A low pressure area was located over South Dakota with a warm front extending from the low across west central into southeast Iowa. The atmosphere became moderately unstable during the afternoon as moisture pooled along the warm front.
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 DMX wrote it up.
A low pressure area was located over South Dakota with a warm front extending from the low across west central into southeast Iowa. The atmosphere became moderately unstable during the afternoon as moisture pooled along the warm front. Precipitable water values increased to 1.6 to 1.8 inches by mid afternoon. The CAPE increased to 1000 to 2000 J/kg with 300 to 500 J/kg available in the -10 to -30 C layer of the atmosphere, though the freezing level was quite high at 14,700 feet. Downdraft CAPE was in the 700 to 900 J/kg range. The atmosphere had 40 to 50 kts of shear available. The LCL was relatively low, in the 750 to 1000 meter range, however shear was limited in the lower levels. Thunderstorms developed around the warm front during the afternoon. Severe weather was limited to hail, with spotty reports of 1 to 1.5 inch diameter hail received.
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 Jun 14, 11:51 AM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1251 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 .SHORT TERM.../TODAY/... ISSUED AT 330 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 FORECAST FOR TODAY CENTERS AROUND CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES OVERTOPPING THE DEEP LAYER RIDGE OVERHEAD WITHIN A BROAD WARM ADVECTION REGIME. CURRENTLY RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS WESTERN IOWA IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NOCTURNAL MAX TIME AND LLJ...BUT AS THIS ACTIVITY MOVES EASTWARD IT WILL ENCOUNTER A SOMEWHAT MORE STABLE AIRMASS AND SHOULD SLOWLY WEAKEN. LATER TODAY DIURNAL HEATING SHOULD SUPPORT ANOTHER ROUND OR TWO OF TSTORM DEVELOPMENT...HOWEVER THE TIMING AND LOCATION OF THIS PRECIP WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE DEGREE OF DESTABILIZATION AND LOCATION OF OUTFLOWS AND OTHER REMNANT BOUNDARIES FROM MORNING CONVECTION. IN OTHER WORDS...STORMS WILL BE AROUND AT INTERVALS ALL DAY BUT POPS WILL NECESSARILY BE BROAD BRUSHED AND MAINLY IN THE CHANCE/SCATTERED CATEGORY. ASIDE FROM THE RAINFALL ASPECT THE DAY WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY SEASONAL MILD TEMPERATURES AND FAIRLY HUMID CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEAST BREEZES. .LONG TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... ISSUED AT 330 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BE ONGOING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD ACRS MUCH OF CENTRAL IOWA WITH FOCUS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE WHERE MOISTURE TRANSPORT IS MAXIMIZED. THERE MAY BE SOME SEVERE CONVECTION...HOWEVER MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM HEAVY RAINFALL FROM TRAINING AND HAVE DISCUSSED THESE ISSUES IN THE HYDROLOGY SECTION BELOW. OTHERWISE...THREAT OF CONVECTION WILL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY AHEAD OF A SURFACE WAVE WHICH WILL PASS THROUGH THE STATE DURING THE DAY. MAIN CONCERN FOR SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE IN THE SOUTHEAST FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF THE SURFACE WAVE WHERE SOME HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE SOMEWHAT OF A BREAK ON SATURDAY NIGHT AS WEAK SURFACE RIDGING CROSSES THE STATE. HAVE DECREASED POPS SOME DURING THIS TIME...ESPECIALLY LATE AS SUBSIDENCE CROSSES THE STATE. AN UPPER LOW DROPPING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER THREAT FOR RAINFALL LATER SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY...HOWEVER THE BULK OF CONVECTION AND RAINFALL WILL BE FARTHER SOUTH DURING THIS TIME WITH AMOUNTS EXPECTED TO BE MUCH LIGHTER THAN TONIGHT AND SATURDAYS RAINFALL. AFTER THIS TIME...DRIER AND COOLER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE STATE WITH THE THREAT OF PRECIPITATION SUBSIDING BY LATER MONDAY. QUIET WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. RETURN FLOW AND INCREASING THETA-E ADVECTION RETURN BY THURSDAY WITH AN INCREASING THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS. && .AVIATION...14/18Z ISSUED AT 1243 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 CONFIDENCE IS QUITE LOW THROUGH THE PERIOD DUE TO VARIATIONS IN CONVECTIVE TRENDS...WHICH HI RES MODELS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CAPTURING WELL. ALTHOUGH HAVE NOTHING MORE THAN VCSH WORDING AT THIS POINT WITH QUESTIONS IN LOCATION AND TIMING...HAVE GENERALLY FOCUSED ON TWO PERIODS. FIRST WOULD BE NEAR TERM WITH EXITING SE CONVECTION AND ARRIVAL OF NARROW LINE JUST CROSSING MO RIVER NEAR KSUX WHICH SHOULD CONTINUE TO BRING SCATTERED CONVECTION THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS ADDITIONAL VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT OVER WRN IA AS WELL...SO MAY SEE FURTHER EXPANSION AFFECTING KDSM/KOTM. SECOND MENTION WILL BE PROLONGED VCSH WORDING TONIGHT IN RESPONSE TO SECOND SURGE OF WARM ADVECTION. ANY OF THESE INSTANCES COULD PRODUCE MVFR OR LESS CONDITIONS WITH THUNDER...BUT DO NOT WANT TO MENTION EXTENDED PERIODS OF EITHER UNTIL TRENDS BECOME MORE CLEAR...F0CUSING ON CRITICAL TAF PERIOD. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 330 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 THERE WILL BE STRONG MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE STATE TODAY WITH PWAT VALUES INCREASING TO 1.5-2.0 INCHES OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL IOWA. WARM CLOUD DEPTH IS GENERALLY FROM 11-14KFT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY MORNING WITH SOME SLIGHT DECREASE ON SATURDAY. WARM CLOUD PROCESSES ARE ANTICIPATED DURING THIS TIME WITH SOME TRAINING LIKELY UNTIL SURFACE WAVE PASSES BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS HAVE GENERALLY BEEN INDICATING ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE AN WITH THE CONVECTION...ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE ANTICIPATED. GIVEN THE RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL AND RELATIVELY LOW FFG VALUES ACROSS THE NORTH...HAVE GONE WITH A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN NORTHERN IOWA FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THE RAIN SHOULD TAPER OFF AS A SURFACE WAVE PASSES. MAY SEE SOME RENEWAL OF RIVER FLOODING AS WELL AS THE RUNOFF ENTERS THE STREAMS AND RIVERS. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR BLACK HAWK-BREMER-BUTLER-CALHOUN-CERRO GORDO-EMMET- FRANKLIN-GRUNDY-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HARDIN-HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-SAC-WEBSTER-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-WRIGHT. && SHORT TERM...LEE LONG TERM...COGIL AVIATION...SMALL HYDROLOGY...COGIL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 533 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-151100- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN- WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK- 533 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO TONIGHT. SOME SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE WITH MAIN THREAT FROM HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED WITH MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON SATURDAY WITH HEAVY RAIN REMAINING POSSIBLE. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL THREAT OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY EVENING AND THEN AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY MONDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THOSE TIMES. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES EMERGE ONCE AGAIN BY NEXT THURSDAY BUT THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT CANNOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. IAZ044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-151100- CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE- DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION- MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION-CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD- DECATUR-WAYNE-APPANOOSE-DAVIS- 533 AM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES WILL REMAIN INTO SATURDAY WITH SEVERE WEATHER ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE BY AFTERNOON WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT ALONG WITH HEAVY RAINFALL. THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES REMAIN FROM SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING ALTHOUGH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS MINIMAL. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES EMERGE ONCE AGAIN BY NEXT THURSDAY BUT THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT CANNOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT AS WELL AS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. CC
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 242 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 IAZ033-044-142045- CRAWFORD-SAC- 242 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 2013 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS WEST CENTRAL IOWA... AT 238 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 23 MILES NORTHWEST OF DENISON...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... SCHLESWIG... ARION... DENISON AIRPORT... KIRON... DENISON... BUCK GROVE... ODEBOLT... DELOIT... EARLY... WALL LAKE... WESTSIDE... SAC CITY... LAKE VIEW... ASPINWALL... GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW AROUND. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. SMALL
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:34 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
One to one and one half inches of dime size hail covered the ground with some hail stones the size of ping pong balls.
Nickel to half dollar size hail covered the ground in Allerton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, June 2013
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: 446109, 446253, 446111.