Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 23, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 30, 1989, 8:12 PM CDT for Grundy County, Iowa. It was in force for 48 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 30, 1989, 8:12 PM CDT (01:12 UTC)
- Expired
- May 30, 1989, 9:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Grundy 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 30, 8:14 PM CDT | Tornado F4 | Grundy, 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
Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 280 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
- 928 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -19 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 178 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KALO 310112
TORALO
IAC075-310200-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
812 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
GRUNDY
AT 808 PM CDT A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS REPORTED AT UNION IOWA
WHICH IS 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO. THIS TORNADO DESTROYED
A HOME. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT...CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR OR IN A REINFORCED BUILDING. DO NOT TRY TO OUT
RUN THE TORNADO IN YOUR CAR.
PEOPLE IN GRUNDY COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FAMILIES
OF TORNADOES FORMING. CONRAD AND BEAMAN RESIDENTS SHOULD TAKE
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS AS THIS IS A LARGE STORM COMPLEX. TAKE
COVER IMMEDIATELY.
ROBBWhat 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 30, 4:24 PM CDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 410 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 7 PM... AT 410...AN OCCASIONAL SPRINKLE WAS LOCATED IN PARTS OF THE NORTH HALF OF IOWA...HOWEVER THESE SPRINKLES WERE QUITE BRIEF. OTHERWISE SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE NORTH AND EAST...PARTLY CLOUDY TO SUNNY IN THE SOUTH AND EAST. TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID 80S TO AROUND 90. SCeOTT
Special weather statement, May 30, 4:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
435 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR A SMALL PART OF EASTERN IOWA
UNTIL 10 PM...
AT 430...AN OCCASIONAL SPR{INKLE WAS LOCATED IN PARTS OF THE NORTH HALF
OF IOWA...HOWEVER THESE SPRINKLES WERE QUITE BRIEF.
SCOTTSpecial weather statement, May 30, 6:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 605 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 10PM... AT 600 PM...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS HAD DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL IOWA...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUDERSHOWERS CONTINUED JUST SOUTH OF THE MASON CITY AREA. OTHERWISE...SKIES WERE MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF IOWA...SUNNY TO PARTLY C+LOUDY IN THE SOUTHERN HALF. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S IN NORTHWEST IOWA...AND IN THE MID 80S TO AROUND 90 IN THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF IOWA. SCOTT
Special weather statement, May 30, 6:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 6 35 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 10PM... AT 6 30 PM...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS HAD DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL IOWA BETWEEN STORY CITY AND IOWA FALLS. VERY HEAVY RAINS... STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS. A FEW SHOWERS WERE AL>SO LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST IOWA IN THE CHARLES CITY AREA...ABOUT 40 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. SCOTT
Special weather statement, May 30, 7:13 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 7 13 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS TUESDAY EVENING... AT 7 05 PM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OCCURRING OVER NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...FROM 10 MILES WEST OF WATERLOO TO NEAR ELDORA...40 MILES WEST OF WATERLOO. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAINS...LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS.i..AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. ALSO...THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER NORTHEAST IOWA...35 MILES NORTH OF WATERLOO...IN THE VICINITY OF NEW HAMPTON AND APPROACHING CALMAR. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. DM
Special weather statement, May 30, 7:47 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 7 47 PM CDT TUE MAY 30 1989 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS TUESDAY EVENING... AT 7 30 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OCCURRING OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IOWA...FROM THE ELDORA AREA...40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO...TO THE CALMAR VICINITY...50 MILES NORTHEAST OF WATERLOO. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED FROM ELDORA TO NEAR GRUNDY CENTER AND HAS A HISTORY OF HEAVY RAINS AND LARGE HAIL...AND CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR. DM
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 7:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Grundy | 65 min |
| May 30, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hardin | 45 min |
| May 30, 7:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hardin | 30 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.