Tornado Warning 8, NWS Des Moines, IA

Issued

May 8, 1988, 2:35 PM CDT (19:35 UTC)

Expired

May 8, 1988, 3:15 PM CDT

In force

40 min

Issued by

NWS Des Moines, IA

Area

Whole counties

County Johnson County, IA

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

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.

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 081936
TORDSM
IAC095-103-082015-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
235 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL IOWA
          ...EASTERN IOWA...JOHNSON
 
AT 230 PM...IOWA COUNTY SHERIFFS AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE PROGREES OF SEVERAL TORNADOES MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN PART OF IOWA COUNTY.
 
THE TORNADOES WERE SOUTH OF WILLIAMSBURG AND EAST OF PARNELL OR ABOUT
20 TO 25 MILES WEST OF IOWA CITY.
 
EXPECTED TRACK OF THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT FRYTOWN AND THE ENTIRE IOWA
CITY AREA BY 300 PM.  THESE TORNADOES WILL BE NEARING INTERSTATE 80 IN
THE IOWA CITY AREA.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
 
MYERS

In the hours before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
215 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND
EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 400 PM...

A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVING INTO THE CEDAR RAPIDS
AND IOWA CITY AREA BETWEEN 215 PM AND 300 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH SOME

PEOPLE SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT...AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNING
OR STATEMENTS.

LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR...WHILE THE LINE
WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
MCQIRTER

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988

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.