Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Des Moines, IA

July 14, 1986Clay County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 14, 1986, 9:18 AM CDT for Clay 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: Jul 14, 1986, 9:18 AM CDT (14:18 UTC)
Expired: Jul 14, 1986, 10:00 AM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

County Clay 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
Jul 14, 9:30 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Clay, IA
Jul 14, 9:50 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Clay, 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 220 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: 3645 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 143 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 141420
SVRDSM
IAC041-141500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
918 AM CDT MON JUL 14 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY OF

NORTHWEST IOWA...CLAY

AT 915 AM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY RADAR APPROACH-
ING NORTHWEST CLAY COUNTY.  THE WARNING INCLUDES THE CITIES OF
SPENCER AND EVERLY.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 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 LYING AREAS.

THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE
OR NO ADVANCE WARNING..SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE
TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF ONE IS SPOTTED.

DOWD/FORSTER

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, Jul 14, 3:43 AM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
343 AM CDT MON JUL 14 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECTFOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH
   CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 4 AM...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA TONIGHT...

THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER IN IOWA DURING THE LAST
HOUR...OR SINCE AROUND 1 AM.

AT 330 AM CDT...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER SOUTHWEST
IOWA...FROM 40 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES....TO NEAR AFTON...OR 40 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

THESE VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE VERY LARGE
AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN A VERY SHORT TIME...AND COULD CAUSE FLOODING OF
LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS.
.
THERE WAS NEW DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS IN NORTHWEST
IOWA...EXTENDING INTO CENTRAL IOWA SINCE 230 AM...THE AREA WAS 25 MILES
WIDE...EXTENDING FROM NEAR CHEROKEE...50 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX
CITY...TO PERRY`...OR 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHWEST...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA...
MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

MARTIN

Special weather statement, Jul 14, 4:26 AM CDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before

<PQ<
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
420 AM CDT MON JUL 14 1986

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL IOWA
EXPIRED AS OF 4 AM.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN IOWA SINCE ABOUT 1 AM.

AT 415 AM..SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE STILL IN SOUTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST IOWA BUT THE HEAVIEST HAVE MOVED SOUTH INTO MISSOURI.

HAHN

Special weather statement, Jul 14, 8:23 AM CDT, 55 minutes before

<PQ<
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
822 AM CDT MON JUL 14 1986

A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST
IOWA FROM THE NORTHWEST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AT 812 AM.  THESE
STORMS APPEAR TO BE STRONG ON RADAR..THOUGH NO REPORTS OF SEVERE
WEATHER IN IOWA HAVE YET BEEN RECEIVED.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO OSCEOLA..SIOUX..AND O'BRIEN
COUNTIES BETWEEN 820 AND 850 AM..AND WILL BE MOVING INTO DICKINSON
..CLAY..AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES BETWEEN 845 AND 915 AM.  HEAVY RAINS
..WINDS UP TO 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR..AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL
WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS.  BOATERS ON THE IOWA GREAT
LAKES WOULD BE WELL ADVISuED TO HEAD FOR SHORE.

DOWD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 13, 7:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cass	65 min
Jul 13, 8:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Cass	55 min
Jul 13, 9:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair	56 min
Jul 13, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cass	35 min
Jul 13, 10:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Audubon, Cass	32 min
Jul 13, 10:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Audubon, Cass	30 min
Jul 13, 10:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair	39 min
Jul 13, 10:41 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Adair	89 min
Jul 13, 11:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke, Madison, Union	36 min
Jul 13, 11:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke, Lucas	60 min
Jul 14, 12:15 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Wayne	45 min
Jul 14, 12:58 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Appanoose, Wayne	62 min
Jul 14, 3:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair	30 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.