Thunderstorm Wind in Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Delayed report of tree damage with estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph. Time estimated with radar.

During the late evening hours of May 31 and into the early morning of June 1, 2026, a stalled frontal boundary draped across northeast Nebraska and western Iowa became the focal point for strong to severe thunderstorm development. The environment along the boundary featured roughly 2,000 J/kg of instability and 30 knots of deep-layer shear, which proved sufficient to organize convection. Additionally, a dry sub-cloud layer yielded approximately 1,400 J/kg of DCAPE, promoting a severe downdraft threat alongside the hail risk.

As storms initiated and pushed southward overnight, radar signatures indicated the potential for several swaths of large hail and damaging winds, particularly across western Iowa. However, because the storms primarily traversed sparsely populated areas late at night, only a handful of severe weather reports were received. Quarter-size (1.00 inch) hail was estimated near the towns of Woodbine and Avoca, Iowa. The storms also produced a measured wind gust of 63 mph and localized tree damage in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. The complex continued tracking southward, eventually decreasing in intensity and weakening below severe limits during the early morning hours.