Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1989, 3:19 AM CDT for Lucas County, Warren County, Iowa. It was in force for 41 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 24, 1989, 3:19 AM CDT (08:19 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 1989, 4:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Lucas County, IA, Warren 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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 245 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
- 3566 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 256 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 240819
TORDSM
IAC181-117-240900-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
319 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
SOUTHERN WARREN...LUCAS
AT 315 AM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
ALONG THE WARREN-LUCAS COUNTY LINE JUST A FEW MILES
NORTHWEST OF LUCAS...OR ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MILES AN
HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE CITIES OF LACONA...LUCAS...
AND CHARITON.
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 ATD
ONCE AND TAKE SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR IN A DITCH.
FERRY/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, 1:43 AM CDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 140 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 309 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THESE COUNTIES IN NORTH AND NORTHWEST IOWA... KOSSUTH...CALHOUN...SAC CORBETT
Special weather statement, May 24, 1:47 AM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 147 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TILL 3AM WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR A LARGE PART OF THE WESTERN HALF OF IOWA... AT 125 AM...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING MARBLE SIZE HAIL...HEAVY RAINS... AND 50 MILE AN HOUR WINDS WERE INDICATED OVER WEST CENTRAL...CENTRAL ...AND NORTHEAST IOWA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THESE STRONG STORMS WAS FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...NEAR MANILLA...TO 5 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES...TO THE NEWTON AREA...30 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. ALSO...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER A LARGE PART OF NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEAST...AND EAST CENTRAL IOWA... SPREADING INTO SOUTHEAST IOWA. THESE SHOWERS WERE GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM AUDUBON...60 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES...TO DES MOINES ...TO THE IOWA CITY AREA. THESE SHOWERS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. DM
Special weather statement, May 24, 1:51 AM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 150 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS ENTERING THE DES MOINES METRO AREA... AT 150 AM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE DES MOINES METRO AREA BETWEEN 200 AM AND 230 AM THIS MORNING. HEAVY RAINS...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 300 AM THIS MORNING. MCQUIRTER
Special weather statement, May 24, 2:01 AM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 155 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS AREA... AT 155 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO THE WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS METROPOLITAN AREA. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT WAS MAINLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM HAMPTON TO CHARLES CITY AND ON TO DECORAH. HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 30 MPH. HEITKAMP
Special weather statement, May 24, 2:49 AM CDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 248 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TILL 3AM WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR A LARGE PART OF THE WESTERN HALF OF IOWA...AND FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN IOWA UNTIL 7 AM... AT 225 AM...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING PEA TO MABLE SIZE HAIL... HEAVY RAINS...AND DAMAGING WINDS WERE INDICATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE AREA OF STRONG STORMS WAS IN A 25 TO 30 MILE WIDE BAND...THE LEADING EDGE EXTENDING FROM GUTHRIE CENTER...45 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES...TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES...TO THE OSKALOOSA VICINITY... 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. ALSO...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR STORM LAKE TO THE OLWEIN AREA...25 MILES NORTHEAST OF WATERLOO. THESE SHOWERS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. DM
Special weather statement, May 24, 3:01 AM CDT, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 300 AM CDT WED MAY 24 1989 ...STRONG WINDS AT THE WATERLOO AIRPORT... AT 250 AM CDT STRONG WINDS UP TO 55 MPH WERE OCCURRING AT THE AIRPORT IN WATERLOO. THESE WINDS ARE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA AT THE PRESENT TIME. PEOPLE IN THE COUNTIES OF BLACK HAWK...BUCHANAN...AND DELAWARE SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THESE STRONG WINDS A&S THEY COULD CAUSE SOME MINOR DAMAGE. HEITKAMP
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 8:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Dickinson | 41 min |
| May 23, 9:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clay | 41 min |
| May 23, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Buena Vista, Palo Alto, Pocahontas | 60 min |
| May 23, 10:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Buena Vista, Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac | 80 min |
| May 23, 11:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Carroll, Crawford | 70 min |
| May 23, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Webster | 46 min |
| May 23, 11:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Webster | 40 min |
| May 24, 12:17 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Boone, Story | 58 min |
| May 24, 12:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Audubon, Carroll, Greene, Guthrie | 56 min |
| May 24, 12:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Crawford, Sac | 53 min |
| May 24, 12:56 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Carroll | 34 min |
| May 24, 1:35 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Carroll, Greene, Guthrie | 40 min |
| May 24, 1:51 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper | 39 min |
| May 24, 2:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Dallas | 26 min |
| May 24, 2:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Marion | 30 min |
| May 24, 2:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper, Mahaska, Poweshiek | 45 min |
| May 24, 2:33 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Dallas, Madison, Polk, Warren | 57 min |
| May 24, 3:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Keokuk, Wapello | 29 min |
| May 24, 3:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Buchanan, Fayette | 56 min |
| May 24, 4:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper, Polk | 56 min |
| May 24, 4:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Mahaska, Marion | 53 min |
| May 24, 5:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Adams, Cass | 50 min |
| May 24, 5:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Adams | 26 min |
| May 24, 6:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Union | 58 min |
| May 24, 6:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hamilton | 50 min |
| May 24, 6:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Adams | 16 min |
| May 24, 6:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hamilton | 41 min |
| May 24, 6:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Ringgold, Union | 55 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.