On the evening of July 23rd, 2025, a weak wave passed along a southwest to northeast oriented boundary draped over western and northwestern Iowa, increasing convergence and initiating storms within a highly unstable environment. Slow storm motion, resulting from a relatively weak kinematic environment, combined with abundant mid- and upper-level moisture to produce efficient rainfall.
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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.
On the evening of July 23rd, 2025, a weak wave passed along a southwest to northeast oriented boundary draped over western and northwestern Iowa, increasing convergence and initiating storms within a highly unstable environment. Slow storm motion, resulting from a relatively weak kinematic environment, combined with abundant mid- and upper-level moisture to produce efficient rainfall. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were measured in northern Iowa. Minor flooding in low-lying areas occurred, but no significant flash flooding was reported.|This environment, characterized by meager effective shear and heavy rainfall, led to rapid cold pool production and outflows outpacing storms. While this limited the threat of widespread wind damage, sporadic downburst winds occurred with thunderstorms firing along the outflow, resulting in isolated tree damage in the town of Corwith early in the evening. Wind damage was also reported later in the evening as storms moved through Ankeny and Bondurant, damaging trees, shingles, and displacing loose objects in town.|In addition to these downburst winds, an interaction between thunderstorm outflow dropping southward from northern Iowa, and the cold pool with the main wave tracking eastward out of western Iowa produced a small but persistent enhancement of surface winds along their intersection. This resulted in a narrow swath of damaging winds starting near Willey in Carroll County, then tracking east-southeastward through Coon Rapids and south of Bayard and Bagley. Wind gusts of 65 to 75 mph were measured along this swath, resulting in mostly tree damage, as well as damage to one hog confinement near Willey.
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 23, 5:45 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 645 PM CDT Wed Jul 23 2025 ...Updated for the 00z Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... - Hot and humid conditions continue today. - Line of thunderstorms moves through tonight into tomorrow morning, bringing potential for damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Greatest severe risk over northwestern Iowa but strong winds are possible area-wide. - Lingering showers and storms into Thursday morning, with additional development over southern Iowa Thursday afternoon and evening. Few strong storms are possible along the border. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 231 PM CDT Wed Jul 23 2025 Hot and humid conditions are generally on track today, with temperatures already in the upper 80s to low 90s and dewpoints in the mid to upper 70s resulting in heat indices in the upper 90s to around 100. Clear skies will allow for further surface heating and boundary layer mixing through the afternoon, as is indicated by the breezy southerly winds. Fortunately, mixing should also help to diffuse some of the muggy dewpoints, partially induced by the moist soils and evapotranspiration. Therefore, while heat indices will increase with the increasing temperatures, there will be competing forces keeping them from growing linearly. The heat advisory remains in effect until 8pm this evening. Another contributor to the high dewpoints is the increasing moisture transport being provided by southerly flow around the broad upper ridging in the southeast CONUS. Around this ridging will be an upper level shortwave lifting northeastward through the upper Missouri and Mississippi valley regions. This will pull a southwest to northeast oriented boundary southeastward through the state, providing forcing for storms this evening. These will begin to our west and drift into the state around or after sunset. The combination of storms in a moist, 2+ inch PWAT environment aloft and a well-mixed boundary layer near the surface will introduce the risk for efficient cold pool production through evaporative cooling. With the initial storms in Nebraska, South Dakota, and northwest Iowa , this will bring concern for damaging winds as storms initially develop and precipitate into the 900-1000+ J/kg DCAPE environment. However, as the cold pool(s) develop, the kinematic environment will struggle to maintain these storms with a negligible 0-6 km shear of ~20 kts and a 0-3 km shear vector oriented roughly parallel to slightly off the surface boundary. This, in conjunction with diminishing low level lapse rates as the surface inversion sets up, will limit the severe risk as storms progress south and east through the night. Therefore, the greatest risk for damaging winds in our forecast area will be northwestern portions of the state this evening, with diminishing risk further south and east. That said, with the low level jet ramping up, 0-3 km shear magnitudes will be increasing some, which could give cold pools slightly better low level shear to take advantage of. Of course, the orientation of the shear won't be favorable for much of the storms, but any more northeastward propagating cold pools/features could still pose a risk for stronger wind gusts farther into central Iowa. This is assuming the main cold pool doesn't race out and undercut the storms before this occurs, but just something to keep an eye on. Finally, in addition to the wind threat, storms will be efficient rainers with heavy rainfall rates, which could pose an isolated ponding/flash flood risk. Storms will be progressive with the cold pool, but any lingering low level jet convection behind the main line could prolong heavy rain concerns tonight. With the respectable 25 to 35 kt LLJ nosed into the state tonight, rain & thunderstorms will persist along this front overnight and into the early Thursday morning hours. Any post frontal storms will be developing in worked over air and will have less instability available to them, lessening the severe weather risk. You can never really rule out a stronger storm on the nose of the low level jet, but fortunately, once the jet stops providing a source of lift storm chances will diminish into mid-morning. This will not be the end of precipitation chances for the day though, as the surface boundary settles somewhere over southern Iowa/northern Missouri. This front will become the focal point for redevelopment through the day and into Thursday evening, with additional storm chances central and south. The greatest severe weather risk will be with the higher instability axis south of the boundary, which is currently progged over southeast Iowa into northern Missouri. Depending on the extent of the storms tonight, this could push the boundary even farther south tomorrow, keeping most of the storms out of the area. Damaging winds will be a concern with any stronger storms. Intermittent rain and thunderstorm chances continue into Friday, although confidence is low on details given reliance on previous rounds of precipitation. As we get into the weekend, temperatures also look to warm again, especially on Sunday. Assuming this trend stays on track, heat headlines may be required again this weekend, but will hash out the weekend forecast in future discussions. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 645 PM CDT Wed Jul 23 2025 A line of thunderstorms will move from northwest to southeast across the state this evening and overnight into Thursday morning. Severe storms are possible, especially in northwest Iowa, with storms diminishing in strength with time. MVFR to IFR cloud cover will move in behind the storms, lasting through the rest of the TAF period. Additional scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible through the day tomorrow, and especially in the afternoon in southern Iowa. Given uncertainty in the placement of the second round of storms, have kept from TAFs for now. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for IAZ004>007- 015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097. && DISCUSSION...Dodson AVIATION...Hagenhoff
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 247 PM CDT Wed Jul 23 2025 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-242000- 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- 247 PM CDT Wed Jul 23 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight A heat advisory is in effect for the area until 8 PM. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. There is a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather in northwest Iowa, followed by a marginal risk for the remainder of northern and western Iowa. Damaging winds will be the main threat. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Thunderstorm chances return at intervals from Thursday into Saturday. The overall severe weather threat will be monitored in the coming days. Hot and humid conditions return this weekend, especially on Sunday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters may be needed today.
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:11 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Localize tree damage in Corwith, with a few larger trees split and another partially uprooted.
Minor roof damage to a sheet metal hog confinement. Downed corn nearby.
Personal weather station reported gust between Willey and Dedham.
Large limbs down across the town of Coon Rapids.
Estimated wind gust from Guthrie county EM.
Peak wind gust from the RWIS mesonet station RAKI4 Ankeny.
Several large tree limbs down in town and small trees less than 6 inches in diameter. Some shingle damage. A microburst occurred over the northwest side of town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 2025
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: 1291713, 1291773, 1291717, 1291854, 1291757, 1291766, 1291770.