TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL AT THE RATE OF 1 INCH PER HOUR
&&
DLFThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:02 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph damaged some fences, light poles, and signs near the Wal-Mart on the north side of Independence, IA around 4:00 am July 7. Portions of some nearby corn fields were also blown down.
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: 123630.