Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 8, 1988Jasper County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 8, 1988, 12:01 PM CDT for Jasper County, Iowa. It was in force for 29 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: May 8, 1988, 12:01 PM CDT (17:01 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 1988, 12:30 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

County Jasper 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
May 8, 12:04 PM CDT	Tornado F1	Jasper, IA
May 8, 12:23 PM CDT	Hail 2	Jasper, 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, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 279 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: 3576 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 106 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 081701
TORDSM
IAC099-081730-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1201 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
      SOUTHWEST JASPER

AT 1158 AM...A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED AT HARTFORD WHICH IS 20 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES.  THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
45 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD MOVE TOWARD RUNNELS AND PRAIRIE CITY.

LARGE HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED WITH THIS STORM AT CARLISE.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.  IF
NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR.  IF YOU ARE IN A VEHICLE OR MOBILE HOME...LEAVE IT AT
ONCE AND TAKE SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR IN A DITCH.

MCQUIRTER

What 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

Local storm report, May 8, 6:50 AM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
650 AM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE STORM REPORTS RECEIVED FROM THE LATE MORNING OF
THE 7TH THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 8TH.

              ...   MAY 7TH   ...

TIME          EVENT

1049 AM CDT   BEE BEE SIZE HAIL IN WEST DES MOINES. /POLK COUNTY/

1050 AM CDT   PEA SIZE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN IN WINDSOR HGTS. /POLK
              COUNTY/

1115 AM CDT   PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN ANKENY. /POLK COUNTY/

1129 AM CDT   PEA SIZE HAIL AT HIGHLAND PARK. /POLK COUNTY/

1135 AM CDT   1/2 TO 3/4 INCH DIAMETER 3S OF ANKENY. /POLK COUNTY/

 742 PM CDT   1 TO 2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT VAIL. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

 808 PM CDT   MARBLE SIZE HAIL JUST EAST OF DENISON. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

 826 PM CDT   HAIL (SIZE UNKNOWN) JUST SOUTH OF ULMER. /SAC COUNTY/

 843 PM CDT   TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST SOUTH OF CHARTER OAK SPOTTED
              BY AN OFFICER.  TORNADO WENT BACK INTO THE CLOUDS AT
              848 PM. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

 903 PM CDT   PEA SIZE HAIL AT PALMER. /POCAHONTAS COUNTY/

 920 PM CDT   MARBLE SIZE HAIL ALONG THE CLAY/PALO ALTO COUNTY LINE
              JUST SOUTH OF AYRSHIRE.

 925 PM CDT   PEA TO PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL AT MAPLE HILL.
              /EMMET COUNTY/

 925 PM CDT   ICE CUBE SIZE HAIL AT ARMSTRONG. /EMMET COUNTY/

 930 PM CDT   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT VAIL. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

1113 PM CDT   MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT LAURENS. /POCAHONTAS COUNTY/

1159 PM CDT   ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT MANILLA. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

              ...   MAY 8TH   ...

1220 AM CDT   HAIL LARGER THAN MARBLE AT MANILLA. /CRAWFORD COUNTY/

 305 AM CDT   HAIL (SIZE UNKNOWN) AT EARLY. /SAC COUNTY/

 421 AM CDT   MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT FORT DODGE AIRPORT. /WEBSTER COUNTY/

 430 AM CDT   ONE INCH TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT BADGER...5 NORTH OF
              FORT DODGE.  /WEBSTER COUNTY/

 445 AM CDT   MARBLE SIZE HAIL FOR 3 MINUTES AT ROCKWEJLL CITY.
              /CALHOUN COUNTY/

SCHUMACHER

Special weather statement, May 8, 7:33 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before

<PQ<
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
735 AM CST SUN MAY 8 1988

AT 730 AM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT
30 MILES WIDE FROM AMES TO MARSHALLTOWN TO NEAR WATERLOO.
HEAVIEST STORM WES NEARING WATERLOO AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST AT
45 MILES AN HOUR.

PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...STRONG SURFACE WINDS...AND HEAVY RAINS CAN
BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OFF THESE STORMS.
JOHNSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 7, 7:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford, Sac	30 min
May 7, 8:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Sac	25 min
May 7, 8:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford	40 min
May 7, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Pocahontas	40 min
May 7, 9:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Humboldt	35 min
May 7, 9:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Emmet	20 min
May 7, 9:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford, Sac	44 min
May 8, 12:02 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford	43 min
May 8, 4:38 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Humboldt	37 min
May 8, 9:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Ringgold, Taylor	33 min
May 8, 10:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Ringgold, Taylor	34 min
May 8, 11:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Madison	52 min
May 8, 11:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke, Warren	70 min
May 8, 11:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Polk	49 min
May 8, 11:44 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Franklin	61 min
May 8, 12:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Jasper	45 min
May 8, 12:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cerro Gordo	65 min
May 8, 12:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Marshall	41 min
May 8, 12:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Clarke	32 min
May 8, 12:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Tama	50 min
May 8, 12:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Lucas, Marion, Warren	47 min
May 8, 1:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Black Hawk	36 min
May 8, 1:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Marion	35 min
May 8, 1:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Poweshiek	27 min
May 8, 1:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Bremer	50 min
May 8, 2:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Iowa, Poweshiek	29 min
May 8, 2:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Keokuk, Mahaska	49 min
May 8, 2:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Buchanan, Fayette	42 min
May 8, 2:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Iowa	30 min
May 8, 2:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Johnson	40 min
May 8, 3:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Washington	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1988 Every tornado warning in 1988 Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.