A weak cold front passed across the area on May 31st. Instability was modest along with rather weak shear, so more widespread severe storms did not occur.
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.
A weak cold front passed across the area on May 31st. Instability was modest along with rather weak shear, so more widespread severe storms did not occur. However, as storms initiated early in the day near the front a weak tornado was observed.
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 May 31, 11:29 AM CST, 16 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1229 PM CDT Fri May 31 2024 ...Updated for the 18z Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... - Spotty showers this morning will restrengthen this afternoon with non-severe thunderstorms moving across the area. - Quiet Saturday with showers and storms possible Sunday into Monday. - More robust system Tuesday into Wednesday could be our next chance for strong to severe storms. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 228 AM CDT Fri May 31 2024 Convection in western Iowa fizzled out overnight with a few spotty, slow moving showers lingering early this morning. Meanwhile, a cold front sits northwest of the area, across South Dakota into Nebraska with a line of convection continuing to bubble early this morning. This will pass into Iowa later this morning, moving across the area through the afternoon and evening. With diurnal heating as support, showers will strengthen and become more widespread. Even so, the severe risk today remains low with very little instability to work with. Soundings do continue to show fairly dry low levels, so it is possible that some stronger gusts develop with shower and storm activity this afternoon. A few showers may linger in eastern Iowa on Saturday morning, but otherwise it should be a nice day with temperatures nearing 80 degrees. By Sunday the next wave moving though the zonal upper air pattern makes its way towards Iowa. Models are initially rather diffuse with the boundary before the system better organized later Sunday. As such, it is possible that most of Sunday would be dry before precipitation develops later in the day but confidence in the details is low at this time. The wave looks to pass across the area later Sunday into Monday. There is a little more instability to work with in this system however shear still remains fairly modest. So while a few stronger storms are possible, as it currently stands the severe chance looks to remain low in Iowa. A more robust system is still on track for Tuesday into Wednesday. While timing differences still exist between the Euro and GFS, there is still a signal in both for a more wrapped up system with greater instability up into the area. There is some indication that better shear may lag the instability a bit. While details are still vague, this system will likely be the next opportunity for strong to severe storms across the area. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1229 PM CDT Fri May 31 2024 Scattered thunderstorms developing over west/northwest IA will fill in across the north through 00z and initially affect only FOD and MCW. Southeast sites will see some aft 02z; especially ALO compared to DSM/OTM which remain farther removed from the forcing. Generally VFR cigs though northwest will see period of MVFR aft 10z through 16z. Light winds outside of a few gusts near storms. VFR/MVFR vsby near storms. Most of the precipitation ends by 13z with lingering VCSH at a few sites. /rev && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Hagenhoff AVIATION...REV
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 339 AM CDT Fri May 31 2024 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-010845- 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- 339 AM CDT Fri May 31 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight Showers and storms are expected at times today into tonight, especially west and north. The chances for any strong storms remains very low, but some gusty winds could occur. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Additional thunderstorms are expected on Sunday into Monday and again early next week. A few stronger storms are possible later Sunday, but the severe risk remains low at this time. The severe risk for early next week will be better evaluated in the coming days. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed at this time.
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:43 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Two different spotters sent in pictures of this tornado. It was a brief tornado just southwest of Varina near the county line. This tornado remained in rural areas and did not impact any damage indicators, hence the EFU rating.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 2024Warnings in Iowa, May 2024
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: 1172278.