Drought began expansion in early June across portions of south central, southeast and northeast Iowa from the lack of rainfall and increasing temperatures.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 began expansion in early June across portions of south central, southeast and northeast Iowa from the lack of rainfall and increasing temperatures.
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 6, 5:52 AM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 652 AM CDT Tue Jun 6 2023 ...Updated for the 12z Aviation Discussion... .DISCUSSION.../Today through Monday/ Issued at 428 AM CDT Tue Jun 6 2023 Key Messages: -Thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall possible northeast today, southwest tomorrow. -Cool temperatures, dry air for the second half of the work week. -Next chance of rain Saturday. A large upper level ridging pattern continues to be the dominating the weather pattern with broad anticyclonic flow found in the Midwest. For today, moisture will advect into the region by traveling along the ridge aloft. A back door cold front will edge its way into the state from the northeast and become the primary forcing mechanism for precipitation today. There will be enough instability along the boundary to prompt thunderstorms, but the lack of shear and kinematics will keep these unorganized. PWATs in the column will be around 1.5" near the front and paired with the stagnant flow in the column, heavy rain will be possible in localized areas from thunderstorms. The 00z HREF illustrates this well with localized splotches of 2-3 inches. Tuesday night into Wednesday have trended more dry in the CWA due to the continued push of dry air. Consequently, the thunderstorms that do form in the peak daytime hours Wednesday will be more in a narrow corridor. Uncertainty remains in timing and moisture content so left some mention of thunderstorms for Des Moines and cities nearby, but there is a notable trend in guidance of delaying precipitation until the front is in southwest Iowa. Beyond Wednesday, a surface high will descend further into the region for the second half of the week. Northerly flow and subsidence will usher in more dry air, cool temperatures, and no precipitation. For the weekend, energy will eject from the closed low in the eastern CONUS. Another surface high from southern Canada will run into the high in the Midwest churn moisture into the region for additional rain and storm chances Saturday. Sunday and Monday will then be dry with high temperatures falling back into the 70s. && .AVIATION.../For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Wednesday morning/ Issued at 649 AM CDT Tue Jun 6 2023 VFR cigs expected to prevail with showers and low confidence thunderstorms possible for KMCW and KALO within the next 3 hours. Localized vsby restrictions possible before 18z due to fog and/or smoke. More thunderstorms expected for KMCW, KALO, and KFOD after 19z with a general motion southwest. Low confidence for KDSM and KOTM this afternoon so left out of TAF until 06z. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION...Jimenez AVIATION...Jimenez
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 425 AM CDT Tue Jun 6 2023 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-070930- 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- 425 AM CDT Tue Jun 6 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight Scattered thunderstorms are possible over mainly northern Iowa this afternoon and expanding into central Iowa tonight. The severe weather threat is low though gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Scattered storms are expected Wednesday. Severe weather is unlikely, but gusty winds and lightning are possible with any storms. In addition, slow moving storms may produce locally heavy rain and result in localized ponding, especially in urban areas. Additional storm chances arrive late Friday through Saturday night. The severe weather threat with this system is still being assessed. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated the next few days, but rainfall reports are always appreciated.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought expanded into Bremer county early in June and remained through the end of the month as below normal rainfall and warm temperatures prevailed for much of June.
Severe drought expanded into Black Hawk county early in June and remained through the end of the month as below normal rainfall and warm temperatures prevailed for much of June.
Severe to extreme drought expanded into Appanoose county early in June and remained through the end of the month as below normal rainfall and warm temperatures prevailed for much of June.
Severe to extreme drought expanded into Davis county early in June and remained through the end of the month as below normal rainfall and warm temperatures prevailed for much of June.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, June 2023
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: 1108372, 1108375, 1108377, 1108378.