Hail — Pottawattamie, Iowa

2025-04-24 · near Chautauqua, Pottawattamie, Iowa

Event narrative

Public estimated hail up to 1.75 inch in diameter from pictures on social media. Time estimated with radar.

Wider weather episode

On April 24, 2025, a vorticity maximum over central Nebraska helped drape a surface front across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, setting the stage for thunderstorm development throughout the afternoon and evening. Although overall instability was marginal, locally backed surface winds near and just north of the boundary enhanced low-level hodograph curvature, with 0'1 km storm-relative helicity values reaching 200'250 m/s according to the KOAX VWP during the mid-afternoon.

Embedded supercells developed by late afternoon. The first notable storm formed in east-central Nebraska, producing a funnel cloud approximately 3 miles south-southwest of Friend. Several supercells tracked along the boundary from east-central Nebraska into southwest Iowa, producing large hail ranging from 1 to 3 inches in diameter across the Omaha'Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

These storms were also efficient rainfall producers. Rainfall totals of 2.5 to 3.5 inches were reported in a swath from Ralston in southwest Omaha through northwestern Pottawattamie County, resulting in flash flooding across parts of Douglas and Pottawatamie county. Emergency management in Douglas County reported considerable flooding in the Saddle Creek area, with water reaching vehicle windows and dumpsters floating.

Storms weakened as they moved eastward into western Iowa later in the evening.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.2800, -95.8200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1248715. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.