Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Omaha, NE

April 27, 1989Harrison County, Iowa

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Apr 27, 1989, 7:57 PM CDT for Harrison County, Iowa. It was in force for 33 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
Apr 27, 1989, 7:57 PM CDT (00:57 UTC)
Expired
Apr 27, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Harrison 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 27, 8:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Harrison, 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 61 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 00:00Z on 1989-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1989-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-176 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 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 KOMA 280057
TOROMA
IAC085-280130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
757 PM CDT THU APR 27 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
      HARRISON

AT 755 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS OM THE GROUND IN EXTERME WESTERN
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY OF IOWA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH TOWARD
SOUTHWESTERN HARRISON COUNTY OF IOWA.  TAKE COVER NOW WHILE THERE IS
STILL TIME.

PERSONS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A BASEMENT IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY
TO SAVE YOUR LIVES.

DAMAGE REPORTS OR OBSERVED SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE GIVEN TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

SEELEY

What 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, Apr 27, 5:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
545 PM CDT THU APR 27 1989

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA

AT 540 PM CDT VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING FROM JUST
SOUTH OF NORFOLK TO NEAR LINCOLN.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT
30 MPH AND EXTENDED FROM THE NORFOLK AREA TO AROUND COLUMBUS NEBRASKA.

SMALL HAIL ALONG WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND WIND
GUST TO ABOUT 50 MPH AS BEEN REPORTED AT COLUMBUS...NORFOLK..MONROE
AND HUMPHREY DURING THE PAST 30 MINUTES.

 A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL
8 PM CDT.
GBX
Special weather statement, Apr 27, 5:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
550 PM CDT THU APR 27 1989

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA

AT 540 PM CDT VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING FROM JUST
SOUTH OF NORFOLK TO NEAR LINCOLN.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT
30 MPH.

SMALL HAIL ALONG WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND WIND
GUST TO ABOUT 50 MPH AS BEEN REPORTED AT COLUMBUS...NORFOLK..MONROE
AND HUMPHREY DURING THE PAST 30 MINU2TES.

 A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL
8 PM CDT.
GBX
Local storm report, Apr 27, 6:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN NE
600 PM CDT THU APR 27 1989

540 PM CDT  FEW WIND GUSTS TO 47 KTS/54 MPH...PEA SIZE HAIL.

535 PM CDT  MILFORD 17WSW OF LNK...MARBLE SIZE HAIL.

DA;VIS
Special weather statement, Apr 27, 6:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
635 PM CDT THU APR 27 1989

AT 630 PM CDT INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS NORTHEAST
NEBRASKA FROM 60 MILES NORTHWEST AND NORTH OF NORFOLK OR FROM NIOBRARA
AND NEAR YANKTON... TO 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NORFOLK NEAR WEST POINT.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF YANKTON...
MOVING NORTHEAST 35 MPH.  THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE MARBLE SIZE HAIL AS
IT PASSES ACROSS HARTINGTON AND WYNOT BY 645 PM CDT.

THE OTHER STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND SHOULD REACH
AND SIOUX CITY BY 700 PM.

ANOTHER BATCH OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING NORTH FROM WEST OF COLUMBUS
SOUTH TO THE KANSAS BORDER.
 A TORNADO sWATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL
800 PM CDT.
SMITH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Omaha, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 27, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXMills, Pottawattamie68 min
Apr 27, 7:29 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXPottawattamie31 min
Apr 27, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXFremont, Mills68 min
Apr 27, 8:27 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXFremont33 min
Apr 27, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXHarrison, Pottawattamie62 min
Apr 27, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXMills60 min
Apr 27, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXMontgomery, Page63 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.