An upper air disturbance moving into a warm, moist and unstable airmass triggered severe thunderstorms across eastern Iowa on June 25, 2008. Some of the storms produced wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph and penny to quarter size hail.
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.
An upper air disturbance moving into a warm, moist and unstable airmass triggered severe thunderstorms across eastern Iowa on June 25, 2008. Some of the storms produced wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph and penny to quarter size hail.
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 Jun 25, 2:30 PM CST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 330 PM CDT WED JUN 25 2008 .SYNOPSIS... LATEST SFC ANALYSIS WAS INDICATING MAIN FRONT OF CONSEQUENCE WAS HORSE-SHOEING SOUTHWESTWARD OFF LOW NORTHWEST OF DULUTH MN...WITH THE BOUNDARY LOOKING ALMOST QUASI-STATIONARY AS IT EXTENDS WESTWARD ACRS NORTHERN NEB. 70 PLUS SFC DPT FIELD WAS CURRENTLY POOLING OVER SOUTHEAST NEB...THE SOUTH HALF OF IA AND MUCH OF NORTHERN MO...WITH HEATING INTO THE 80S IN SOUTHERN IA JACKING CAPES UP OVER 4K J/KG ACCORDING TO LAPSE DATA. LOOKING UPSTREAM ON W/V FOR ANY KIND OF WAVES ALOFT...THE IMAGERY SUGGESTS A FEW WEEK FEATURES OVER SOUTHEAST SD...AND WESTERN NEB. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... A REAL CHALLENGE TONIGHT DETERMINING WHERE MCS WILL FIRE AND THEN WHERE IN THE CWA OR IF IT WILL AFFECT THE CWA AT ALL. THE NEW SUITE OF 12Z RUN SHORT RANGE MODELS ALL VARY FROM MAINLY DRY...TO HITTING LARGE CHUNKS OF THE LOCAL FCST AREA/EITHER NORTH OR SOUTH/ WITH HEAVY RAIN AND MARGINAL SVR. CONCEPTUALLY...TWO SCENARIOS COULD UNFOLD WITH RESULTANT MCS EVENTUALLY IMPACTING THE CWA TONIGHT. ONE IN VCNTY OF MAIN FRONT AND SOUTHEAST SD WAVE IN THE SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA REGION...WITH PROGGED PROPAGATION/CORFIDI VECTORS TAKING ACTIVITY FEEDING ON NORTH END OF LLVL THTA-E GRADIENT AND...SOUTHEASTWARD ACRS MAINLY THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE DVN CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE OTHER IS REFOCUSING NOCTURNAL LLJ CONVERGING ON LLVL BOUNDARY OVER NEB INTO SOUTHWEST IA ALONG AND NORTH OF MID LEVEL CAP...WITH THIS ACTIVITY THEN MAINLY IMPACTING THE FAR SOUTHERN CWA LATER TONIGHT. A THIRD SCENARIO WOULD OF COURSE BE NOT MUCH HAPPENING AT ALL LOCALLY TONIGHT LIKE THE NEW 12Z HIRES ECMWF SUGGESTS. ALTHOUGH THE HIGH CAPES SHOULD WANE SOME AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN IA...STILL PLENTY TO FUEL A DECENT STORM COMPLEX IF IT WHERE TO FORM...ALTHOUGH LOW TO MID LEVEL SHEAR MARGINAL AT BEST. THE SECOND SCENARIO/NEB-SW IA-NW MO/ INITIATION WOULD BE BAD NEWS FOR AREAS HARD HIT BY HEAVY RAIN LAST NIGHT ACRS NORTHERN MO INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST IA AND WEST CENTRAL IL AND WOULD WARRANT A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THOSE AREAS...BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW RIGHT NOW TO SIGNAL OUT ANY AREA WITH A HEADLINE. WILL TRY TO COVER BOTH SCENARIOS WITH GENERIC MODERATE TO HIGH CHC POPS ESPECIALLY AFTER 06Z...AND EVENING SHIFT WILL HAVE TO WATCH UPSTREAM REGIONS TO SEE WHAT MAY UNFOLD. HIGH DPTS SUPPORT LOWS MAINLY IN THE UPPER 60S...AND IF WINDS BECOME LIGHT ENOUGH SOME AREAS OF FOG LATE TONIGHT POSSIBLE IN JUICED SFC LAYER. ON THU...MCS SPAWNING PARAMETERS AND INSTABILITY SUGGEST AFTERNOON CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT TO TAKE OFF ALONG THE NEB/SD BORDER INTO NORTHWEST IA ALONG AND NORTH OF TIGHTENING LLVL BAROCLINICITY TRYING TO MIGRATE NORTHWARD TO LEE OF WEST CENTRAL PLAINS CYCLOGENESIS...WITH RESULTANT MCS THEN TRYING TO PROPAGATE EASTWARD ALONG THE IA/MN BORDER AND POSSIBLY MORE SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE FAR NORTHWEST CWA BY LATE EVENING. MANY QUESTIONS FOR THIS PERIOD AS WELL WITH DIFFERING MODEL SOLUTIONS...AND WILL JUST GO WITH LOW TO MODERATE CHC POPS...WITH THE HIGHER POPS IN THE WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST CWA. HIGH TEMPS FOR THU TRICKY AS WELL...DEPENDING ON CLOUD COVER/DEBRIS AND HIGH DPTS LIMITING REAL HEATING POTENTIAL. WILL GO WITH WIDESPREAD MID TO UPPER 80S FOR NOW...WHICH IS A MODEL GUIDANCE HAPPY MEDIUM. ..12.. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY... THURS NIGHT-FRI... LARGE SCALE FORCING SUGGESTS EXTREMELY ACTIVE PERIOD WITH LIKELY MORE THAN ONE DECENT MCS EVENT TO IMPACT THE AREA WITH INCREASING THREAT FOR SEVERE WITH STRENGTHENING SHEAR...MODERATE-HIGH INSTABILITY AND STRONG UPPER DIFFLUENCE AHEAD OF VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSING FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST. WARM...MOIST AIRMASS WITH HIGH WBZ/S SUPPORT MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS... WITH PARAMETERS FAVORABLE FOR DAMAGING BOW ECHO IMPACTING THE CWA THURS EVE. CONTINUED TO HIT POPS HARDEST ACROSS NORTH 1/2 OR SO... BUT LIKELY NEED TO BE BUMPED UP ALL AREAS. WIDESPREAD CONVECTION WITH ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER DAY APPEARS LIKELY FRI IN ADVANCE OF SFC FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH. HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS MAIN THREATS FRI WITH POTENTIAL FOR FEW TORNADOES WITH HEATING AND TRIPLE POINT. PW/S IN EXCESS OF 1.7 TO NEARLY 2 INCHES TO BRING SIGNIFICANT THREAT FOR HEAVY RAIN... WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES ADDITIONAL DURING PERIOD AND LOCALLY HIGHER IN AREAS THAT SEE REPEATED ACTIVITY. WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS VERY CLOSELY WITH SOILS STILL NOT DRIED OUT FROM RECENT RECORD FLOOD EVENT. TEMPS ON FRI TRICKY. H85 THERMAL RIDGE SAGS INTO CWA WITH TEMPS IN THE RANGE OF 20-22C... WHICH WITH AMPLE SOLAR INSOLATION AND DEEPER MIXING TAKEN DRY ADIABITICALLY WOULD EASILY SUPPORT AROUND 90 OR L90S MANY AREAS. HOWEVER... ANTICIPATING DECENT AMOUNT OF CLOUDS AND THUS SIDED TOWARD MIXED OF DRY/MOIST WHICH YIELDS GENERAL RANGE OF 84-88 DEGS. SAT-WED... SHORTWAVE TROUGH DEEPENS INTO CLOSED LOW WHILE DIVING DOWN ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. CYCLONIC FLOW AND HEATING WILL BRING POTENTIAL FOR AFTN/EARLY EVE SHOWERS AND FEW TSTMS SAT-SUN. CLOSED LOW SHIFTS THROUGH EASTERN GREAT LAKES MON...WITH CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN BRINGING COOLER AND DRIER WX FIRST PART OF WEEK... WITH TEMPS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SHIFT EAST OF CWA BY MIDWEEK WITH WARM... MOIST ADVECTION DEVELOPING ON INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW. THIS COMBINED WITH SHORTWAVE ENERGY RIDING WESTERN RIDGE AND DROPPING E/SE THROUGH THE PLAINS ON BACKSIDE OF EASTERN TROUGH TO BRING RENEWED THREAT FOR SHOWERS/TSTMS BY WED. ..05.. && .AVIATION... MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WITH CU THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH HIGH LLVL MOISTURE SUPPORTING SOME LINGERING MVFR CIGS THROUGH 21Z AT ALL TERMINALS. CONVECTION TONIGHT AND IMPACTS AT THE VARIOUS TERMINALS TOUGH TO HAMMER OUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT PLETHORA OF POTENTIAL SCENARIOS...AND MAY GO WITH VCNTY OR JUST TEMPOS DURING PRIME WINDOW OF 06Z-12Z OR SO. HIGH SFC LAYER MOISTURE MAY SUPPORT SOME MVFR OR EVEN BOUTS OF IFR FOG LATER TONIGHT AND INTO THU MORNING AT MOST TERMINALS...BEFORE SOUTHWEST SFC FLOW MIXES OUT AND INCREASES BY 14- 15Z. ANOTHER NIGHT OF POTENTIAL LLVL WIND SHEAR AGAIN WITH STRENGTHENING LLJ AND DECOUPLING SFC WINDS POSSIBLY TOWARD 10Z THU. ..12.. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && 12/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 500 AM CDT WED JUN 25 2008 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-261100- BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO- CLINTON IA-DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL- HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA- JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA-JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA- MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL-MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL- SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA-STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL- WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL- 500 AM CDT WED JUN 25 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 A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FREEPORT ILLINOIS TO OTTUMWA IOWA. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A SIGOURNEY TO ALEDO LINE. TONIGHT...ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL DEVELOP IN WESTERN IOWA AND SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...MAINLY AFFECTING AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STORMS TO BE SEVERE TONIGHT...WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...YET ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL DEVELOP IN WESTERN IOWA AND MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THIS THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX IS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT STORMS WILL CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOP AND MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS...PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL. CURRENT INFORMATION SUGGESTS THAT AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 ARE AT GREATEST RISK. FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT...A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE YET ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE STORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ON TUESDAY...THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED SEVERAL TIMES FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:44 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter estimated hail the size of nickels which fell for 3 minutes 1 mile south of Birmingham.
Law enforcement reported hail the size of quarters near Highway 6 and F Avenue in Ladora.
The public reported a utility pole blown down. Winds were estimated at 60 mph.
A spotter measured nickel size hail near Belle Plaine.
A trained spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 mph. The wind brought 2 inch diameter tree branches down, and ripped new gutter downspouts off a home.
A trained spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph.
A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts more than 60 mph.
A trained spotter reported penny to nickel size hail 3 miles southeast of Keystone.
A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 65 mph at Norway.
A spotter reported a tree more than 2 1/2 feet in diameter snapped in half near Newhall.
A trained spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 75 mph.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph occurred in Fairfax.
An off duty meteorologist measured penny size hail in Marion.
Penny size hail fell near Ainsworth.
A trained spotter measured more than 5 inches of rain. Several yards and roads were flooded in Packwood, with the water about 3 feet deep in places.
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, June 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: 117125, 117117, 117122, 117102, 117104, 117108, 117111, 117103, 117113, 117107, 117115, 117124, 117123, 117126, 117121.