Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 16, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1989, 7:38 PM CDT for Decatur County, Iowa. It was in force for 67 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 24, 1989, 7:38 PM CDT (00:38 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 1989, 8:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 67 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Decatur 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
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 226 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
- 3561 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -63 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 92 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 250040
TORDSM
IAC053-250145-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
738 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 845 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
DECATUR...EASTERN RINGGOLD
AT 735 PM...WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A TORNADO
IN EXTREME EASTERN RINGGOLD COUNTY JUST EAST OF MOUNT
AYR...OR ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES.
AT 735 PM...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR KELLERTON...NEAR
THE RINGGOLD...DECATUR COUNTY LINE.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR...AND
WILL BE AFFECTING THE CITIES OF KELLERTON...LEON...DAVIS CITY...
AND LAMONI.
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 INTE]RIOR 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.
GOODSON/BARLOW/TRUETTWhat 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, May 24, 3:38 PM CDT, 4 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 338 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 325 PM...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING VERY HEAVY AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL WERE LOCATED ALONG THE IOWA/MINNESOTA BORDER OR JUST NORTH OF THE BORDER...FROM NORTH OF MASON CITY TO NORTH OF OSAGE 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF MASON CITY. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. MG
Special weather statement, May 24, 4:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND IOWA SHORT RANGE WEATHER SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 415 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 405 PM...ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...OTHERWISE THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA MOVED INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA. SKIES WERE CLOUDY OVER MOST OF THE STATE...EXCEPT FOR PARTS OF WEST CENTAL AND SOUTHWEST IOWA WHERE SKIES WERE PARTLY CLOUDY. TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM THE LOWER 70S IN THE NORTHEAST TO AROUND 90 IN THE SOUTHWEST. WINDS WERE FROM THE WEST TO NORTHWEST 25 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE AND SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE STATE. THE OUTLOOK THROUGH 6PM IS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND STORMS ALONG A COLD FRONT...THAT WAS SITUATED FROM SPENCER IN NORTHWEST IOWA SOUTHWEST TO OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS. MG
Special weather statement, May 24, 4:38 PM CDT, 3 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 440 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN IOWA SINCE 330PM. AT 430 PM...THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE IOWA/MINNESOTA BORDER HAD MOVED INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA. ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING FROM NORTHWEST INTO NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL IOWA. THE SHOWERS WERE LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM EMMETSBURG...20 MILES EAST OF SPENCER SOUTHEAST TO TOLEDO...30 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO. MOVEMENT OF THE SHOWERS HAD NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. BARLOW/GOODSON
Special weather statement, May 24, 5:08 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 510 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 505 PM...AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM HAD RAPIDLY DEVELOPED IN SOUTHWEST IOWA...NEAR RED OAK OR 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. THIS STORM WAS MOVING MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS CONTINUED OVER MNORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IOWA 30 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM HUMBOLDT...10 MILES NORTH OF FORT DODGE EAST TO WATERLOO. MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW
Special weather statement, May 24, 5:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 545 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 535 PM...AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA ALONG THE MONTGOMERY/ADAMS COUNTY LINE ABOUT 15 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF RED OAK. VERY HEAVY...WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED AROUND HUMBOLDT AROUND ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF FORT DODGE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL IN AN AREA BOUNDED BY THE CITIES OF CEDAR RAPIDS...WATERLOO AND MONTEZUMA...50 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES. THESE SHOWERS WERE ALSO MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/GOODSON
Special weather statement, May 24, 6:40 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 638 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 635 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. OVER NORTH CENTRAL IOWA THE STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES...NEAR WEBSTER CITY. IN SOUTHWEST IOWA AN INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR CRESTON. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR GREENFIELD. ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS LOCATED 70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES...OR JUST NORTH OF BEDFORD. OVER NORTH CENTRAL A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY. ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHEAST IOWA BETWEEN WATERLOO AND DUBUQUE. MOVEMENT OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WAS EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/GOODSON
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 7:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hardin, Story | 39 min |
| May 24, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clarke | 58 min |
| May 24, 7:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Marshall | 26 min |
| May 24, 7:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Mitchell | 50 min |
| May 24, 7:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Marshall | 45 min |
| May 24, 8:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Poweshiek, Tama | 50 min |
| May 24, 8:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Floyd, Howard | 60 min |
| May 24, 8:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Appanoose, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne | 59 min |
| May 24, 8:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Chickasaw, Fayette, Winneshiek | 29 min |
| May 24, 8:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Benton, Iowa | 56 min |
| May 24, 9:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Davis | 68 min |
| May 24, 9:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Poweshiek | 23 min |
| May 24, 9:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Johnson, Linn | 66 min |
| May 24, 9:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Iowa | 27 min |
| May 24, 10:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Washington | 46 min |
| May 24, 10:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Johnson | 32 min |
| May 24, 10:41 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Johnson, Washington | 23 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989
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.