The evening of the 23rd and into the AM hours of the 24th a few training storms set up over central Iowa, namely Ames area, and produced locally heavy rainfall and a couple of hail reports. The setup was a warm front/pseudo stationary front in the region and low level jet ramping up.
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.
The evening of the 23rd and into the AM hours of the 24th a few training storms set up over central Iowa, namely Ames area, and produced locally heavy rainfall and a couple of hail reports. The setup was a warm front/pseudo stationary front in the region and low level jet ramping up.
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 23, 5:26 AM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 626 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 .SHORT TERM /TODAY/... ISSUED AT 410 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 A MUCH QUIETER FORECAST IS IN STORE FOR TODAY WITH A LARGE COOL HIGH PRESSURE AREA MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WITH SOME MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS BUILDING IN BY AFTERNOON AND LIGHT SURFACE WINDS. TEMPERATURES WILL CLEARLY BE COOLER THAN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS...BUT GIVEN THE LIGHT WINDS AND AMPLE SUNSHINE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY HAVE GONE SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN GUIDANCE...BUT STILL IN THE LOWER 80S GENERALLY. LATER TODAY THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT PASSED THROUGH ON MONDAY...AND IS NOW DOWN ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI...WILL BEGIN TO MOVE SLOWLY BACK NORTHWARD TOWARD IOWA. THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THAT PEAK HEATING WILL ALLOW THE ATMOSPHERE TO DESTABILIZE ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME ELEVATED SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN IOWA...IN THE 850 MB FRONTAL ZONE...BUT THESE SHOULD BE BENIGN INITIALLY AND MAY HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER DARK TONIGHT. .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... ISSUED AT 410 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 SUB-TROPICAL HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN CONUS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND WILL LEAVE IOWA OVER THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE WESTERLIES DURING THAT TIME. RETURN FLOW WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AS THE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS TO THE EAST. STRONG THETA-E ADVECTION WILL COMMENCE AND LIFT INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN HALF OF THE STATE BY 7 AM WEDNESDAY AS THE LOW LEVEL JET VEERS INTO THE AREA. MUCAPES NEAR 2000 J/KG AND STEEPENING LAPSE RATES WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP. IN ADDITION...PWATS APPROACHING 2 INCHES WILL LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL. THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT COULD BE ENHANCED BY SLOW STORM MOTIONS AND BACK BUILDING OF STORMS LEADING TO TRAINING. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTH DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY AND IMPACT THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. A SFC WARM FRONT WILL LIFT SLOWLY NORTH THROUGH MISSOURI ON WEDNESDAY AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH FAR SOUTHERN IOWA BY THE AFTERNOON. WITH WEAK UPPER FLOW TO THE SOUTH AND THE WESTERLIES OVER IOWA...IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR THE BOUNDARY TO LIFT TOO FAR NORTH. THE AIR MASS TO THE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY WILL BE CAPPED TO SFC BASED CONVECTION INITIALLY. A SHORT WAVE ARRIVING BY THE AFTERNOON WILL COOL THE CAPPED LAYER AND WILL BRING ENHANCE VERTICAL ASCENT LEADING TO THE POTENTIAL FOR VIGOROUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT. SPC HAS PLACED MUCH OF CENTRAL IOWA IN AN ENHANCED RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER (REFERENCE SWODY2). SUSPECT THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR SFC BASED DEVELOPMENT WILL BE OVER THE SOUTH THEREFORE IF TRENDS PERSIST...FUTURE UPDATES WILL FOLLOW SUIT. CERTAINLY THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG SUPERCELLS WILL EXIST WITH ALL FORMS OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE ALONG WITH THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING. SHOULD THIS THREAT DEVELOP OVER SOUTHERN IOWA...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BECOME NECESSARY CONSIDERING THE RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THAT AREA SINCE THIS PAST WEEKEND. THURSDAY SHOULD BE RELATIVELY QUIET BEFORE A STRONGER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM ARRIVES THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY BRINGING RENEWED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. THIS SYSTEM IN COMBINATION WITH HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING DEVELOPING ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WILL BRING NORTHWEST FLOW TO THE UPPER MIDWEST. THIS PATTERN WILL NOT BE AS ACTIVE WITH THE BETTER MOISTURE RELEGATED WELL TO THE SOUTH. TEMPERATURES WILL BE PLEASANT WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND 80S WITH RELATIVELY LOW HUMIDITY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL ALSO BE LOW. && .AVIATION...23/12Z ISSUED AT 626 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TONIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN UNDER 10 KT AND BE VARIABLE AND NEARLY CALM AT TIMES. MOSTLY HIGH CLOUDS WILL SLOWLY INCREASE LATER TODAY...THEN LATE TONIGHT SOME LOW CLOUDS AND SCT SHRA/TSRA SHOULD DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN IA...POSSIBLY AFFECTING DSM/OTM TOWARD THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LEE LONG TERM...DONAVON AVIATION...LEE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 514 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 IAZ023-033>038-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-241015- POCAHONTAS-SAC-CALHOUN-WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-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- 514 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST OVER THE AREA TONIGHT. A FEW SEVERE STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OCCUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ON WEDNESDAY. THE LARGE HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL CONTINUE IN THE MORNING AS STORMS LIFT NORTH. VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND A FEW TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN ADDITIONAL TO HEAVY RAINFALL. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON WEDNESDAY. IAZ004>007-015>017-024>028-039-241015- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-BLACK HAWK- 514 AM CDT TUE JUN 23 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A FEW SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO OCCUR. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED WEDNESDAY.
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:58 UTC.
4 heavy rain, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 2.32 inches over the previous 24 hours and ending at 8am.
Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 3.25 inches since the previous day at noon.
Public reported heavy rainfall of 3.70 inches over the last 24 hours.
Public reported heavy rainfall of 2.70 inches at Ames High School since midnight.
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, June 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: 576585, 576586, 576588, 576587, 576583, 576584.