Generous and widespread rainfall in late October into early November ended severe drought conditions across Iowa.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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.
Generous and widespread rainfall in late October into early November ended severe drought conditions across Iowa.
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, 9:53 PM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1053 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 ...Updated for the 06z Aviation Discussion... .DISCUSSION.../Tonight through Sunday/ Issued at 245 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 The primary messaging highlights through the period include... * Low end chances for light rain south Monday, otherwise little in the way of precipitation through the period * Frost/freeze conditions likely south Mon Night where headlines are still possible * Cool, below normal temperatures through the work week Fair weather is expected tonight, with patchy frost possible south dependent on cloud trends, but periods of mid clouds continue ahead of a system moving through the central and southern Rockies. Although the 1-3km thermodynamic support will weaken and push south, stronger mid level kinematic forcing is expected to advance through the lower MO Valley overnight into Monday bringing with it chances for light rain south during the daylight hours. The latest RAP and HRRR runs even suggest isolated weak convection is possible in the evening hours along a secondary boundary, aided by additional synoptic forcing as another PV anomaly drops into the mean trough. Subsidence and clearing skies should then set in late Monday evening leading to widespread lows in the 20s, at or near the coolest of the season for many locations. Confidence is higher tomorrow night versus tonight that headlines will be needed south, likely Freeze Warnings, where climatology and recent temps have yet to end headlines for the season. The MO Valley surface responsible for these cooler temps will linger for a few days keeping temps below normal and highs no better than the 40s. Looking from the middle portions of next week through the weekend, the overall forecast still looks either dry or with only a few token windows of precipitation. Confidence isn't the best with the GFS more progressive than CMC and ECMWF solutions which emphasize a lingering trough through the OH Valley. Without any clear suggestion which route to prefer at this point, and considerable run to run changes since this morning, will continue with the broad dry NBM consensus with all solutions either dry or only depicting a brief light precip window either Wed or Thu. For further ahead to end the week and into next weekend, there is good agreement with a strong jet into the Pacific NW but considerable disagreement on how the resultant upper trough breaks down with the GFS and ECMWF 180 degrees out of phase, and the CMC still fairly zonal. Thus there is some low end precip potential over the weekend, but much like the thinking earlier in the week the forecast will remain dry until confidence in a particular solution increases. Regardless of solution, it appears temps should be at or just below normal to end the period. && .AVIATION.../For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night/ Issued at 1053 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 Little change to previous package. Mid level clouds increasing south sites with afternoon fair weather clouds expected north sites aft 19z. Though VFR conditions will prevail, mixing will increase over the area aft 19z with most sites gusting to near 20kts. Winds will decouple aft 23z most areas. /rev && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION...Small AVIATION...REV
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 250 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070-071-012000- 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- 250 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. IAZ072>075-081>086-092>097-012000- Madison-Warren-Marion-Mahaska-Adams-Union-Clarke-Lucas-Monroe- Wapello-Taylor-Ringgold-Decatur-Wayne-Appanoose-Davis- 250 PM CDT Sun Oct 31 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight Patchy frost is possible tonight across southern Iowa. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday A growing season ending hard freeze across southern Iowa is expected Monday night into Tuesday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. AB/BS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought ended across Cerro Gordo county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Wright county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Franklin county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Butler county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Bremer county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Hamilton county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Hardin county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Grundy county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Black Hawk county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Boone county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Story county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Marshall county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Tama county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Polk county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Jasper county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Poweshiek county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Marion county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
Severe drought ended across Mahaska county after widespread and generous rainfall across Iowa. Cooler fall temperatures also cut back on evaporation along with the dormancy of plants limiting ground moisture uptake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, November 2021
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: 989506, 989507, 989508, 989509, 989510, 989511, 989512, 989513, 989514, 989515, 989516, 989517, 989518, 989519, 989520, 989521, 989522, 989523.