A line of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front moved into portions of northeast Iowa during the late evening of May 6, 2008. A couple of severe wind reports were received due to the storms which broke many tree limbs at Independence, Iowa.
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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.
A line of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front moved into portions of northeast Iowa during the late evening of May 6, 2008. A couple of severe wind reports were received due to the storms which broke many tree limbs at Independence, Iowa.
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 May 6, 1:40 PM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 240 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2008 .SYNOPSIS... COLD FRONT FROM THE WESTERN DAKOTAS TO WESTERN NEBRASKA WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. POTENT UPPER LOW IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA IS PROGGED TO MOVE EASTWARD INTO ARKANSAS BY THURSDAY...KEEPING HEAVIEST RAINS SOUTH OF THE DVN CWA. ENERGETIC PATTERN THIS PERIOD WITH SHORT WAVES MOVING THROUGH THE ZONAL FLOW...BUT THEIR IMPACT ON OUR REGION REMAINS TO BE SEEN. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT... WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN PRODUCING ACCAS WITH A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OCCURRING IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN CWA REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. HOWEVER...FOCUS FOR NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT REMAINS WELL TO THE WEST. MCS IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS HAS WEAKENED CONSIDERABLY ALLOWING FOR BETTER SOUTHERLY FLOW AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT UP THROUGH THE PLAINS. WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS TROUGH DIVING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS WHICH SHOULD INCREASE THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IN KS/NE/SE SD. THIS SHOULD LINK UP WITH ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN MN...EVENTUALLY SPREADING SOUTHEAST AS AN MCS AS COLD FRONT AND UPPER SUPPORT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE WITH LIKELY POPS WITH GOOD FORCING ESPECIALLY FROM LATE THIS EVENING AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED BUT MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS TO BE WEST OF THE DVN CWA. ..HAASE.. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY... THE MCS SHOULD BE ONGOING OVER PORTIONS OF THE CWA AT 12Z WEDNESDAY MORNING. THOUGH THE EVOLUTION OF THE MCS IS IN QUESTION...THE OVER ALL SETUP OF THE 850MB LLJ AIMED OVER THE CWA TOWARDS 12Z SHOULD RESULT IN AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH POTENTIALLY WIDESPREAD COVERAGE IF IT IS RIDING UP OVER TOP OF A MCS PRODUCED COLD POOL. BY EARLY AFTERNOON...FORCING SHOULD BE SOUTH OF THE CWA...AND THE SUN SHOULD FILTER THROUGH...RESULTING IN HIGHS AROUND 70. WE SHOULD BE COOL...BUT MOSTLY DRY WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM PASSES TO THE SOUTH OF THE CWA. WE HAVE CUT ALL BUT THE SOUTHERN TIER COUNTY POPS...WITH THE NORTH SEEING SOME GOOD SUNSHINE DURING THIS PERIOD. BEYOND THURSDAY NIGHT...THE EXTENDED IS VERY UNSETTLED...WITH MANY WAVES IN ACTIVE ZONAL FLOW. THE ECMWF AND GFS BOTH SHOW A SIGNIFICANT STORM FOR THE WEEKEND...BUT DETAILS ON THIS ARE WIDELY VARIED. BEHIND THIS STORM...QUIET WEATHER SHOULD LINGER THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. ..ERVIN.. && .AVIATION... THUNDERSTORMS FORMING IN NE/KS/SE SD/SOUTHERN MN REGION WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST AND SHOULD IMPACT ALL TAF SITES...ESPECIALLY FROM ABOUT 04-12Z TIME FRAME AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SHOWERS WILL THEN END BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY AT MOST SITES BUT KBRL WHERE SHOWERS SHOULD CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT SCT CU AND BKN MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. EXPECT MVFR AND BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS IN TSRA. SOUTH WINDS AHEAD OF FRONT WILL GUST TO AROUND 20 KNOTS...WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE WEST BEHIND FRONT AND THEN NORTHWEST TO NORTH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ..HAASE.. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && ERVIN/HAASE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 455 AM CDT TUE MAY 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- 455 AM CDT TUE MAY 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 ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON...AND ARE LIKELY TONIGHT AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AS IT ADVANCES FROM THE PLAINS INTO THE MIDWEST. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND CANNOT BE RULED OUT WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED PORTIONS OF THE AREA WEST OF A DUBUQUE TO WASHINGTON LINE IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. MINOR TO MAJOR FLOODING CONTINUES ALONG PORTIONS OF THE TRIBUTARY RIVERS AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN EASTERN IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENT FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. MCCLURE/SHEETS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 835 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2008 IAZ040-041-051-052-063-064-070315- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-BENTON-LINN-IOWA-JOHNSON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...INDEPENDENCE...MANCHESTER...VINTON... CEDAR RAPIDS...MARENGO...IOWA CITY 835 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2008 ...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD EAST CENTRAL IOWA... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT 830 PM INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD EAST CENTRAL IOWA. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH AND HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE. THESE STORMS SHOULD REACH INDEPENDENCE AND VINTON BY 9 PM...AND CEDAR RAPIDS AND MANCHESTER AROUND 930 PM...AND THE IOWA CITY AREA AROUND 10 PM. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THESE STORMS...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN THE EVENT WARNINGS ARE ISSUED. WOLF
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:16 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter measured thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph near Vinton.
The emergency manager reported many limbs down that were 3 inches in diameter near Independence. Wind gusts were estimated at 58 mph.
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: 98789, 98787.