Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 13, 1986Jefferson County, Wapello County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1986, 12:36 AM CDT for Jefferson County, Wapello County, Iowa. It was in force for 39 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 13, 1986, 12:36 AM CDT (05:36 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 1986, 1:15 AM CDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Jefferson County, IA, Wapello County, IA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Peoria Regional, IL (KPIA), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 221 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.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2264 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 130539
SVRDSM
IAC179-101-130615-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1236 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY OF

SOUTHEAST IOWA...EASTERN WAPELLO...WESTERN JEFFERSON

THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE CITIES OF OTTUMWA..FAIRFIELD AND RURAL AREAS.

AT 1235 AM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF
OTTUMWA.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH..LARGE HAIL..DEADLY LIGHTNING..AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN
QUICKLY FLOOD LOW LYTING AREAS.

BARLOW/KS

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 12, 8:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
835 PM CDT MON MAY 12 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PART OF NORTHERN IOWA UNTIL 9 PM...
..SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF TIL MIDNIGHT..

NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA FROM 730 TO 830 PM.

AT 830 PM...
OVERALL..THE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN IOWA HAVE WEAKENED SOME..AND
BECOME LESS ORGANIZED.  THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE JUST SOUTH OF CORNING
...ALSO NEAR DENISON...AND JUST WEST OF POCAHONTAS.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS HAD SPLIT INTO 2 SECTIONS.  ONE EXTENDED FROM
WINTERSET AND ADEL SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH CRESTON TO BEDFORD.  THE OTHER
LAYED FROM EMMETSBURG !THROUGH STORM LAKE TO DENISON.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST AROUND 10
MILES AN HOUR.

POTTS

Special weather statement, May 12, 9:22 PM CDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before

<PQ<
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
920 PM CDT MON MAY 12 1986

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 151 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF
EXTREME NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA EXPIRED AT 9PM CDT.

THE OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 152 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR
MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST IOWA HAS ALSO BEEN CANCELLED.  IT
DOES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

SCA?TTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF IOWA
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT BUT NO SEVERE STORMS ARE ANTICIPATED.

ADAMS

Local storm report, May 12, 10:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1005 PM CDT MON MAY 12 1986

420 PM CDT  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL OSCEOLA COUNTY.

435 PM CDT  DIME SIZE HAIL AT OCHEYEDAN..NE OSCEOLA COUNTY.

455 PM CDT  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN HARRIS..NE OSCEOLA COUNTY.

530 PM CDT  GUSTS TO 45 MPH 1 MILE WWEST OF SPIRIT LAKE.

535 PM CDT  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN EVERLY..WEST OF SPENCER.

540 PM CDT  UNOFFICIAL REPORT 3 INCHES OF RAIN NW OF LAKE PARK..
            NW DICKINSON COUNTY.

555 PM CDT  MARBLE SIZE HAIL WEST OF MINEOLA..NW MILLS COUNTY.

616 PM CDT  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL NORTH OF SILVER CITY..MILLS COUNTY.

620 PM CDT  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL..ALSO 1 INCH HAIL OCCURRED BRIEFLY
            AT PETERSON..SW CLAY COUNTY.

625 PM CDT  MARBLE TO DIME SIZE HAIL COVERED GROUND COMPLETELY AT
            SPENCER.  1.22 INCHES OF RAIN IN ONE-HALF HOUR.

635 PM CDT  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT ALTA..5 MILES WEST OF STORM
            LiAKE.

700 PM CDT  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT DOW CITY..CRAWFORD COUNTY.

820 PM CDT  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN MOST OF POCAHANTAS COUNTY.

945 PM CDT  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST POCAHANTAS TO NE CALHOUN
            COUNTIES.

Special weather statement, May 12, 11:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

<PQ<
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1107 PM CDT MON MAY 12 1986

AT 1100 PM..RADAR INDICATED A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM DRIFTING ACROSS
EASTERN CRAWFORD COUNTY INTO WESTERN CARROLL COUNTY..IN WEST CENTRAL
IOWA.  THE STORM HAD WEAKENED SLIGHTLY IN INTENSITY.

THE STORM HAD CAUSED HEAVY RAINS TO OCCUR OVER CRAWFORD COUNTY.
THE RAINS CAUSED A SMALL MUDSLIDE NEAR DOW CITY..IN SOUTHWESTERN
CRAWFORD COUNTY..AROUND 1020 PM TONIGHT.  AROUND 1030 PM..MARBLE
SIZED HAIL OCCURRED AT VAIL..IN EAST CENTRAL CRAWFORD COUNTY.

THE RAINS MAY CAUSE RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE RATHER RAPIDLY IN
CRAWFORD COUNTY.  SOME SMALL STREAMS MAY OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS.
PEOPLE SHOULD BE O+N THE ALERT TO THIS POSSIBILITY.

BIKLE

Local storm report, May 13, 12:08 AM CDT, 28 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT  ..UPDATED..
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1205 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 1986

MAY 12

1020 PM CDT  SMALL MUD SLIDE NEAR DOW CITY..SW CRAWFORD COUNTY.
             MUD SLIDE 200-300D FT LONG..11/2 MILES WEST OF DOW
             CITY ON US ROUTE 30.

1028 PM CDT  MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT VAIL..EAST CENTRAL CRAWFORD
             COUNTY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 12, 7:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford	23 min
May 12, 8:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Taylor	52 min
May 12, 9:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Pocahontas	50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1986 Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.