Thunderstorm Wind in Hardin County, Iowa

Branches, trees, and powerlines down. Report by Alden Fire Department.

Much of Iowa was again within the warm and moist sector with temperatures into the mid to upper 80s and dewpoints in the 70s with MLCAPE of 2000-2500 J/kg. Deep layer shear was around 30-40 kts across northern Iowa, diminishing towards central Iowa. As a shortwave trough swung across Minnesota with associated surface low tracking over southern Minnesota to southern Iowa, the attendant cold front swept across the area. As the line of storms pushed across Iowa areas of gusty wind developed, including a gust to 63 mph southwest of the Des Moines and tree damage reported in the metro. A weak tornado also developed briefly in north central Iowa nearer to the surface low with the enhanced vorticity. This tornado resulted in sheet metal damage to an outbuilding and tracked east northeast through cropland.