Tornadoes · United States · Iowa · 2006
F0 tornado, Dallas County, Iowa, March 30, 2006
This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Dallas County on March 30, 2006, touching down at 6:04 PM CST and reaching 25 yards wide. It killed nobody.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- F0
- Date
- March 30, 2006
- Touchdown
- 6:04 PM CST (00:04 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
- Path width
- 25 yards (23 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Dallas County
- Touchdown point
- 41.550, -94.020
- Lift-off point
- 41.550, -94.020
- Record number
- 193
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:15 UTC and running to 01:55 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20:15 UTC | 01:55 UTC | Tornado Watch | DMX |
| 23:51 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX |
| 00:13 UTC | 00:32 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX |
| 16:21 UTC | 21:36 UTC | Wind Advisory | DMX |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:42 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z
0.1 hours before the tornado, 198 km from the path. March 31, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -103504 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 992 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 135 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.6 K/km
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z
11.9 hours after it, 198 km from the path. March 31, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 903 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 63 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.0 K/km
The surface observations
Des Moines (DSM), 31 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:41 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 160° 10 kt | 1002 | BR | |
| 22:51 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 140° 9 kt | 1001.4 | BR | |
| 22:54 UTC | 62 | 58 | 140° 10 kt | 1001.4 | TSRA BR | |
| 23:00 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 150° 13 kt | 1001.7 | BR | |
| 23:09 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 150° 12 kt | 1001 | BR | |
| 23:13 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 150° 10 kt | 1001 | BR | |
| 23:22 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 150° 7 kt | 1000.7 | BR | |
| 23:31 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 190° 10 kt | 1001.4 | +TSRA BR | |
| 23:34 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 210° 11 kt | 1001 | +TSRA | |
| 23:38 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 110° 9 kt | 999.3 | ||
| 23:40 UTC | 60.8 | 57.2 | 90° 7 kt | 999 | +TSRA BR | |
| 23:46 UTC | 60.8 | 57.2 | 180° 13 kt | 31 | 999.7 | BR |
| 23:50 UTC | 60.8 | 57.2 | 170° 16 kt | 31 | 999.3 | BR |
| 23:52 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 160° 19 kt | 24 | 999.3 | |
| 23:54 UTC | 63 | 58 | 150° 19 kt | 24 | 999.3 | -RA |
| 00:04 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 140° 12 kt | 999 | ||
| 00:08 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 160° 15 kt | 999.7 | ||
| 00:15 UTC | 62.6 | 59 | 150° 20 kt | 25 | 999.7 | BR |
| 00:20 UTC | 62.6 | 59 | 140° 22 kt | 25 | 999.7 | BR |
| 00:36 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 250° 20 kt | 39 | 1002.7 | |
| 00:54 UTC | 52 | 49 | 230° 10 kt | 1002.7 | TSRA BR | |
| 01:01 UTC | 51.8 | 50 | 220° 10 kt | 1002 | +TSRA BR | |
| 01:13 UTC | 51.8 | 50 | 190° 12 kt | 17 | 1002 | BR |
| 01:22 UTC | 51.8 | 50 | 180° 10 kt | 17 | 1001.7 | BR |
| 01:54 UTC | 52 | 50 | 140° 5 kt | 1000 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:06 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 71 | Fontanelle | Adair, IA | 71 MPH WINDS MEASURED BY MESONET. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 71 | Fontanelle | Adair, IA | |
| 23:30 UTC | HAIL 1 | Norwalk | Warren, IA | |
| 23:30 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Norwalk | Warren, IA | GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN NORWALK. |
| 23:31 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Norwalk | Warren, IA | |
| 23:33 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 3 S Norwalk | Warren, IA | REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER. |
| 23:34 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | AT THE DES MOINES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. |
| 23:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 9 N Fontanelle | Adair, IA | DAMAGE TO CATTLE SHED AND BARN DAMAGE. |
| 23:36 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | |
| 23:37 UTC | HAIL 1 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | INTERSECTION OF SW 9TH AND MC KINLEY |
| 23:38 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | |
| 23:38 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | |
| 23:39 UTC | HAIL 1 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | JUST SOUTH OF DES MOINES AIRPORT. |
| 23:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Casey | Guthrie, IA | SIX SEMI TRUCKS BLOWN OFF I-80 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 83-86. POSSIBLE INJURIES. TIME ESTIMATED. |
| 23:41 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Altoona | Polk, IA | NICKEL HAL REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER. |
| 23:42 UTC | HAIL 1 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | |
| 23:42 UTC | HAIL 2 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | EAST 9TH AND GRAND. |
| 23:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 E Adair | Adair, IA | 4 SEMIS BLOWN OFF INTERSTATE 80 WEST OF MENLO. |
| 23:52 UTC | TSTM WND GST 76 | Redfield | Dallas, IA | AT THE REDFIELD EXIT ON INTERSTATE 80. |
| 23:56 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 7 Ssw Earlham | Madison, IA | 1 FOOT DIAMETER MAPLE TREE LIMB BROKEN OFF TREE. DELAYED REPORT. |
| 00:00 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | Des Moines | Polk, IA | INTERSECTION OF 39TH AND GLOVER |
| 00:02 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Des Moines | Polk, IA | STREET FLOODING AT GEORGE MILLS PARKWAY AND FLEUR DRIVE. |
| 00:04 UTC | TORNADO | N De Soto | Dallas, IA | BRIEF TOUCHDOWN. TORNADO HAS LIFTED |
| 00:07 UTC | TSTM WND GST 58 | Adel | Dallas, IA | |
| 00:11 UTC | NON-TSTM WND GST 60 | Minburn | Dallas, IA | |
| 00:17 UTC | TSTM WND GST 57 | Grimes | Polk, IA | |
| 00:18 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Wsw Boone | Boone, IA | *** 2 INJ *** TREE FELL ON MOBILE HOME PRODUCING SOME MINOR INJURIES. WIDESPREAD REPORTS FROM THE COUNTY OF WIND DAMAGE. |
| 00:20 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Madrid | Boone, IA | |
| 00:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Luther | Boone, IA | VEHICLE INTO DITCH FROM HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN. |
| 00:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 10 W Dallas Center | Dallas, IA | 14 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN. 3 MILES WEST OF HWY 169 ON HWY 44. |
| 00:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 10 W Dallas Center | Dallas, IA | 14 INCH TREE DOWN. 3 MILES WEST OF HWY 169 ON HWY 44. |
| 00:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Ankeny | Polk, IA | AT ANKENY HIGH SCHOOL. |
| 00:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | N Huxley | Story, IA | ESTIMATED 70 MPH WINDS. ROOF PARTIALLY BLOWN OFF HOME. FENCES AND OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED. SEVERAL TWO FOOT DIAMETER TREES BLOWN DOWN. POWER LINES DOWN. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in IowaEvery tornado in Iowa since 1950Warnings in force in Iowa nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 30, 2006
25 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 30 | 1:25 PM CST | F0 | Reno, KS | 3.0 | 50 | $80,000 | ||
| March 30 | 2:13 PM CST | F1 | Marion, KS | 6.0 | 75 | 1 | $70,000 | |
| March 30 | 2:18 PM CST | F0 | Stephens, OK | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| March 30 | 2:23 PM CST | F0 | Butler, NE | 0.5 | 440 | |||
| March 30 | 2:29 PM CST | F0 | Colfax, NE | 0.5 | 440 | |||
| March 30 | 3:35 PM CST | F0 | Saunders, NE | 0.3 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| March 30 | 3:50 PM CST | F0 | Wilson, KS | 2.5 | 50 | |||
| March 30 | 3:55 PM CST | F0 | Woodbury, IA | 0.5 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| March 30 | 4:00 PM CST | F0 | Sarpy, NE | 3.0 | 150 | |||
| March 30 | 4:04 PM CST | F1 | Brown, KS | 3.0 | 100 | $350,000 | ||
| March 30 | 4:06 PM CST | F2 | Montgomery, KS | 16.0 | 125 | 1 | $1.0 million | |
| March 30 | 5:35 PM CST | F1 | Wilson, KS | 10.0 | 75 | $20,000 | ||
| March 30 | 5:57 PM CST | F0 | Union, IA | 0.2 | 30 | $40,000 | ||
| March 30 | 6:00 PM CST | F0 | Woodson, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 30 | 6:00 PM CST | F0 | Union, IA | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| March 30 | 6:03 PM CST | F0 | Allen, KS | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| March 30 | 7:10 PM CST | F2 | Andrew, MO | 5.0 | 800 | 8 | $800,000 | |
| March 30 | 7:15 PM CST | F0 | Cooke, TX | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| March 30 | 8:10 PM CST | F0 | Harrison, MO | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| March 30 | 8:20 PM CST | F0 | Johnson, MO | 9.0 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| March 30 | 8:28 PM CST | F1 | Pettis, MO | 13.6 | 75 | 1 | $450,000 | |
| March 30 | 8:30 PM CST | F0 | Grayson, TX | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| March 30 | 8:36 PM CST | F0 | Grayson, TX | 0.1 | 10 | $10,000 | ||
| March 30 | 10:55 PM CST | F1 | Pike, IL | 4.5 | 200 | |||
| March 30 | 11:10 PM CST | F1 | Pike, IL | 2.7 | 250 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.