Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 20, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1989, 8:49 PM CDT for Benton County, Iowa County, Iowa. It was in force for 56 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
- May 24, 1989, 8:49 PM CDT (01:49 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 1989, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Benton County, IA, Iowa 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 24, 9:30 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Benton, 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
Peoria Regional, IL (KPIA), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 246 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
- NaN m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 230 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 347 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDSM 250151
TORDSM
IAC011-095-250245-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
849 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
BENTON...IOWA
AT 845 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE
TORNADO OVER EASTERN TAMA COUNTY...ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF
VINTON OR ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF CEDAR RAPIDS.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR...
AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE CITIES OF VINTON...KEYSTONE...
BELLE PLAINE...AND MARENGO...AND THE AMANA COLONIES.
<
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 HO*ME...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, 5:43 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 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, 2 hours 9 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
Special weather statement, May 24, 7:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 745 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 735 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL IOWA. OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA A COMPLEX OF OF VERY STRONG STORMS WAS CENTERED ALONG THE RINGOLD...DECATUR...UNION AND CLARKE COUNTY LINES. THE STRONGEST CELL IN THIS AREA WAS LOCATED 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES OR ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF MT AYR. ANOTHER INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST IOWA. THIS STORM WAS CENTERED ABOUT 45 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES...OR 15 MILES WEST OF MARSHALLTOWN. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EASnT AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/GOODSON
Special weather statement, May 24, 8:21 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
750 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989
...PORTIONS OF TORNADO WATCH DISCONTINUED...
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN THE TORNADO WATCH...
CARROLL...GREENE...AUDUBON...GUTHRIE...CASS...ADAIR.
CORBETTSpecial weather statement, May 24, 8:27 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
825 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989
...PORTIONS OF TORNADO WATCH DISCONTINUED...
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN THE TORNADO WATCH...
MONTGOMERY...ADAMS...FREMONT...PAGE...TAYLOR.
CORBETTSpecial weather statement, May 24, 8:48 PM CDT, 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 847 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF IOWA UNTIL 10 PM... AT 835 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN TWO GENERAL AREA. THE FIRST AREA WAS AN ELONGATED COMPLEX OF STORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...FROM ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES NEAR CHARITON SOUTHWEST TO JUST EAST OF LAMONI. THE SECOND AREA EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST IOWA...FROM 30 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES NEAR NEWTON NORTHEAST TO 5 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO. ANOTHER INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES WEST OF WATERLOO. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE BAND OF STORMS THAT WAS ABOUT 60 MILES WIDE AND EXTENDED FROM LAMONI...IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA TO THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE...NORTH OF DECORAH. THIS AREA EXTENDED INTO ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 M"ILES AN HOUR OVER THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES AND OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL COUNTIES MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 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, 7:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Decatur | 67 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, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.