798 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



occurred in all parts of the state except the nothwestern counties. As 

 said before, the storms in Mills, Pottawattamie, Shelby and eastern Har- 

 rison Counties were undoubtedly of a true tornadic character, and in those 

 counties the damage done was great. In Pottawattamie County there were 

 17 people killed at Council Bluffs, 2 at Weston, 2 at Gilliat, and 3 at Neola. 

 In Mills County there were 5 killed near Glenwood, and in Harrison County 

 there were 2 killed at Logan and 2 at Beebetown, making a total of 33 

 killed, and there were more than 100 injured. The property loss in the 

 state is estimated to be more than one million dollars. 



The morning weather map of March 23d showed a well defined area of 

 low barometric pressure over Colorado, moving east or a little north of 

 east. The center of this disturbance crossed the Missouri River, north of 

 Omaha a few minutes after the passage of the tornado. Over Iowa the 

 atmospheric pressure decreased all day, or until after the passage of the 

 storm center, which crossed the Missouri River about 6 p. m. and the 

 Mississippi River about midnight. The temperature was moderately low 

 during the forenoon but rising slowly until about 4 p. m. when it began 

 rising rapidly, attaining a maximum at Des Moines of 66 degrees at 8:30 

 p. m. Rapid changes in cloudiness were observed from 4:30 p. m. to 8 

 p. m., accompanied by increasing wind velocity, falling barometer, and 

 rapidly rising temperature. Just preceding the passage eastward of the 

 storm center, severe thunderstorms occurred attended by rain and 

 wind squalls. At many places in the state heavy hail accompanied the 

 rain. Near Weston, Pottawattamie County, some of the hail stones were 

 3 to 6 inches in circumference. 



STORM OF MARCH 23, 1913. 



J. M. SiiERiEK, Local Forecasi'ek. 

 U. S. Weather Bureau. 



Davenport, Iowa, April 3, 1913. 

 At 11:30 p. m. of March 23, 1913, this section was visited by the most 

 destructive wind storm of recent years. The barometer, which had been 

 falling steadily during the preceding 36 hours, reached its lowest point, 

 29.43 inches, reduced to sea level, at midnight of the 23d-24th. The tem- 

 perature had risen from 34 degrees at 7 a. m. to 66 degrees at about 11 

 p. m. and the conditions were oppressive during the evening and before 

 11:25 p. m., notwithstanding the fact that the wind increased after sun- 

 set and frequently exceeded a rate of 30 miles per hour after 7:30 p. m. 

 Clouds had covered the sky until nearly S p. m., with rain from during 

 night a. ni. to 1:2[) p. m. and a light thunderstorm from 4:44 p. m. to 

 7:23 p. m. Party cloudy weather prevailed from 8 p. m. to 9 p. m., 

 after which time it was again generally cloudy. At 10 p. m. heavy 

 stratus clouds were observed coming from the southwest which over- 

 spread all except the southern third of the sky by the time the opposite 

 horizon had boon reached. In addition to their progressive motion from 



