Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Mar 24, 1988, 3:08 PM CST for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It was in force for 37 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 24, 1988, 3:08 PM CST (21:08 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 24, 1988, 3:45 PM CST
- In force
- 37 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cerro Gordo 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 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 198 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
- 1383 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 351 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 427 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 242108
TORALO
IAC033-242145-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
ISSUED BY DES MOINES IA
308 PM CST THU MAR 24 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
EASTERN CERRO GORDO
AT 300 PM...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND ABOUT 4 MILES
NORTH 1 1/2 EAST OF CLEAR LAKE. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST-
NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
IF A TORNADO APPROACHES...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. A BASEMENT...
INTERIOR HALLWAY...OR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IS THE SAFEST
PLACE IN MOST BUILDINGS. ICF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR AN
AUTOMOBILE...LEAVE AT ONCE. TAKE COVER IN A STORM SHELTER...OR LIE
IN A DITCH OR DEPRESSION.
MCQUIRTERWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Mar 24, 1:33 PM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 130 PM CST THU MAR 24 1988 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 600 PM THIS EVENING... AT 125 PM...A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM HUMBOLDT SOUTH TO JEFFERSON...TO 50 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES TO CLARINDA WHICH IS 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL IOWA...JUST WEST AND SOUTH OF DES MOINES. THE HEAVIEST STORM WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF MOUNT AYR OR NORTH OF LAMONI IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. MCQUIRTER/SCOTT
Special weather statement, Mar 24, 2:34 PM CST, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 230 PM CST THU MAR 24 1988 A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 600 PM THIS EVENING... AT 220 PM... A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM JUST WEST OF MASON CITY TO SOUTH THROUGH BOONE CENTRAL IOWA TO 20 MILES WEST OF LAMONI. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR AFTON WHICH IS ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES. VERY HEAVY RAINS...PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR WERE REPORTED AT BOONE BETWEEN 200-220 PM THIS AFTERNOON. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN IOWA SINCE 100 PM. MCQUIRTER/SCOTT
Special weather statement, Mar 24, 3:02 PM CST, 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 300 PM CST THU MAR 24 1988 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 21 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... KOSSUTH WINNEBAGO HANCOCK HUMBOLDT WRIGHT WEBSTER HAMILTON GREENE BOONE GUTHRIE DALLAS ADAIR MADISON UNION RINGGOLD THE THUNDERSTORMS HAV<E MOVED TO THE EAST OF THESE AREAS AND ONLY SHOWERS CAN BE EXECTED THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT GENERALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM MASON CITY TO DES MOINES AND LAMONI UNTIL 6PM CST. ADAMS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 3:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Warren | 26 min |
| Mar 24, 3:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Floyd, Howard, Mitchell | 28 min |
| Mar 24, 4:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper | 19 min |
| Mar 24, 4:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Poweshiek | 39 min |
| Mar 24, 4:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Benton, Tama | 25 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.