Thunderstorm Wind — Hardin, Iowa

2025-06-26 · near Iowa Falls, Hardin, Iowa

Event narrative

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

Wider weather episode

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.5100, -93.3800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1273348. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.