What Cheer, IA Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for What Cheer, Keokuk County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for What CheerWhat TALON shows

What weather hits What Cheer?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged heavy snow or a winter storm on 72 days in the Keokuk forecast zone and Keokuk County — the most common reported hazard around What Cheer, mostly in January and December. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (61 days) and flooding (24 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Heavy snow & winter storms72Nov 2025Jan 6, 2005 · $10,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds61Jun 2026Aug 3, 2010 · $100,000 damage
Flooding24Mar 2019Jun 1, 2008 · $570,000 damage
Flash flooding15Jul 2024Jun 15, 2010 · $100,000 damage
Extreme cold & wind chill12Jan 2019—
Ice storms & sleet9Dec 2024Feb 24, 2007 · $291,000 damage
Blizzards8Mar 2026—
High winds7Oct 2008Apr 6, 1997 · $100,000 damage

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1996–2026 (the latest year is partial). A "day" is a date with at least one report in the Keokuk forecast zone and Keokuk County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

Which radars cover What Cheer?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KDMX (Des Moines, IA), about 74 miles west-northwest. Radar beams climb as they travel, so the height of the lowest scan over town decides how low in a storm the radar can see.

RadarDistanceLowest beam over What CheerView
KDMX
Des Moines, IA		74 mi west-northwest6,200 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KDVN
Quad Cities, IA		93 mi east8,600 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KARX
La Crosse, WI		178 mi north-northeast24,000 ftLimited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, with standard refraction. Mountains near a radar can block it further.

Tornado & hail history near What Cheer

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 104 tornadoes within 25 miles of What Cheer, 25 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in May and June. The strongest was an F4 on June 7, 1984, which passed about 5 miles southeast of town and caused 3 deaths. The most recent was an EF1 on May 24, 2024, which passed about 2 miles southeast of town.

Hail: 194 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955, 22 of them 2 inches or more; the largest was 4.75-inch hail on May 8, 2003.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025. Distances are to each tornado's track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita scale.

On TALON you get What Cheer's live radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

What Cheer radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to What Cheer, IA?

KDMX (Des Moines, IA), about 74 miles west-northwest. KDVN (Quad Cities, IA) is 93 miles away and also covers the area.

Does radar show snow in What Cheer?

Yes. TALON colors snow blue, a rain–snow mix pink and freezing rain purple using NOAA's precipitation-type analysis. Over What Cheer the lowest scan from KDMX is about 6,200 ft up, so light snow from shallow clouds can be under-shown — check NWS winter alerts too.

Is TALON's radar for What Cheer free?

Yes — the US radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and NWS warnings are free in any browser. Close-up radar, rotation detection and longer forecasts are part of TALON Pro.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a warning for What Cheer, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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