Iowa, 2010

High Wind in Iowa, October 26 to 27, 2010

October 26 to 27, 2010 · NWS FSD · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

An unusually large and strong low pressure system with record low pressures at its center moved north of the area on October 26th and moved only slowly away by late on October 27th. Widespread strong winds near this low reached occasional sustained speed above 40 mph in northwest Iowa with gusts near or above 60 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$74,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.

An unusually large and strong low pressure system with record low pressures at its center moved north of the area on October 26th and moved only slowly away by late on October 27th. Widespread strong winds near this low reached occasional sustained speed above 40 mph in northwest Iowa with gusts near or above 60 mph. The strong winds began on the morning of October 26, and with only a slight decrease that night, continued through the daytime of October 27th before decreasing more significantly that evening. Along with numerous reports of measured high winds, scattered damage was reported.

What forecasters said that day

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 25, 3:15 PM CST, 15 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 25, 3:15 PM CST, 15 hours 45 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 25, 10:13 AM CST, 20 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1113 AM CDT MON OCT 25 2010

SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-261200-
AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA-
CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE-
DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON-
IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN-
LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN-
OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN-
SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON-
1113 AM CDT MON OCT 25 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS...
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AND SPREAD EAST
ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THE BEST CHANCES FOR
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALONG AND EAST OF A YANKTON SOUTH
DAKOTA TO BROOKINGS SOUTH DAKOTA LINE. HOWEVER SEVERE WEATHER IS
NOT EXPECTED.

FLOODING...
MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ON THE MISSOURI
RIVER...UPSTREAM OF GAVINS POINT DAM NEAR NIOBRARA...SPRINGFIELD
AND VERDEL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
ACROSS THE AREA BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Buena Vista

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Buena Vista forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Cherokee

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Cherokee forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Clay

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph. The winds blew down and destroyed a large store sign in Spencer.

High Wind, Dickinson

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Dickinson forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Lyon

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph. The winds blew a livestock trailer being hauled by a truck off the road and overturned it in a ditch.

High Wind, O'Brien

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
O'Brien forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Injuries
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$4,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph. The winds caused the driver of one car to lose control and go into a ditch, slightly injuring the driver.

High Wind, Osceola

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Osceola forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Plymouth

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Plymouth forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Sioux

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Sioux forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Injuries
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph. The winds blew two semi trailers over, one onto a road and another into a ditch, with one driver sustaining minor injuries.

High Wind, Ida

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Ida forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.387, -95.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

High Wind, Woodbury

When
October 26, 7:00 AM CST to October 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Woodbury forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Prolonged high winds from the west to northwest were caused by a very large and strong low pressure system that deepened to a record low central pressure as it moved north of the area. Sustained winds frequently reached speeds of 40 mph and there were frequent gusts to around 60 mph.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, October 2010

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 265939, 265940, 265941, 265942, 265943, 265944, 265945, 265946, 265947, 265948, 265949.