The cold front that initiated severe weather across central and southern Iowa the previous day stalled mid-way across the state, keeping conditions fairly primed for storms. A weak area of low pressure to the west in the Colorado/Wyoming/Nebraska area developed and initiated in the early evening hours, eventually conglomerating into a potent MCS.
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 cold front that initiated severe weather across central and southern Iowa the previous day stalled mid-way across the state, keeping conditions fairly primed for storms. A weak area of low pressure to the west in the Colorado/Wyoming/Nebraska area developed and initiated in the early evening hours, eventually conglomerating into a potent MCS. By the time it reached Iowa, the strongest areas of the MCS resided across the northern third of the state, producing numerous damage reports and some severe hail. The line weakened through the overnight hours, eventually becoming sub-severe shortly after crossing Interstate 35.
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 Jul 6, 11:12 PM CST, 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1212 AM CDT Thu Jul 7 2016 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .SHORT TERM.../Tonight/ Issued at 308 PM CDT Wed Jul 6 2016 Main concern about the short term period is severe wx potential overnight. Surface front is progged to lift north this evening/tonight... reaching northern IA. Per SPC Day1 outlook...much of the northern CWA is in Enhanced Risk...with the remainder of the CWA in Slight Risk...tonight. Moderate risk just to the NW of the CWA...in far NW IA. Cannot see much reason to disagree with SPC Day1 outlook narrative. ESRL HRRR seems to show current thinking rather well. Expect the forward-propagating MCS to enter the NW CWA after 05Z...reaching the eastern CWA by 08-09Z. The northern half of IA looks most likely to see the brunt of the convection tonight...thus have kept the highest POPs there. Although all modes of severe wx are possible...greatest threat would be damaging wind gusts. Cannot rule out possibility of QLCS/leading edge tornadoes depending on strength/orientation of 0-3km shear. Storms will also have potential to produce very heavy rain. Given expected progressive nature of the storm complex overnight...along with 1-hr flash flood guidance values being generally no less than 1.5 to 2 in...expect minimal flash flood threat. May see some isolated minor flooding and PONDING issues especially in urban areas though...but will hold off on Flash Flood Watch at this time. .LONG TERM.../Thursday through Wednesday/ Issued at 308 PM CDT Wed Jul 6 2016 The long term forecast period can be broken down into three distinct periods. Active, then quiet, then generally active again, corresponding with changes in the 500 mb pattern. On Thursday morning an MCS will likely be over or just departing our area to the east, leaving a large but relatively shallow cold pool in its wake. The southern boundary of this cold pool may be to our south or may like somewhere across our area at sunrise, depending on convective evolution tonight as discussed in the short term section above. Meanwhile a broad surface low pressure area will remain across Kansas and Nebraska, with a vigorous 500 mb shortwave moving across the northern Rockies. During the day as the shortwave approaches the broad surface low will gradually move eastward as an elongated trough, while the outflow boundary forming the southern edge of the cold pool will either stall or more likely retreat northward as an effective warm front. The intersection of these two features will provide a triple point for more thunderstorm development during the afternoon and evening, in conjunction with peak heating/destabilization and the broad forcing for vertical ascent associated with the approaching shortwave. Given the strength of the flow fields/vertical shear and instability in place the environment will certainly be supportive of severe weather. However, there is uncertainty as to the location and magnitude of these storms as it will be conditional on how the earlier MCS evolves late tonight. The SPC day 2 outlook covers this threat well with a broad Enhanced Risk, which will be reassessed tomorrow morning in wake of the MCS. The Thursday storm system will quickly blow out to the east on Thursday night and be replaced by deep layer ridging through Sunday. On Friday lingering cyclonic flow associated with the departing low pressure system will bring moderate northwest breezes and cool weather to the area, with the winds lightening up and cool temperatures persisting for the weekend as a surface high pressure ridge slides by. On Sunday as low level winds come around to south southeast and the thermal ridge aloft moves overhead we should see some warming, but this will be mitigated by cool upstream trajectories and a lack of atmospheric mixing. By the end of the weekend a larger and deeper trough will be moving into the Rockies and this will be a weather-maker for us early next week. It remains to be seen to what extent the 500 mb closed low associated with this system may be able to move eastward and penetrate the ridge in place across the central U.S. or whether it will instead glance off northeastward. The ECMWF is currently taking the more northeastward solution while the GFS brings the low somewhat more eastward. There is broad agreement on a general solution for the associated synoptic features however, with a surface trough across Nebraska and the Dakotas providing a focus for thunderstorm development on Monday. This may push resulting storms into our area around Monday night and Tuesday, though confidence is low in such a scenario this far out. Have maintained mid-range POPs for now and will await more data in the coming days before attempting to refine details. && .AVIATION.../For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Thursday night/ Issued at 1212 AM CDT Thu Jul 7 2016 Line of storms moving into western to northwest Iowa look to impact FOD to MCW between 06-08z with the potential for severe winds. Storms look to move into DSM to ALO, but lower confidence in the severe threat. Likley to see some brief MVFR to IFR visibility and ceilings with this line of storms, but low confidence in duration. OTM may get missed by this first round of storms, but the next round with the cold front later Thursday afternoon. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && SHORT TERM...Zogg LONG TERM...Lee AVIATION...Podrazik
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 355 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-071100- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN- WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-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- 355 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THE PRIMARY THREAT IS DAMAGING WIND. IN ADDITION...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLOODING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON THURSDAY ESPECIALLY IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH ALL MODES POSSIBLE...POTENTIALLY INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES...ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THURSDAY WILL ALSO BE WARM AND VERY HUMID. HEAT INDEX VALUES MAY REACH OR JUST EXCEED 100 DEGREES ACROSS SOUTHERN IOWA. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST FROM SUNDAY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES FROM LATE MONDAY INTO LATE TUESDAY. THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION COULD VERY WELL BE NEEDED THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT AND AGAIN LATE THURSDAY. LEE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1245 AM CDT THU JUL 7 2016
IAZ004-005-015-023-024-070645-
EMMET IA-PALO ALTO IA-HUMBOLDT IA-POCAHONTAS IA-KOSSUTH IA-
1245 AM CDT THU JUL 7 2016
...ISOLATED STRONG WINDS WITH LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
AT 1244 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EVERLY TO NEAR ALBERT CITY. MOVEMENT WAS
NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
ISOLATED WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ESTHERVILLE...ALGONA...EMMETSBURG...POCAHONTAS...DAKOTA CITY...
HUMBOLDT...LAURENS...INGHAM LAKE...RUSH LAKE...FIVE ISLAND LAKE...
IOWA LAKE...SILVER LAKE...HIGH LAKE...OKAMANPEDAN LAKE...LOST ISLAND
LAKE...SWAN LAKE...ARMSTRONG...GRAETTINGER...WEST BEND AND RUTHVEN.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 AM CDT FOR
NORTH CENTRAL...CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN IOWA.
LAT...LON 4350 9442 4321 9418 4268 9397 4264 9397
4264 9415 4269 9491 4342 9491 4350 9469
TIME...MOT...LOC 0544Z 248DEG 43KT 4317 9530 4270 9491
SKOWThe Des Moines radar (KDMX), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:51 UTC.
17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported extensive tree damage in the city of Fonda, via social media. Time radar estimated.
Media reported 12 inch diameter tree limbs down. Time radar estimated.
Trained spotter reported numerous large branches, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, down in town along with a couple of trees, 9 to 12 inches in diameter, down. Also reported power lines down, but unknown if the cause were the downed trees. Delayed report, time radar estimated.
Law Enforcement reported trees down in town. Time radar estimated.
Home weather station measured a wind gust of 65 mph.
Trained spotter reported seeing numerous large tree branches downed just south of the airport, as well as some bent and flattened corn. Delayed report, time radar estimated.
Kossuth County Emergency Manager reported extensive tree damage across the entire county due to straight line winds. Specifically Burt, Algona, Swea City, Luverne, and Bancroft were mentioned in the report.
There was a report of a large tree blocking Highway 69.
Emergency Manager reported trees downed and uprooted along with a camper destroyed by a fallen tree. Time radar estimated.
Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines down.
Mesonet station at KIMT TV measured a wind gust of 63 mph.
Trained spotter reported tree damage in town, including a very large tree uprooted. A few trees were reported on vehicles too.
Emergency Manager reported a camper overturned due to high winds. Time radar estimated.
Trained spotter reported four trees 6 to 8 inches wide and one tree 10 to 12 inches wide down. Time estimated by radar and other reports.
Delayed report from morning storms. KWWL reported a derailed train due to high winds. Time radar estimated.
Iowa DOT reported Highway 65 blocked in both directions due to downed power lines. Time radar estimated.
Home weather station measured wind gust of 68 mph.
Public reported one stone possibly to baseball size, but nearly all others were ping pong ball sized. Hail was also accompanied by strong winds and substantial crop damage.
Public relayed nickel sized hail through Kossuth County dispatch.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 2016
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: 641232, 641233, 641234, 641236, 641237, 641238, 641239, 641240, 641241, 641242, 641243, 641245, 641246, 641247, 641248, 641249, 641251, 641252, 641253.