[1] In addition to the tornadoes, Texas experienced a widespread straight-line wind and hail event, leaving $100 million in damage.

[2] A large storm system with an associated frontal boundary moved northward and eastward across the central United States beginning on April 8.

While initial severe weather was limited, a lone supercell broke out ahead of a mesoscale convective system in Pulaski County, Virginia on the eastern end of the warm front that evening.

[3] An outbreak began across the United States during the afternoon of April 9; supercells developed along the warm front and tracked through parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina, generating softball sized hail and eight more tornadoes.

Owing to early morning thunderstorms, moisture levels in the central Great Plains increased; however, capping in the region would limit daytime activity before atmospheric instability allowed for severe weather.

Forecast models indicated that the low-level jetstream would produce significant wind shear, aiding in the formation of possible tornadic supercell thunderstorms, and convective available potential energy (CAPE) values could exceed 3,000 J/kg.

In light of this, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) stated a moderate risk of severe weather for areas around the Minnesota-Iowa border.

[6] During the evening hours of April 9, the SPC issued a tornado watch for western and northern Iowa, eastern Nebraska and southeast South Dakota.

[8] Tracking northeastward, the supercell moved into Ida County, another tornado touched down around 01:20 UTC (8:20 p.m. CDT) to the west of Arthur.

[9] Around the same time, the cell entered Sac County and the first in a series of multiple tornadoes touched down northwest of Odebolt.

[69] On April 11, a strong derecho brought widespread damage to much of northern Alabama as well as parts of Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.

[69] Within days of the tornadoes in Iowa, excavators were brought in to clear debris and tear down homes that were damaged beyond repair.

[72] On May 5, nearly a month after the outbreak, President Barack Obama signed a federal disaster declaration for Buena Vista, Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Pocahontas and Sac Counties in Iowa.