Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 29, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 8, 1986, 3:48 PM CDT for Lucas County, Monroe County, Iowa. It was in force for 42 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 8, 1986, 3:48 PM CDT (20:48 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 1986, 4:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Lucas County, IA, Monroe County, IA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 3:50 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Monroe, IA | |
| May 8, 4:01 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Lucas, IA |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 276 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3612 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 87 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 082049 SVRDSM IAC117-135-082130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 348 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...LUCAS AND WESTERN MONROE AT 344 PM..WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN THE RATHBUN LAKE AREA..ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH-NORTHWEST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR..AND WILL MOVE INTO THE CHARITON AND MELROSE AREAS BETWEEN 4 AND 415 PM THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH WINDS HAVE OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM IN THE RATHBUN LAKE AREA. REMEMBERB..A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH..LARGE HAIL..DEADLY LIGHTNING..AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN QUICKLY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS. KS/TRUETT
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 8, 1:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 130 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 ..SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN WESTERN IOWA.. AT 115 PM..SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER A LARGE PART OF WESTERN IOWA. THE PRECIPITATION WAS CONFINED WEST OF A LINE FROM NEAR SPENCER TO FORT DODGE TO DES MOINES TO LAKE RATHBUN. THE HEAVIEST CONCENTRATION WAS OCCURRING ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY 30 TO 40 MILES WEST AND NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES. FURTHER SOUTH..SEVERAL LARGE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHERN MISSOURI..ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES. THOSE SHOULD BE ENTERING SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA BETWEEN LAMONI AND LAKE RATHBUN BY 3 PM. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER IOWA..ESPECIALLY WESTERN IOWA..IS VERY UNSTABLE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY WITH THE THREAT OF VERY HEAVY RAINS AND SMALL HAIL INCREASING THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. MYERS
Special weather statement, May 8, 2:51 PM CDT, 57 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 2 35PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 AT 2 30 PM CDT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED THROUGH THE WEST HALF OF IOWA...AND EXTENDED INTO NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI AND EASTERN NEBRASKA. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM SAC CITY...40 MILES WEST OF FORT DODGE... TO WINTERSET. A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI JUST SOUTH OF LAMONI. VERY HEAVY RAIN...SURFACE WINDS TO 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORNS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. SCOTT
Special weather statement, May 8, 2:56 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 2 35PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 AT 2 30 PM CDT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED THROUGH THE WEST HALF OF IOWA...AND EXTENDED INTO NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI AND EASTERN NEBRASKA. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM SAC CITY...40 MILES WEST OF FORT DODGE... TO WINTERSET. A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI JUST SOUTH OF LAMONI. VERY HEAVY RAIN...SURFACE WINDS TO 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORNS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. SCOTT
Special weather statement, May 8, 3:07 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
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SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
305 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHERN IOWA...
AT 3 PM..VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI AND WERE
MOVING NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO EXTREME
SOUTHERN IOWA BETWEEN 315 AND 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON...AND WILL BE AFFECTING
THE EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COUNTIES OF DECATUR..WAYNE..
APPANOOSE..DAVIS..AND VAN BUREN.
PEOPLE IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS..INCLUDING VERY HEAVY RAINS..SMALL HAIL..AND WINDS UP TO
50 MILES AN HOUR. BOATERS AND RECREATIONAL INTERESTS ON OR NEAR LAKE
RATHBUN SHOULD SEEK SAFE SHELTER AT ONCE.
THESE STORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED INTENSE RAINS AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF
50 MILES AN HOUR OVER SECTIONS OF NORTHERN MISSOURI.
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TRUETTThe office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 3:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Appanoose, Davis | 45 min |
| May 8, 3:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Decatur, Wayne | 45 min |
| May 8, 4:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Marion | 44 min |
| May 8, 4:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Madison | 28 min |
| May 8, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Warren | 32 min |
| May 8, 4:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Polk | 36 min |
| May 8, 5:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Jasper | 16 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.