A weak frontal boundary sagging southward across eastern Iowa produced a couple rounds of scattered showers. One of these showers produced a brief funnel cloud near Wapello in Louisa County.
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The episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.
A weak frontal boundary sagging southward across eastern Iowa produced a couple rounds of scattered showers. One of these showers produced a brief funnel cloud near Wapello in Louisa County.
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 Aug 7, 5:43 PM CST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 643 PM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 242 PM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 THE WEAK TAIL OF A SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS MN AND WI SET OFF A FEW SPRINKLES ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 30 THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING THE CURRENT WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS. BUT MUCAPES SOUNDINGS INDICATE DRY AIR ALOFT IS SUFFICIENT TO HELP INHIBIT ADDITIONAL STORM DEVELOPMENT DESPITE ADEQUATE CAPE IN MOST OF THE CWA. A WEAK BOUNDARY WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY ONLY A WIND SHIFT IS PUSHING INTO THE WESTERN PART OF THE CWA...BUT AT THIS POINT HAS NOT KICKED OFF ANY STORMS. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 242 PM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 CONVECTIVE MODELS HINT AT A FEW SHOWERS POPPING UP IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG AND NEAR THE WIND SHIFT BOUNDARY...BUT HAVE PLAYED THIS DOWN KEEPING POPS THIS EVENING IN THE ISOLATED CATEGORY AROUND 10 PERCENT IN GENERAL. OVERNIGHT WE SHOULD SEE CLEARING AND PLEASANT SUMMERTIME LOW TEMPS IN THE 60S. THE DAYTIME HOURS SATURDAY SHOULD BE GENERALLY DRY WITH ONLY A SMALL CHANCE OF STORMS PRIOR TO THE MORE SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL OVERNIGHT. PLEASANT TEMPS ARE AGAIN EXPECTED WITH HIGHS MAINLY IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 242 PM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 INTERNALLY...ALL MODELS ARE POINTING TO A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX AFFECTING THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THE WHEN AND WHERE ARE DEPENDENT UPON WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PLAINS 24 HOURS EARLIER. CONCEPTUALLY HOWEVER...INITIATION OF THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX LOOKS TO BE IN SOUTHWEST IOWA JUST SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST OF KOMA. ONCE DEVELOPED...THIS COMPLEX WOULD THEN MOVE EAST OR POSSIBLY JUST SOUTH OF EAST LATE SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING. AS SUCH...AREAS SOUTH OF I-80 HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING RAIN WITH AREAS SOUTH OF AN KOOA TO KC75 HAVING EVEN BETTER CHANCES. MOISTURE SURGES INTO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE FORCING IN SOME MODELS BECOMES VERY STRONG. THUS THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. ADDITIONALLY... ALTHOUGH WEAK...THERE ARE SIGNALS STARTING TO APPEAR IN THE MODELS SUGGESTING STORMS MAY DEVELOP AND MOVE REPEATEDLY OVER THE SAME AREAS WHICH COULD RESULT IN EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THE AREA THAT IS CONCEPTUALLY UNDER THREAT FOR HEAVY RAIN HAS HAD TIME TO DRY OUT SO THE GROUND WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE SOME RAIN WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL EXIT THE AREA SUNDAY MORNING. BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM THE COMPLEX WILL DICTATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPERATURES SUNDAY ARE A CONCERN. IF ENOUGH COLD AIR IS DRAWN DOWN FROM ALOFT BY THE STORM COMPLEX...THE PROJECTED HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY COULD BE 3 TO 5 DEGREES TOO WARM. CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS SUNDAY AFTERNOON WILL LINGER INTO THE EVENING HOURS AND THEN DISSIPATE. DRY CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE ON TAP LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS BUILDING INTO THE MIDWEST. ON MONDAY...A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THE FLOW ALOFT IS FROM THE NORTHWEST SO MOISTURE WILL BE VERY LIMITED. ALTHOUGH DOUBTFUL...IF DAYTIME HEATING IS STRONG ENOUGH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM MAY DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON. MONDAY NIGHT ON... THE FLOW PATTERN ALOFT CHANGES OVER THE WEEKEND WITH NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE MIDWEST AS AN UPPER LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. COOL CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA AND REMAIN FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK. AS SUCH THE MODEL CONSENSUS HAS DRY CONDITIONS FROM MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE BELOW NORMAL. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THE CANADIAN HIGH MOVES TOWARD THE EAST COAST ALLOWING WARMER AIR AND MOISTURE BACK INTO THE AREA. THERE ARE DISAGREEMENTS AMONG THE MODELS AS TO HOW QUICKLY THE HIGH WILL MOVE TO THE EAST COAST. AS SUCH THE MODEL CONSENSUS HAS SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR PARTS OF THE AREA FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 625 PM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 AT THE VERY FIRST FEW MINUTES OF THE PERIOD THERE REMAINS A VICINITY THREAT OF AN ISOLATED SHOWER...POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM NEAR MLI AND BRL...AS A WEAK COLD FRONT SWEEPS EASTWARD. AFTER 01Z...THE FRONT...AND THE WIND SWITCH FROM SOUTHWEST TO WEST NORTHWEST. THE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL RAPIDLY DECREASE TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE...AS SKIES REMAIN CLEAR OVERNIGHT. SOME SHALLOW FOG IS POSSIBLE...AND STILL IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR FUTURE ISSUANCES. ONE REASON FOR NOT INCLUDING THIS IS THE SHALLOW NATURE OF THE MOISTURE...WHICH MAY RESULT IN HEAVY DEW VERSUS FOG. LATER...SATURDAY EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS WILL APPROACH FROM CENTRAL IOWA. PRIOR TO THIS...MID CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE SATURDAY MORNING...WITH SOME HIGH BASED SHOWERS POSSIBLE. THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE INCLUDED ON THE NEXT ISSUANCE AS WELL. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...WOLF SHORT TERM...WOLF LONG TERM...08 AVIATION...ERVIN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 403 AM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-080915- 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- 403 AM CDT FRI AUG 7 2015 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 THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING IN THE COUNTIES ALONG AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE ACTIVITY IS NOT FORECAST TO BECOME WIDESPREAD. THE MAIN HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH ANY STORMS THAT FORM ARE LIGHTNING STRIKES AND LOCALIZED/BRIEF STRONG WIND GUSTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND AND HEAVY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY EVENING. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS A SLIGHT RISK OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM BELLE PLAINE IOWA TO GALVA ILLINOIS. SUNDAY...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING HOURS OVER FAR EASTERN IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS LOW AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... UTTECH/SHEETS
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:44 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Local media forwarded a viewer report and photo of a funnel cloud near Wapello. The funnel did not show any sign of approaching the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, August 2015
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: 599907.