Tornado Warning Issued for Appanoose, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne Counties in Iowa

Source: NOAA · South Central Iowa

This alert is no longer in effect.

NOAA issued it on May 1, 2026, 3 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).

Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.

A Tornado Warning is in effect for Appanoose, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne counties in south central Iowa until 10:00 PM CDT, with severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes moving east at 65 mph.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Tornado Warning
Affected area
South Central Iowa
Issued
May 1, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Des Moines IA

Tornado warnings are short-window notices for the named area. The issuing office is the authority on whether the warning remains active or has been replaced.

Record status: historical. It was issued 3 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in South Central Iowa.

Tornado Warning in Southern Iowa

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Tornado Warning for southern Lucas County, southwestern Monroe County, northern Wayne County, and northwestern Appanoose County in south central Iowa. This warning is effective from 9:08 PM CDT until 10:00 PM CDT on April 23, 2026.

Affected Areas

The warning affects Appanoose, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne counties in Iowa. Specific locations include Chariton, Corydon, Rathbun Lake, Russell, Millerton, Red Haw Lake State Park, Melrose, Mystic, and Honey Creek State Park.

What You Should Do

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

Expected Conditions

Severe thunderstorms capable of producing a tornado are located along a line extending from near Derby to 4 miles northwest of Millerton to near Allerton. Hazards include tornadoes, with potential for flying debris, damage to mobile homes, roofs, windows, vehicles, and trees.

Timeline

The warning is effective from 9:08 PM CDT on April 23, 2026, and expires at 10:00 PM CDT on the same day.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
A Tornado Warning is in effect for Appanoose, Lucas, Monroe, and Wayne counties in south central Iowa until 10:00 PM CDT, with severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes moving east at 65 mph.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NOAA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects South Central Iowa. Check with NOAA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates?
Browse the full Weather Alerts feed on Areazine at areazine.com/weather/ for the latest updates from NOAA and other agencies.