A strong low pressure system lifted northeast across the state during the afternoon of the 2nd. At the same time, the upper level system lifted northeast and captured the surface feature by the afternoon hours.
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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 DMX wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system lifted northeast across the state during the afternoon of the 2nd. At the same time, the upper level system lifted northeast and captured the surface feature by the afternoon hours. Several rounds of thunderstorms rotated in spiral bands across the state. The atmosphere became unstable during the afternoon with MUCAPE in the 2000 J/kg range and the effective shear around 30 kts. A band of thunderstorms rotated north into northern Iowa. The storms produced winds around 60 MPH in parts of northern Iowa. The highs winds caused some damage to a bar and business in Manly. Earlier, as the storms moved through central Iowa, lightning struck several power poles in Dallas County, setting them on fire.
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 May 2, 8:10 AM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 910 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008 .UPDATED PUBLIC DISCUSSION. .DISCUSSION... HAVE UPDATED ZONES TO REFLECT ONGOING PRECIP. OLD MCV AND BOW ECHO DYING SYSTEM CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES TO THE EAST. PARTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED TO CENTRAL AREAS WITH SFC LOW DEEPENING TO SW. SOME HINT THAT LOWS ARE AGAIN CONSOLIDATING AS MODELS SUGGEST ONE LOW WILL DEEPEN AND TRACK NORTHEAST WITH TIME. MOISTURE AXIS HAD MOVED EAST BUT NOW SOME RETURN LOW TO MID 50S TDS ARE HEADING BACK TOWARD THE CONSOLIDATING LOW. UPPER LVL VORT MAX STILL WEST AND ONGOING CONVECTION WILL BE ENTERING A SLIGHTLY BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR SVR REMAINS LIMITED...THOUGH STILL PERSISTS MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF I35. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. HAVE KEPT TMAX FOR THE DAY WITH SOME ADJUSTMENT TO POP THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON PERIODS. /REV .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... THE WEATHER WILL REMAIN ACTIVE TODAY AS STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ALONG A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVE NORTH-NORTHEAST OUT OF MO MOVES INTO IA. WATER VAPOR SHOWS A VORT MAX PUSHING NORTHEAST AS WELL WHICH IS ALSO SHOWING UP ON RADAR AS STORMS OVER NCEN/NE MO ARE BOWING OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND TAKING A MORE NORTHERLY TRACK INTO SOUTHERN/ SOUTHEAST IOWA. CURRENTLY THE STORMS ARE SUB SEVERE BUT CAPE SHEAR AND INSTABILITY INCREASE IN POST FRONTAL AIRMASS WITH VERY HIGH SHEAR WILL BRING A CHANGE TO THE CURRENT STORMS BY 15Z. CURRENT REPORTS TO OUR SOUTH...WHERE STORMS ARE AND HAVE BEEN STRONGER HAVE WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. AS THE HIGHER SHEAR AIR MAKES ITS WAY NORTH STORMS WILL PROBABLY BECOME SEVERE...MAINLY OVER OUR EASTERN CWA AND LOCATIONS EAST. THE THREAT WILL BE SUSTAINED INTO THE AFTERNOON FOR THE EASTERN CWA AS THE COLD POOL FROM THE UPPER LOW PARKS OVER CENTRAL/EASTERN IOWA. WITH SURFACE HEATING DESTABILIZATION WILL DEVELOP THUNDERSTORMS QUICKLY WITH AT LEAST AN INITIAL THREAT FOR HAIL AND STRONG WIND. THE SYSTEM DEPARTS BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING LEAVING SHOWERS IN ITS WAKE BUT AS UNSEASONABLY COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE NORTHWEST A RAIN AND SNOW MIX IS POSSIBLE OVER FAR NORTHWEST IOWA. AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST ON SATURDAY...CENTRAL IOWA GETS CAUGHT IN SOME WRAP AROUND PRECIPITATION SO SATURDAY LOOKS COLD AND DAMP...AT LEAST THROUGH EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON. IN THE EXTENDED WE GET A BREAK IN THE ACTION SUNDAY AND MONDAY BUT ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVES IN FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THERE ARE PRETTY BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GFS AND EURO BUT ONE COMMON THREAD WAS THAT BOTH MODELS SPREAD PRECIP IN QUICKER SO I ADDED RAIN TO TUESDAY BUT HAD TO ADJUST THURSDAY A BIT IN RESPONSE TO MOVING THE SYSTEM IN AND OUT QUICKER. LITTLE OR NO CHANGE TO TEMPS AS GOING FORECAST HAD A GOOD HANDLE ON THAT. && .AVIATION...02/12Z FIRST WAVE OF CONVECTION IS LIFTING THROUGH SERN IA ATTM AND WILL BE OUT OF THE AREA BFR 15Z. NEW ROUND ASSOCD WITH THE UPR LOW DVLPG OVR ERN NEBRASKA INTO KS AND WILL ENTER WRN IA BY 14-15Z AND RACE E AND NE ACRS THE TAF SITES FROM 15-20Z WITH A NARROW BAND OF TSRA. WRAP ARND MVFR CONDS IN -RA AND STRATUS WILL OVR SPREAD THE AREA FM THE NW IN THE WAKE OF THE SFC LOW LATE THIS AFTN IN THE NWRN PART OF THE STATE AND OVERSPEAD THE STATE BY 06Z OR SO. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE && SHORT TERM...REV AVIATION...REV LONG TERM...FAB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 444 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008 IAZ006-007-016-017-025>028-037>039-049-050-061-062-075-086-097- 030945- WINNEBAGO-WORTH-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER- HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-MARSHALL-TAMA-JASPER-POWESHIEK-MAHASKA- WAPELLO-DAVIS- 444 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF A MASON CITY TO OTTUMWA LINE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...MAINLY FROM MID MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE DURING THIS PERIOD WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND BEING THE MAIN THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...FLASH FLOODING CANNOT BE RULED OUT IF HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPS ACROSS AREAS WHERE THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM RECENT HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AT THIS TIME THE SEVERE THREAT CANNOT BE DETERMINED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033>036-044>048-057>060-070>074-081>085- 092>096-030945- EMMET-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-SAC-CALHOUN-WEBSTER- HAMILTON-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE- DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-ADAMS-UNION-CLARKE- LUCAS-MONROE-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE-APPANOOSE- 444 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL IOWA WEST OF A MASON CITY TO OTTUMWA LINE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT LATER THIS MORNING WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND BEING THE MAIN THREAT... ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME ISOLATED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AT THIS TIME THE SEVERE THREAT CANNOT BE DETERMINED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. FAB
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:57 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck several power poles and set them on fire near the intersection of Highway 44 and P46/El Paso Ave.
Damage was done to the roof of a bar and siding of another business in Manly.
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, May 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: 86472, 86474, 86476, 86475, 86477, 86473.