Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 7, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1987, 9:57 PM CDT for Emmet County, Kossuth County, Iowa. It was in force for 25 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 13, 1987, 9:57 PM CDT (02:57 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 1987, 10:22 PM CDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Emmet County, IA, Kossuth 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
Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 186 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
- 732 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -105 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1878 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 129 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 191 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 4.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 140257 SVRDSM IAC109-063-140330- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 957 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... NORTHERN KOSSUTH AND NORTHEAST EMMET AT 953 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON THE IOWA MINNESOTA BORDER NEAR NORTHEAST EMMET COUNTY...OR ABOUT 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPENCER. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE TOWNS OF ARMSTRONG...BANCROFT...AND SWEA CITY BETWEEN 1000 AND 1025 PM THIS EVENING. 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. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IMMEDIATELY. SCHUMACHER/FERRY
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 13, 5:37 PM CDT, 4 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 540 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EXTREME NORTHWEST IOWA UNTIL 9 PM.... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN DES MOINES WAS NOT INDICATING ANY PRECIPITATION IN IOWA AS OF 530 PM. HOWEVER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NOR.THWEST IOWA THIS EVENING. FERRY
Special weather statement, May 13, 6:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 635 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 11 PM... AT 630 PM... THE ONLY PRECIPITATION INDICATED IN IOWA WAS AN ISOLATED THUNDER/ SHOWER IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...15 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT DODGE. THIS THUNDERSHOWER HAD DEVELOPED SINCE 600 PM. THE MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDER/ SHOWER HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. THE STORMS LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA SHOULD MOVE EAST INTO EXTREME NORTH/ WEST IOWA BEFORE 730 PsM. FERRY
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
KDSM 140034 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 735 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 11 PM... AT 730 PM... WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAD ENTERED THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF IOWA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ABOUT 40 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY...AND ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES WEST OF SPIRIT LAKE. THE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA HAD DISSIPATED. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. BRUCE
Special weather statement, May 13, 8:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
KDSM 140034 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 840 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 11 PM... AT 830 PM... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHWEST IOWA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM ESTHERVILLE TO SIOUX CITY. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY. THESE STORMS WERE P9ART OF A LINE OF STORMS REACHING FROM NORTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. BRUCE
Special weather statement, May 13, 8:57 PM CDT, 1 hour before
KDSM 140034 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 855 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 11 PM... RADAR INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER DICKINSON AND NORTHEAST OBRIEN COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST IOWA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 5 MILES WEST OF ESTHERVILLE TO 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPENCER NEAR HARTLEY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN NORTHERN CLAY AND SOUTHEAST DICKENSON AND WESTERN EMMET COUNTIES CAN EXPECT THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS BY 845 PM. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR....BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE FROGM THESE STORMS. FERRY
Special weather statement, May 13, 9:48 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
KDSM 140034
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
945 PM CDT WED MAY 13 1987
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
UNTIL 11 PM...
AT 935 PM...
A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS INDICATED OVER NORTHWEST IOWA.
THE LINE WAS 20 MILES WIDE AND EXTENDED FROM SIOUX CITY TO ESTHERVILLE.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXTENDED INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND
NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.
THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY
AND 30 MILES WEST OF SPENCER NEAR PRIMGHAR.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THEY ARE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAINS....WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50
MI{LES AN HOUR AND SOME SMALL HAIL.
FERRYThe office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 9:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clay, Palo Alto | 23 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987
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.