Power Outage in Ames, IA

A trained spotter reported wind gust on Iowa State University campus of 65 to 75 mph with extensive tree damage and power outages.

A large tree was split and a power pole was blown down.

Trained spotter reported a few trees and power lines down across Ames. Also a report of a tree on a car on the west side. Time radar estimated.

Power lines were reported down in Ames.

Story County Emergency Manager reports trees destroyed including a 100 year old oak, corn shredded, and power lines down 3 miles west of Nevada.

Tree damage reported and power pole snapped.

Trees and power lines blocking Riverside Road north of Ames.

South bound Highway 69 was blocked by downed trees and power lines.

Power lines were downed.

Power lines were blown down in two different locations near the city. One set of power lines landed on a Schwans truck.

Ames police reported several large trees down along Country Club Blvd. One power pole was down with other damage near the corner of State and Mortenson roads.

Convection began in early afternoon in eastern Iowa along a subtle boundary across the state. This was fueled by high CAPE exceeding 3000 J/kg with deep layer shear sufficient to support large hail growth. Later in the evening a secondary round of convection moved across the area producing additional hail in the form of a cold pool driven MCS, driven along the plume of higher instability. The result was dozen of hail reports up to baseball sized across much of central and southern Iowa, damaging homes and vehicles and taking down power lines. As storms crossed Interstate 80 an accident resulted in significant delays.

Low pressure developed over southwest Kansas during the night of the 19th into the day on the 20th. The low turned northeast through Missouri into east central Iowa by the afternoon of the 20th. A strong surge of moisture pushed north ahead of the low with dewpoint temperatures in the 40s to low 50s to the south of the low pressure track. Northwest of the low, temperatures were quite mild for late February, generally in the low to mid 30s. The storm began as very wet snow. The wet snow continued into the evening hours and caused power outages. At one point during the night, Alliant energy had over 16,000 customers across northern IA and southern MN without power. Many of the small towns across the north and portions of Mason City were without power from the storm (either tree limbs down on power lines or power lines down). Also as many as 650 were out across central and southern Iowa. MidAmerican Energy reported over 600 out in Fort Dodge and over 300 out in Waterloo overnight. There were still 6000 out across the north with Alliant Energy and 14 out with MidAmerican in Waterloo as the sun rose on the 21st. Colder air began to move in during the evening hours. The sub-freezing temperatures changed the texture of the snow. Winds increased gradually during the afternoon and evening hours. Sustained winds were 25 to 35 MPH with gusts of 40 to 50 MPH through much of the night. Conditions deteriorated rapidly through the night. Interstate 35 was closed north of Ames and north into southern Minnesota due to blizzard conditions. A portion of Highway 69 became impassable in Hamilton county due to drifting snow. The Iowa DOT pulled snow plows off of the roads during the blizzard with visibility reduced to zero. Many areas received 3 to 6 inches of snow from the event. Heaviest snowfall was over north central Iowa with some of the heavier amounts including 10.5 inches in Hancock at Britt, 9.5 inches in Wright County at Belmond, and 7.5 inches in Worth County at Manly and in Cerro Gordo County at Meservey.

A cold front moved into the state from the northwest during the day on the 31st. The airmass became unstable in front of it with a considerable push of deep moisture. Precipitable water values increased to 2 to 2.4 inches by afternoon. CAPE increased to 2500 to 4000 J/kg as afternoon temperatures climbed into the mid to upper 80s, with dewpoint readings in the low to middle 70s. The lifted index fell to -5 to -7 C. The atmosphere was not strongly sheared with 25 to 35 kts of effective shear available. CAPE in the -10 to -30 C layer of the atmosphere was between 600 and 800 J/kg. Downdraft CAPE was in the 1000-1400 J/kg range. A squall line developed ahead of the cold front and became marginally severe. Many of the storms produced small hail and gusty winds. A few locations reported winds in excess of 60 MPH, with the the highest winds reported of 64 MPH in Carroll County in Templeton. High winds from thunderstorms moving into Winnebago County downed trees in a city park in Buffalo Center. Winds estimated near 80 MPH snapped the top off of a power pole in Buffalo Center and also caused considerable tree damage and out building damage in the area. Heavy rainfall was an issue with the storms given the high precipitable water values. Three inches of rain fell in 50 minutes southeast of Madrid in Boone County, with reports of around 4 inches for storm total in the Ames area. In Emmet County, 2.65 inches of rain fell in a little over an hour in Ringsted. Fortunately, it has been quite dry for the previous 10 days. The rains did not cause flash flooding, but did result in some urban flooding. A 15 year old girl was struck by lightning in Leon as the thunderstorms passed. She was walking across a parking lot and lightning struck just as she reached for the door handle of her car. She was taken to hospital and remained overnight, however there were no detectable injuries beyond memory loss of the event.

A warm and humid airmass was in place across Iowa on the 25th. The flow was quite weak with only 5 to 10 kts of shear. Afternoon temperatures warmed into the 80s with dew points in the mid 60s to around 70. There was a fair amount of instability with available CAPE around 3500 J/kg by early to mid afternoon. A weak cold frontal boundary extended from north central into southwest Iowa by mid afternoon. Thunderstorms developed in the unstable air ahead of this boundary. Spotty reports of high winds and hail were received. Hail up to an inch in diameter covered the ground in Union County near Cromwell. High winds of 70 to 85 MPH occurred with some of the storms. Power poles were broken by high winds in Forest City in Winnebago County. A garage was destroyed in Guthrie County when the wind blew into the open doors and tore the garage from its foundation and slamming it into grain bins. With the weak flow, the storms were very slow moving. Heavy rainfall occurred with some of the storms, which resulted in local flash flooding. Heavy rainfall resulted in 2 feet of running water over the road west of Greenfield on Highway 92. In Union County, reports of 3.5 to over 4 inches of rain were received. Three and one half inches of rain fell in 30 minutes southwest of Cromwell in Adams County.

A weak cold front entered the state during night of the 2nd into the early morning hours of the 3rd. The airmass became unstable ahead of the front, though not as unstable as is typically the case in early August. CAPE values were in the 2000 to 4000 J/kg range with lifted indices around -6 C. Precipitable water values were generally three quarters of an inch to one inch. During the day temperatures warmed into the 80s with dew points generally in the upper 50s to mid 60s. Dew points pooled just ahead of the front and were between 65 and 70. The freezing level was quite high, between 14,500 and 15,000 feet. Thunderstorms developed over southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa during the evening. They moved southeast and accelerated to around 50 MPH during the late night and early morning hours. Many of the storms produced hail, however hail was generally around an inch or less in diameter. One and one quarter inch diameter hail fell in Clarke County, northeast of Osceola. One of the stronger clusters of storms produced quarter to golf fall size hail in a swath from Schleswig to Denison in Crawford County. The hail stripped leaves from trees and caused extensive crop damage. Strong winds were produced as the storms moved into the northwest part of the Des Moines CWA. Considerable tree and power line damage occurred in Pocahontas, Humboldt, Webster, and Carroll Counties. Reports indicated that power was knocked out to about 10,000 homes. As the storms moved through Story County, lightning struck a house northeast of Nevada. A power pole was struck and the power line was on the house. A fire resulted causing some damage to the home.

The frontal boundary that has been in place across Iowa lifted north during the day on the 18th and had become nearly stationary across northeast Iowa. The airmass warmed into the upper 80s to low 90s, with dew points in the mid 70s to low 80s. A significant cap was in place during the day into the evening of the 18th with 700 mb temperatures of +12 to +13 C. Mid level temperatures cooled during the evening and overnight hours as a strong upper level trough approached the area. The airmass remained very unstable into the early morning hours of the 19th, with CAPE in the 4000 to 5000 J/kg range and lifted indices remained in the -5 to-7 C range. Downdraft CAPE was high at 900 to 1300 J/kg. There was significant CAPE in the -10 to -30 C layer of the atmosphere ranging from around 700 to 900 J/kg, however the freezing level was quite high at 14,000 feet. In addition, 1.75 to 2 inches of precipitable water was available. Thunderstorms formed in Nebraska and moved into Iowa. The storms were heavy precipitation storms and combined with the warm atmosphere limited the storms in hail production. Some sub-severe hail was reported. The storms became a forward propagating MCS and wind was the primary mode of severe weather. Tree and power line damage was widespread with winds of 60 MPH or higher common. The wind event took place mainly from Interstate 80 north to the U.S. 30 corridor. In eastern Marshall County, a mesonet station recorded a 94 MPH wind gust. Damage was widespread across eastern Marshall County into Tama County.

A cold front moved southeast across Iowa during the afternoon of the 27th. The initial surface wind shift line had passed, however the cold front aloft lagged the wind shift by at least 150 miles. The airmass became unstable by afternoon with CAPE values in the 2000 to 3000 J/kg range, and lifted indices between -4 and -7 C. The atmosphere became more sheared as the afternoon progressed, with 30 to 45 kts of effective shear by late afternoon. Available downdraft CAPE was 700 to 900 J/kg, with cape available in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere between 300 and 400 J/kg. Initially, a scattered line of thunderstorms formed over eastern parts of Nebraska and South Dakota. The line became more solidified as it moved into Iowa. A few rogue cells developed ahead of the line, and became severe. One of them produced baseball size hail southwest of Earlham in Madison County. For the most part, the storms produced hail in the three quarter to one inch diameter size. The storms produced gusty winds in most areas. There were several reports of winds around 60 MPH or so with the stronger storms. Most of the wind damage was limited to trees and power lines. A beta bow element moved through Cass County, destroying a machine shed there as high winds tore it apart.

A seasonally strong cold front moved southeast into the state during the afternoon and evening hours of the 28th. There was a strong contrast across the front with highs in the low 90s south of the front with dew points in the low to mid 70s, and temperatures in the 60s and 70s north of the front. The airmass was quite unstable with CAPE between 3000 and 4000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -6 to -8 C. range. There was sufficient shear in place and was in the 35 to 50 kt range. CAPE in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere was 500 to 700 J/kg, however with freezing levels 15,000 to 15,500 feet hail was not realized in severe size at the ground level. The LCL was between 1000 and 1500 meters along the lead edge of the thunderstorms. As the front progressed southeast, a line of thunderstorms developed just ahead of the front. They developed quite rapidly as the cap was broken. The air was fairly dry in the lower levels leading to downdraft CAPE of 1000 to 1500 J/kg. In spite of the dry layer at low levels, precipitable water values were quite high, in the 1.5 to 1.7 inch range. Many of the storms remained below severe levels. An upper level vorticity max lifted northeast across eastern Nebraska into western Iowa during the late afternoon and evening hours. This intensified storms over eastern Nebraska, which moved into western Iowa. The storms became severe and produced high winds and several tornadoes from west central into central Iowa. The line took on a very evident bow echo as it moved through Crawford County, and that remained in tact as far east as Story County. Numerous reports of tree damage and power line damage were received, with winds of 60 to 70 MPH common. Winds were strong enough to partially blow over a utility pole near Jamaica in Guthrie County. A semitrailer truck was blown off off of County Road E-57 west of Kelly in Story County. Tornadoes touched down in Carroll and Greene Counties. They were short lived and were only on the ground for a short time in rural areas. One of them touched down in Carroll County north of Dedham, while a short time later a second touched down north of Coon Rapids downing utility poles. An aerial survey showed a very intermittent track, beginning about 3 miles north of Coon Rapids in Carroll County, continuing east for approximately 15 miles. It dissipated in Greene County just west of Cooper. Maximum path width was 50 yards. Crop damage and power poles were bent but no structures were significantly impacted. There was a two mile continuous swath of corn damage occurring about four miles west of Cooper with numerous meanders and turns. EF0 damage ended at approximately 1825 PM CST. Another tornado was on the ground for about 5 minutes in an intermittent track from southwest to south of Rippey. Minor roof damage was done and some windows were blown out by the tornado southwest of Rippey. Another tornado touched down in Guthrie County west of Bayard. An aerial survey showed a 3/4 mile long track that was embedded in the west to east outflow of the storm. A 50 yard wide track of damaged corn and a dozen trees downed at a farmstead were observed. A few shingles were blown off the house, but otherwise no other significant building damage was noted. The tornado was and EF0. Flash flooding was also a concern with flash flooding taking place in Calhoun and Wright Counties. Water was flowing over roads and into some basements. Heavy rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was common over already saturated ground. Nearly three and one half inches /3.42/ fell in a short time in the Rockwell City area.

A very dynamic situation set up for the afternoon of the 16th into the early morning hours of the 17th. An upper level low pressure area lifted northeast across the northern Plains. A strong upper level jet lifted northeast on the east side of the upper low with wind speeds in the jet in the 80 to 100 kt range. Meanwhile, a surface cold front approached Iowa from the northwest. The airmass became quite unstable in front of the cold front as a broad fetch of warm and moist air overspread the state. High temperatures reached the mid 80s to mid 90s, with dew point readings in the mid 60s to low 70s. By evening, the lifted index values were in the -3 to -6 C. range with 2000 to 3000 J/kg of CAPE. Plenty of moisture was available with precipitable water values in the 1.5 to 2 inch range. The effective shear in the zero to 3 km range was near 60 kts. Thunderstorms fired very late in the afternoon to the west of the CWA and advanced into Iowa. Initially, the storms were somewhat discreet, though severe weather remained limited. Parameters were favorable with the LCL in the 800 to 1200 meter range, CAPE in the -10 to -30 C. layer was around 400 J/kg, and the downdraft CAPE was in the 1000 to 1500 J/kg range. Large hail was not realized, with spotty reports of hail to nickel size received. One of the main reasons for the lack of large hail reports is the fact that the freezing level just ahead of the line was 16,800 feet. As the evening progressed, the storms became more linear and began to produce high winds. There were numerous reports of winds in excess of 50 MPH all along the line. In addition several locations reported severe wind speeds in the 60 to 70 MPH range. The strongest wind occurred in the Fontanelle area of Adair County with a wind gust of 76 MPH. High winds north of Fontanelle downed 6 power poles and severely damaged the front porch of a house and damaged 2 barns. For the most part, damage was limited to trees and spotty crop damage. Thunderstorms trained over parts of western Iowa. In Cass County, thunderstorms produced from 2 to 4 inches of rain in the Atlantic area, causing urban flooding between 2300 on the 16th and 0100 on the 17th. Water shot into the air 2 to 3 feet from the storm sewers and one street buckled due to the water pressure. Damage was around $50,000.

A very unstable airmass was in place over Iowa during the afternoon of the 9th into the overnight hours of the 10th. A warm front at thesurface was located just to the south of Iowa. Meanwhile, the warm front aloft was located well to the north of the surface front. Moisture pooled to the north of the surface front with surface dew points in the mid 70s to low 80s through much of the evening and early morning hours. Precipitable water values were in the 1.75 to 2 inch range. Strong theta-e advection took place during the evening and overnight hours with a west-southwesterly low level jet of about 30 kts. CAPE values were in the 4000 to 5500 J/kg range through much of the night with lifted indices in the -11 C. range. The shear environment was favorable with 35 to 45 kts of effective shear in place in the zero to 3 km layer. LCL values were in the 600 to 1000 meter range. There was plenty of CAPE available in the -10 to -30 C. layer with 500 to 700 J/kg available. In spite of this, little hail occurred with the freezing level quite high, nearly 15,000 feet. Downdraft CAPE was around 1500 J/kg, favoring winds. Thunderstorms erupted north of the warm front. They formed in two areas. An MCS formed over eastern Nebraska into western Iowa, north of the warm front and just ahead of a surface low pressure area that was located over northeast Kansas. The second area formed over central in to east central Iowa. The principle mode of severe weather was wind, though not as widespread as may have been expected. Scattered reports of winds of 60 to 70 MPH were reported. The winds caused considerable tree and power line damage, but damage was not widespread.

A complex weather situation set up over Iowa during the afternoon of the 19th. During the previous day, a strong short wave moved across Minnesota into Wisconsin. A trailing frontal boundary swept across Iowa and set up an east to west boundary across northern Missouri into Kansas. This boundary resulted in an area of thunderstorms during the night of the 18th into the morning of the 19th. These storms reinforced the boundary. During the afternoon of the 19th, the boundary set of another line of thunderstorms in the same area. In the meantime, another cold frontal boundary moved into northwest Iowa from the northwest during the afternoon and evening of the 19th. The airmass ahead of the boundary became unstable with surface temperatures warming into the upper 80s to low 90s and dew point readings in the low to mid 70s. Moisture streamed north into the are as a tropical tap was clearly evident on satellite pictures extending into Iowa. Precipitable water values reached 1.5 to 2 inches across the area. By evening, lifted indices were in the -5 to -8 C. range with cape values in the 1500 to 3000 J/kg range. In spite of the unstable airmass, hail as limited with freezing levels between 15,000 and 15,800 feet. The storms that developed along the old frontal boudary to the south of Iowa effectively cut off much of the severe weather potential across the CWA. Some storms did form ahead of the cold front. They produced 40 to 50 MPH winds and small hail for the most part. The interesting feature of the air mass over Iowa was the fact that Iowa was in an island of dry air aloft during the day with 850 mb dew points in the zero to +5 C. range. This aided in the development of numerous non-severe downburst wind events. During the evening, a strong moisture gradient lifted north into the state. The moisture gradient created a boundary and helped produce the conditions for one of the thunderstorms to produce a brief tornado touchdown in Tama County. The tornado touched down in open country and caused little damage. Storms earlier in Story County produced downburst winds that downed power poles in Story County at Nevada and damaged branches in the town of Gilbert.

A very hot and unstable airmass was over Iowa during the afternoon of the 25th into the early morning of the 26th. CAPE values were close to 4000 J/kg, though the airmass was quite capped with 700 mb temperatures around +12 C. A cold front was weakening as it approached from the north. The front itself did not make it into Iowa until the morning of the 26th, however thunderstorms that fired along the front the previous night formed an outflow boundary across Iowa by the morning of the 25th. By the evening of the 25th, the boundary had lifted north into the central part of the state Thunderstorms fired along the boundary and also formed into an area of relative weakening of the cap over southeast Iowa. There were several reported microburst events during the night. One of the most destructive was over Story County, in Story City, where several hundred trees were toppled by the high winds. Damage was reported to 47 homes in and around the city as well. Most of the damage was minor. Three businesses were also affected. Power was knocked out in some places for up to 36 hours. Between 3:30-3:45 a.m. on August 26, 2003, a swath of downburst winds struck Story City, Iowa and nearby farms. A National Weather Service damage survey indicated that the path of wind damage was about one mile wide, with the strongest winds probably occurring within Story City. The path of continuous tree damage was about 10 miles long, starting about 5 miles west of Story City near the Story/Boone county line. The damage path was mainly north of highway E18, and then east of Story City it followed highway E15 for about 3 miles. There was one injury as a semi-tractortrailer truck was overturned. The driver was pinned and ended up taken to the hospital. Three poultry confinement buildings and a grain bin were destroyed in the Story City area. Elsewhere, high winds overturned a semi-tractortrailer truck in Davis County. There were numerous reports of trees and power lines down from northwest, into central, and southeast Iowa. A few reports of hail were received, but the largest hail was only an inch and one quarter in diameter. That fell northeast of St. Anthony in Marshall County.

A strong upper level trough of low pressure lifted northeast out of the southwest U.S., lifting the seasons first significant storm system out of the southern Rockies into the central U.S. Deep moisture was drawn north as the system pulled moisture north following the landfall of Hurricane Lili. A warm front lifted north into the state during the evening hours of the 3rd. This sent temperatures into the mid 60s to low 70s, with dew point readings at or just below the temperature. By the late evening of the 3rd and early morning of the 4th, a powerful speed max lifted northeast across the area with wind speeds in the core of 70 to 100 kts. Thunderstorms erupted during the evening of the 3rd. They formed in two lines. There was a main line over eastern Nebraska, with a secondary scattered line well east of the main line. The secondary line did not produce much in the way of severe weather, but high winds did cause considerable damage in Madison County as the winds damaged trees and out buildings. As the main line progressed east, high winds were the significant severe event of the day. Numerous trees were downed across western into parts of central Iowa. Damage was reported to outbuildings as well. For example, in Adams county, the roof was ripped off a machine shed and chicken barn. Hog and grain buildings were severely damage in Madison and Audubon Counties, and a silo was blown down in Story County. Wind and outbuilding damage also was reported from Taylor, Hamilton, and Webster Counties as well. In Stratford, high winds blew several windows out of a farmhouse in rural Stratford.

During the evening hours an unseasonably strong cold front advanced into Iowa from the northwest. The airmass was capped, however the very strong dynamics were able to overcome the cap and a narrow line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed ahead of the front. For the most part, the storms produced strong winds as high as 75 MPH. The line had several bowing segments along it, each causing high wind. For the most part the damage was limited to trees and power lines. A window was blown out of a house in Roland in Story County. Also, the high winds tore off some of the siding from a school building in Creston in Union County. Some hail was reported during the early stages of the squall lines development. Golf ball size hail fell southwest of Emmetsburg in Palo Alto County. A few reports of hail three quarters of an inch to an inch in diameter were received. As the storms moved through Emmet County, lightning struck a corn crib on a farm in rural Ringsted. The crib was set on fire and destroyed before fire fighters were able to contain the blaze.

Another round of elevated convection moved into Iowa shortly after sunrise for the second day in a row. The synoptic situation was very much unchanged from the morning before. A stationary front extended from the Nebraska Panhandle into far northwest Iowa and into Wisconsin. Aloft a fast west to northwest flow of air was in place as the sub-tropical ridge aloft was firmly in place over the central U.S. Dew Point temperatures were in the low to mid 70s at sunrise, making for a very unstable airmass. The airmass was capped so convection was not able to initiate from the surface in spite of a weak boundary which was left across Iowa from the previous days convection. As the thunderstorms moved into Iowa, a small cluster of storms raced east at over 50 MPH in what was a mini Derecho. As the storms moved through western Iowa, Sac County was the first to be hit. Seventy MPH winds downed several trees in the southern part of the county with reports of one out building being destroyed. The storms weakened after that until they reached central Iowa. Deeper moisture aid in the intensification of the storms in Boone County. High winds moved through Boon with several trees being blown down in town. The high winds continued as the storm moved through Story County. Most areas reported winds around 50 MPH, however the storm began to increase as it moved into the Nevada area. Several large tree limbs were downed and a 14 inch diameter pine tree was snapped off. Winds of 70 to 75 MPH were reported with the storm as it moved into the town of Marshalltown in Marshall County. Quite a bit of damage was reported to trees in the town itself. High winds continued with the storm as it raced across Tama County as well. Winds of 70 to 75 MPH were reported in the towns of Tama and Dysart, causing considerable tree and power line damage.

A complex and active weather pattern was in place over the upper Midwest. A warm front lifted north across the state during the previous day, allowing a strong surge of moisture to flow north from the Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures rose into the 70s to low 80s as surface dew point temperatures rose into the upper 50s and 60s across the state. By the early evening hours, a frontal boundary extended from near Sioux City east-northeast into the northeast corner of the state. Thunderstorms fired along this front and became severe during the evening. These storms produced very heavy rain with numerous reports of hail. For the most part, the hail was around an inch in diameter with the storms. There were a few reports of hail up to the size of golf balls however. Reports of golf ball size hail were received from the Ringsted area of Emmet County, and also from the Fraser area of Boone County. Two things were taking place during the evening. While the thunderstorms were firing along the warm front over northern Iowa, a strong low pressure system was racing out of Colorado. CAPE values across northeast Kansas into Iowa were in the 2000 to 3000 J/Kg range as a dry line extending south from the low approached the area. Strong thunderstorms developed over northeast Colorado and raced east across Nebraska and Kansas. The thunderstorms took on a bow echo configuration as they headed across the Plains at more than 60 MPH. High winds raked Nebraska and Kansas before moving into Iowa. There were numerous reports of winds of 60 to 80 MPH as the line advanced across the west half of Iowa with numerous reports of trees and power lines downed. As the storms moved through Carroll County, several outbuildings were destroyed in the Templeton area. Machine sheds were totally destroyed in Adair County by the high winds. Further northwest, in Greene County, a barn was flattened north of Scranton. Damage continued as the storms continued east with reports of outbuildings damaged or destroyed toward Hamilton County. One of the most damaging events of the night took place late in the storm cycle. The storms turned into wind producers. High winds hit the Lake Mills area in Winnebago County for example. A barn and several sheds were destroyed by the winds around 80 MPH. As the storms moved into Hardin County, a microburst occurred west of the Iowa Falls area with winds estimated around 85 MPH. A tornado touched down briefly in the community of Alden, causing considerable damage in the town. The tornado touched down in two locations of the town, damaging several buildings four blocks apart. Concrete blocks were picked up and thrown 50 to 75 yards and roofs of the affected buildings were strewn one quarter to three eighths of a mile downstream. One business was damages with estimated damage around $180,000. On a farm at the edge of town damage was estimated at $100,000. Numerous trees were downed on Highways 491 and D15, blocking travel in the area. Shortly after this event occurred, the storms weakened and continued moving northeast.

Moist air moved into Iowa slowly over a period of a few days. During the previous several days the thunderstorm activity was to the northwest of Iowa. On the evening of the 25th, thunderstorms erupted over southeast South Dakota into Minnesota. They were set off in part by an approaching weak cold frontal system. The storms to the northwest of Iowa became severe and slipped into the state shortly before midnight. As they did, the storms produced gusty winds and hail. Winds were around 60 MPH in Pocahontas and Webster Counties for example. The winds downed trees and caused power outages. Many of the storms produced hail as they tracked southeast across the state as well. Numerous reports of hail from dime size to as large as golf ball size were received. Crop damage was widespread due to the hail. The severe thunderstorms weakened as sunrise approached. The period of weakening was short-lived however. After sunrise the cluster of storms intensified with the system becoming a hail producer. The largest hail fell in the Ames area with reports of hail up to four inches in diameter. The hail was oblong with the length around four inches and the width around 2 inches. Extensive damage resulted with car and roof damage in the city, and crop damage outside of the city. As the storms progressed east, reports of hail one inch in diameter to golf ball size were common. The hail caused crop damage in many areas. As the storms moved through the Newton area, lightning struck the Integrated Health Services building. The building security system was damaged and some minor damage was reported to the building. Damage estimates of damage were around $12,000.