Drought conditions persisted across portions of western Iowa during the month. There was some generous rainfall but long term dryness allowed the severe drought conditions to continue.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Drought conditions persisted across portions of western Iowa during the month. There was some generous rainfall but long term dryness allowed the severe drought conditions to continue.
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 Oct 31, 10:37 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1137 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 ...Updated for the 06z Aviation Discussion... .DISCUSSION.../Tonight through Saturday/ Issued at 254 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 General Summary... Little to be concerned about within the forecast, especially once you get through today/tonight (windy) and Sunday (coldest day of the forecast). Temperatures throughout next week will be warming and quite comfortable with widespread highs in the 60s beginning Tuesday. Sunny skies and predominantly lighter southerly winds will prevail as well. All in all, an enjoyable fall forecast! Today through Sunday... The most impactful timeframe of an overall quiet forecast with strong winds today/tonight and cold frontal passage leading to a brief cool down. By mid-afternoon the aforementioned cold front found itself roughly half way across Iowa. Ahead of the front, deep mixing coupled with tight surface pressure gradient yielded southerly to southwesterly winds in the 20 to 25 kt range and gusts pushing 35+ kts, just below advisory criteria. Areas ahead of the front will continue to see strong winds flirting with advisory criteria until the frontal passage. As the front passes, a brief easing of winds will be seen before strong subsidence/CAA and tightening surface pressure gradient will yield another period of strong winds, this time out of the northwest. Soundings depict winds around 50 kts at the top of the mixed layer, suggesting another near- advisory period for winds. Have held off on a wind advisory for tonight in part due to bulk of the wind occurring in the overnight time frame, limiting overall impacts, and the lack of confidence in widespread and sustained advisory level winds. Temperatures will be significantly colder Sunday, as much as 20 to 25 degrees F, yielding highs in the 40s across much of the state. Fortunately, the cool down will be short lived. Monday through Saturday... After troughing pivots through the region this weekend, the large scale pattern will yield height rises throughout the early week and general zonal flow through the remainder of the forecast period. The primary takeaway will be quiet, dry, and warmer weather resulting in a very pleasant fall week. Expect highs into the 60s by Tuesday and beyond, including the potential for some low 70s. Just outside of the forecast period, synoptic models show good consensus for a large trough digging into the western CONUS late next weekend, potentially yielding a period of showers/thunder early next week (Nov 9/10). && .AVIATION.../For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Sunday night/ Issued at 1133 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 Gusty northwest winds overnight with gusts over 35 kts at times. The wind will remain gusty during the day on Sunday but will gradually diminish through the day. VFR conditions will persist though a period of VFR stratus with ceilings around 4 kft will pass across northeast Iowa including vicinity of KMCW/KALO. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION...Curtis AVIATION...Donavon
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1155 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-035>039-020500- Emmet-Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo- Pocahontas-Humboldt-Wright-Franklin-Butler-Bremer-Webster- Hamilton-Hardin-Grundy-Black Hawk- 1155 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Wind Advisory 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...Sunday through Friday Brisk northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to around 40 mph are expected through midday Sunday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... IAZ033-034-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-020500- Sac-Calhoun-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- 1155 PM CDT Sat Oct 31 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Tonight Blustery northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to around 40 mph are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Brisk northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to around 40 mph are expected through midday Sunday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Emmet county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Kossuth county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Palo Alto county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Pocahontas county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Sac county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Calhoun county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Crawford county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Carroll county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Audubon county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Guthrie county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Cass county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Adair county during November.
Despite some decent rainfall during the month, severe drought conditions persisted across much of Adams county during November.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, November 2020
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: 925705, 925706, 925707, 925708, 925709, 925710, 925711, 925712, 925713, 925714, 925715, 925716, 925717.