Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

April 24, 1989O'Brien County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 24, 1989, 9:57 AM CDT for O'Brien County, Iowa. It was in force for 63 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 24, 1989, 9:57 AM CDT (14:57 UTC)
Expired
Apr 24, 1989, 11:00 AM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County O'Brien 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 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 206 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1989-04-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1989-04-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3654 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KSUX 241457
SVRSUX
IAC141-241600-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
957 AM CDT MON APR 24 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF IOWA
      EASTERN OBRIEN

AT 950 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVR SUTHERLAND
IOWA...60 MILES NORTHEAT OF SIOUX CITY.  THE STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.  AT 953 SMALL HAIL WAS FALLING IN
SUTHERLAND.  OTHER THAN SUTHERLAND...THERE ARE NO OTHER TOWNS IN
OBRIEN COUNTY IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...AT THIS TIME.

REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN
QUICKLY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM
TAKE SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.

ASK THE NEAR+EST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORTS
OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

SHERLIN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Apr 24, 5:43 AM CDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
545 AM CDT MON APR 24 1989

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN SIOUXLAND AREA THIS MORNING...

AT 540 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM SIOUX CITY SOUTH 30 MILES TO NEAR ONAWA AND SOUTHWEST
35 MILES INTO NEBRASKA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST
ABOUT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN WOODBURY AND MONONA COUNTIES OF WEST CENTRAL IOWA CAN
EXPECT GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN AS THESE STORMS
MOVE THROUGH THE SIOUXLAND AREA.

KROPP
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 9:08 AM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
905 AM CDT MON APR 24 1989

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER IDA AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES IN IOWA...

AT 900 AM CDT RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
JUST NORTHWEST OF IDA GROVE TO ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARCUS IOWA...
50 MILES WEST TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  THE STORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS...SMALL HAIL
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.  RESIDENTS OF CHEROKEE AND
IDA COUNTIES...IN NORTHWEST IOWA...SHOULD WATCH THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND
BE PREPARED TO GO TO A SAFE SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPES.
SHERLIN5
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 9:10 AM CDT, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
905 AM CDT MON APR 24 1989

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER IDA AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES IN IOWA...

AT 900 AM CDT RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
JUST NORTHWEST OF IDA GROVE TO ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARCUS IOWA...
50 MILES EAST TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  THE STORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS...SMALL HAIL
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.  RESIDENTS OF CHEROKEE AND
IDA COUNTIES...IN NORTHWEST IOWA...SHOULD WATCH THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND
BE PREPARED TO GO TO A SAFE SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPES.

SH8ERLIN   ...CORRECTION TO LOCATION IN FIRST PARA...
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 9:42 AM CDT, 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
940 AM CDT MON APR 24 1989

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF OBRIEN
COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...

AT 935 AM CDT RADAR SHOWED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHEAST
OBRIEN COUNTY IOWA...JUST SOUTHEAST OF SUTHERLAND OR 60 MILES
NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  THE STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR.  PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED AROUND 920 AM
IN CHEROKEE IOWA.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEASTERN OBRIEN COUNTY SHOULD WATCH WEATHER CONDITIONS
CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO GO TO A SAFE SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER
DEVELOPES.

SHERLIN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 24, 9:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCherokee63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.