Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Des Moines, IA

July 7, 1987Buena Vista County, Clay County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 7, 1987, 2:06 AM CDT for Buena Vista County, Clay County, Iowa. It was in force for 84 min. 1 report 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 7, 1987, 2:06 AM CDT (07:06 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 1987, 3:30 AM CDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Buena Vista County, IA, 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 7, 2:10 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Buena Vista, 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 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 203 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1987-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1987-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 26 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
3581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 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 070706
SVRDSM
IAC021-041-070800-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
206 AM CDT TUE JUL 7 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF

NORTHWEST IOWA...
BUENA VISTA AND CLAY

AT 200 AM CDT THIS MORNING...RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
OVER EASTERN OBRIEN AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST IOWA.  THE
STRONGEST ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF
CHEROKEE COUNTY...ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  THE
STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.  THE HEAVIER STORMS
WILL ARRIVE AT STORM LAKE...THE COUNTY SEAT OF BUENA VISTA COUNTY
ABOUT 60 MILES EAST OF SIOUX CITY...AROUND 230 AM CDT THIS
MORNING.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT ROYAL...A COMMUNITY IN WESTERN CLAY COUNTY...
ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPENCER...OR ABOUT 75 MILES NORTHEAST OF
SIOUX CITY REPORTED WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MILES AN HOUR JUST WEST OF
ROYAL AT 203 AM CDT.

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.

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.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY.  IF SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OBSERVED..PLEASE ASK
THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

BIKLE

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 6, 8:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
838 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

AT 831 PM CDT...
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL INTO EAST
CENTRAL IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH
OF CEDAR RAPIDS.  ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES
MOINES...NEAR KNOXVILLE.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS
POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

OTHER THUNDERSHOWERS WERE LOCATED JUST NORTH OF OTTUMWA...AND NEAR
DAVENPORT.

THE RAIN WAS DRIFTING EAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.

SCHUMACHER
BARLOW
Local storm report, Jul 6, 9:53 PM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES
955 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...ALL EVENTS OCCURRED PM CDT ON JULY 6TH...

320   PEA SIZE HAIL AT BRANDON IOWA IN BUCHANAN COUNTY

328   MARBLE SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH AND EAST OF BRANDON

342   DIME SIZE HAIL 3 MILE NORTH OF URBANA IN BENTON COUNTY

349   THREE QUARTER INCH HAIL ON NORTH EDGE OF URBANA

359   DIME SIZE HAIL AT CENTER POINT IN LINN COUNTY

420   DIME SIZE HAIL AT ALBURNETTE IN LINN COUNTY

425   FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR PALO IN LINN COUNTY

428   FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTED FROM BROADCAST PARK NORTHEAST OF
      CEDAR RAPIDS AREA IN LINN COUNTY

449   FUNNEL CLOUDS SIGHTED JUST WEST OF CEDAR RAPIDS

503   1 INCH HAIL OBSERVED 1 MILE WEST OF HIAWATHA;  ON WEST
      SIDE OF CEDAR RAPIDS BY U.S. 30;  AND ON THE NORTH SIDE
      BY THE HIGH SCHOOL.

517   QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT PALISADES-KEPLER PARK IN LINN COUNTY

540   GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT SOLON IN JOHNSON COUNTY

DOWD
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 11:46 PM CDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1145 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST IOWA UNTIL 400 AM CDT...

...NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA BETWEEN 1100 AND 1145 PM...

AT 1134 PM CDT...
NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN IOWA...HOWEVER A LINE OF INTENSE
STORMS WAS POISED TO ENTER THE STATE.  THEY EXTENDED ACROSS SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA...INTO SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOT*A...INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

THESE STORMS SHOULD ENTER THE STATE BY 1230 AM TUESDAY MORNING.

THEY WERE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCHUMACHER
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 12:44 AM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1245 AM CDT TUE JUL 7 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWEST IOWA UNTIL 400 AM CDT...

...NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA BETWEEN 1145 AND 1245 AM...

AT 1235 AM CDT...
A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS ENTERING NORTHWEST IOWA NORTH OF
SIOUX CITY.  THEY EXTENDED ACROSS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...INTO SOUTHEAST
SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST IOWMA AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

THEY WERE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 7:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska33 min
Jul 7, 8:16 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXClarke, Decatur3 hr

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.