Thunderstorm Wind — Mills, Iowa

2025-06-20 · near Tabor, Mills, Iowa

Event narrative

Personal weather station measured wind gust of 76 mph. The wind damage occurred on the north side of a small thunderstorm complex moving through the area, where evaporative cooling of anvil precipitation likely bolstered downdraft strength.

Wider weather episode

On the evening of June 19, 2025, into the early morning of June 20, 2025, a mid to upper level wave clipped eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. This system, riding the edge of a ridge, triggered scattered showers and thunderstorms. These storms remained elevated, fueled by a developing low-level jet, moderate instability, and 20-30 knots of effective shear.

As the thunderstorms moved south-southeast, they produced wind gusts up to 58 mph and caused tree damage near Wahoo, Nebraska. Later, a small thunderstorm complex generated wind gusts of 58-72 mph on its northern flank, likely intensified by evaporative cooling from anvil precipitation. These stronger winds resulted in additional damage to trees and power lines near Essex, Iowa, and Elkhorn, Nebraska.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.9400, -95.6400)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1264175. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.