Central/Northern Iowa
A few cities include: Des Moines, Fort Dodge and Waterloo.
Local tornado season: Peaks from May and June into early July.
Terrain: Rolling hills, ponds/lakes, some forested areas.
Road network: Mostly good, only a few exceptions.
Radar coverage: Limited in northern Iowa.
Iowa may get a bad reputation in most storm chaser circles, but a secondary maximum in strong tornadoes in the U.S. has been noted in central Iowa. There has even been a cluster of long-track tornadoes in the area. Truth be told, a few higher-end events have skewed the tornado record to some degree.
Iowa seems to be a fickle state for storm chasing. Some highly anticipated events under-perform, while other seemingly marginal setups produced tornado outbreaks. Whether it is a warm front draped over the state or an intense low pressure system wrapping up to the west, tornadoes are no stranger to Iowa. Large to occasionally very large hail can also occur in Iowa and damaging wind events commonly originate here as squall lines forward propagate as they organize across the state.
Terrain
Believe it or not, Iowa does not rank in the top five flattest states in the country. There may not be any mountain ranges in Iowa, but most of the state’s terrain is comprised of rolling hills. In addition to hilly terrain, rivers and several lakes/ponds fill the landscape as well.
Forested areas are common as well, especially in central Iowa. Look for trees on either side of the Des Moines River extending northwest and southwest from Des Moines. The combination of hills and waterways can make navigating parts of Iowa challenging, especially if a storm chaser wants to have a clear, consistent view of a storm.
Road network
The road network through much of Iowa is generally good for storm chasing. State and U.S. highways often take straight paths across Iowa and much of the room between is comprised of a grid layout of secondary roads. Be mindful though, as some of these roads can be dirt and may be impassible during times of heavy rainfall.
Southeast of Des Moines, the road network gets a bit irregular, especially near and southwest of Lake Red Rock. Navigating around Des Moines itself can be challenging as well. Consider that the metro area includes several cities and populated areas all around Des Moines. The main freeways in the area include the north-south I-35 and east-west I-80, both of which cross through Des Moines. I-380 offers a quick path from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, before it downgrades to an expressway, north and west to I-35.
Radar coverage
KDMX cover most of central Iowa. Radar coverage becomes limited near and north of IA-3 and there is little to no radar coverage in a small area near the Iowa/Minnesota border. KFSD covers parts of northwestern Iowa, while KARX does a fair job at covering northeastern Iowa. In western Iowa, KOAX comes into range. It is a good radar site to use to track storms that are moving into or toward Iowa from the west.
In summary, Iowa may not be high on your list of potential storm chase targets, but tornadoes can be found here for those who are patient and determined. The road network is good across most of the state, although rolling hills and some forested areas can make observing storms a bit difficult at times.
Notes
The Missouri River establishes the border between Nebraska and Iowa, while the Mississippi River marks the border with Illinois. Areas near these rivers are more characteristic of the adjacent Mid-Missouri Valley (IA/NE) and Mid/Upper Mississippi Valley (IA/IL) chase zones.