Tornadoes · United States · Iowa · 2024
EF1 tornado, Ellsworth to Williams, Iowa, May 24, 2024
From Ellsworth to Williams, this EF1 tornado ran 2.9 miles across Hamilton County on May 24, 2024, touching down at 5:10 AM CDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $80,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF1
- Date
- May 24, 2024
- Touchdown
- 5:10 AM CDT (10:10 UTC)
- Lifted
- 5:13 AM CDT (10:13 UTC)
- On the ground
- 3 minutes
- Path length
- 2.9 miles (4.6 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $80,000
- County
- Hamilton County
- Touchdown point
- 42.365, -93.589
- Lift-off point
- 42.402, -93.564
- Record number
- 2405240410-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A strong QLCS moved across central Iowa during the early morning hours of May 24 producing widespread wind damage and five tornadoes.
Trained spotter reported damage on both sides of Interstate 35 in conjunction with this tornado. The tornado also tossed over 2 semis that were on the interstate. A hog confinement building was partially destroyed providing the EF1 damage.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
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 severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 07:44 UTC and running to 11:07 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07:44 UTC | 11:07 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | DMX |
| 09:00 UTC | 18:00 UTC | Flood Watch | DMX |
| 09:40 UTC | 10:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX |
| 10:18 UTC | 10:52 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX |
| 12:00 UTC | 15:01 UTC | Flood Watch | DMX |
| 17:39 UTC | 19:03 UTC | Flood Warning | 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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:52 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
10.2 hours before the tornado, 260 km from the path. May 24, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -100176 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 184 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2328 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 61 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 226 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.4 K/km
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z
1.8 hours after it, 260 km from the path. May 24, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -91020 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1012 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 67 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -89 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -2 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.0 K/km
The surface observations
Webster City (EBS), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:15 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 140° 20 kt | 29 | 1001.7 | |
| 08:35 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 140° 19 kt | 27 | 1000.7 | |
| 08:55 UTC | 68 | 64.4 | 140° 20 kt | 1000.3 | ||
| 09:15 UTC | 66.2 | 64.4 | 130° 19 kt | 25 | 999.3 | |
| 09:35 UTC | 68 | 66.2 | 140° 21 kt | 27 | 998.6 | |
| 09:55 UTC | 68 | 66.2 | 140° 20 kt | 27 | 998 | BR |
| 10:15 UTC | 60.8 | 60.8 | 260° 28 kt | 38 | 1001.4 | RA |
| 10:35 UTC | 60.8 | 60.8 | 260° 27 kt | 34 | 1002.4 | +RA |
| 10:55 UTC | 59 | 59 | 260° 18 kt | 25 | 1002 | RA |
| 11:15 UTC | 59 | 59 | 230° 9 kt | 17 | 1002 | -RA |
| 11:35 UTC | 59 | 59 | 130° 9 kt | 1000 | -RA | |
| 11:55 UTC | 59 | 59 | 150° 7 kt | 1000.7 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 10:11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:20 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 4 Ssw Nevada | Story, IA | Social Media report between Cambridge and Nevada. |
| 08:20 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 4 Ssw Nevada | Story, IA | Social Media report between Cambridge and Nevada. |
| 08:30 UTC | HAIL 1 | Nevada | Story, IA | |
| 08:30 UTC | HAIL 1 | Nevada | Story, IA | |
| 09:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Boxholm | Boone, IA | Delayed social media picture of power poles down near Boxholm. Time estimated by radar. |
| 09:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Boxholm | Boone, IA | Delayed social media picture of power poles down near Boxholm. Time estimated by radar. |
| 09:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Madrid | Boone, IA | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from Madrid. Large branch and power line down in street. |
| 09:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Madrid | Boone, IA | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from Madrid. Large branch and power line down in street. |
| 09:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Madrid | Boone, IA | Large branch and power line down in street. |
| 09:51 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 2 N Fort Dodge | Webster, IA | Report from mPING: Penny (0.75 in.). |
| 09:51 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 2 N Fort Dodge | Webster, IA | Report from mPING: Penny (0.75 in.). |
| 10:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sse Ames | Story, IA | Delayed social media report of a large tree down on the south side of Ames. Time estimated by radar. |
| 10:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sse Ames | Story, IA | Delayed social media report of a large tree down on the south side of Ames. Time estimated by radar. |
| 10:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Ames | Story, IA | Large tree snapped on S Duff on the south edge of town. Time and location estimated with radar. Relayed with social media. |
| 10:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Ames | Story, IA | Large tree snapped on S Duff on the south edge of town. Time and location estimated with radar. Relayed with social media. |
| 10:13 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 1 W Webster City | Hamilton, IA | |
| 10:13 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 1 W Webster City | Hamilton, IA | |
| 10:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 N Ellsworth | Hamilton, IA | Delayed report of semis tipped over on I35 near mile marker 139, along with power line damage. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 N Ellsworth | Hamilton, IA | Delayed report of semis tipped over on I35 near mile marker 139, along with power line damage. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Belmond | Wright, IA | Delayed report of damage to a large farm building just east of Belmond, with debris strewn into the field. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Buckeye | Hardin, IA | Emergency manager reported overturned semis on Highway 20. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Buckeye | Hardin, IA | Emergency manager reported overturned semis on Highway 20. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 58 | 3 S Iowa Falls | Hardin, IA | Peak wind gust at Iowa Falls Airport. |
| 10:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 58 | 3 S Iowa Falls | Hardin, IA | Peak wind gust at Iowa Falls Airport. |
| 10:38 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Webster City | Hamilton, IA | Large tree branches down. Power outages. Semi crashes due to wind along I-35. |
| 10:38 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Webster City | Hamilton, IA | Large tree branches down. Power outages. Semi crashes due to wind along I-35. |
| 10:51 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Wellsburg | Grundy, IA | Tree and utility damage near Wellsburg. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:51 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Wellsburg | Grundy, IA | Tree and utility damage near Wellsburg. Time estimated from radar. |
| 10:52 UTC | TSTM WND GST 56 | 2 Sw Hampton | Franklin, IA | Peak gust. |
| 10:52 UTC | TSTM WND GST 56 | 2 Sw Hampton | Franklin, IA | Peak gust. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in IowaEvery tornado in Iowa since 1950Warnings in force in Iowa nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 24, 2024
42 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24 | 1:08 AM CDT | EF1 | Platte, NE | 11.8 | 700 | |||
| May 24 | 1:13 AM CDT | EF1 | Platte, NE | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 1:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Colfax, NE | 4.8 | 400 | |||
| May 24 | 1:43 AM CDT | EF0 | Seward, NE | 0.0 | 20 | |||
| May 24 | 1:50 AM CDT | EF0 | Dodge, NE | 1.1 | 75 | |||
| May 24 | 2:03 AM CDT | EF0 | Saunders, NE | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 24 | 2:12 AM CDT | EF0 | Saunders, NE | 0.1 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 2:18 AM CDT | EF0 | Washington, NE | 3.4 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 2:18 AM CDT | EF0 | Washington, NE | 1.8 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 2:25 AM CDT | EF0 | Sarpy, NE | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 2:32 AM CDT | EF0 | Sarpy, NE | 0.5 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 2:35 AM CDT | EF0 | Sarpy, NE | 3.7 | 300 | |||
| May 24 | 2:41 AM CDT | EF1 | Harrison, IA | 0.7 | 150 | |||
| May 24 | 3:00 AM CDT | EF0 | Pottawattamie, IA | 0.3 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 3:08 AM CDT | EF1 | Sevier, AR | 8.2 | 300 | $500,000 | ||
| May 24 | 3:10 AM CDT | EF0 | Montgomery, IA | 2.1 | 60 | |||
| May 24 | 3:13 AM CDT | EF0 | Shelby, IA | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 24 | 3:22 AM CDT | EF0 | Montgomery, IA | 1.2 | 30 | |||
| May 24 | 4:38 AM CDT | EF0 | Dallas, IA | 9.2 | 80 | $60,000 | ||
| May 24 | 4:42 AM CDT | EF0 | Boone, IA | 10.7 | 180 | $10,000 | ||
| May 24 | 4:53 AM CDT | EF0 | Polk, IA | 3.2 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 24 | 4:57 AM CDT | EF0 | Warren, IA | 2.2 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| May 24 | 5:07 AM CDT | EF0 | Polk, IA | 1.5 | 50 | $90,000 | ||
| May 24 | 5:56 AM CDT | EF1 | Keokuk, IA | 7.2 | 70 | |||
| May 24 | 6:26 AM CDT | EF1 | Washington, IA | 18.3 | 100 | |||
| May 24 | 6:45 AM CDT | EF1 | Washington, IA | 22.5 | 150 | |||
| May 24 | 6:55 AM CDT | EF1 | Muscatine, IA | 15.0 | 75 | |||
| May 24 | 7:12 AM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, IA | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 7:20 AM CDT | Unrated | Cedar, IA | 11.0 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 7:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 15.0 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 7:36 AM CDT | Unrated | Scott, IA | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 7:45 AM CDT | EF1 | Scott, IA | 15.3 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 7:52 AM CDT | EF1 | Rock Island, IL | 20.2 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 7:52 AM CDT | EF1 | Scott, IA | 7.2 | 50 | |||
| May 24 | 8:09 AM CDT | Unrated | Scott, IA | 0.8 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 8:21 AM CDT | Unrated | Clinton, IA | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 8:50 AM CDT | Unrated | Henry, IL | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 9:12 AM CDT | Unrated | Whiteside, IL | 1.0 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 9:31 AM CDT | Unrated | Bureau, IL | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 2:52 PM CDT | Unrated | Richland, ND | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| May 24 | 5:24 PM EDT | EF1 | Onslow, NC | 8.8 | 150 | |||
| May 24 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Bowie, TX | 1.8 | 275 |
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.