Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 140, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 30, 1990Van Buren County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 30, 1990, 10:20 AM CDT for Van Buren County, Iowa. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 30, 1990, 10:20 AM CDT (15:20 UTC)
Expired
Jun 30, 1990, 10:45 AM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Van Buren 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, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 376 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 1990-06-30Temperature 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 1990-06-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
3663 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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 KDSM 301523
SVRDSM
IAC177-301545-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1020 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST IOWA
          ...SOUTHERN VAN-BUREN
 
AT 1018 AM...WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SMALL CLUSTER OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN VAN BUREN COUNTY IN THE
MOUNT STERLING AND CANTRILL VICINITIES. THIS IS ABOUT 40 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.
 
THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE
AFFECTING THE MOUNT STERLING...FARMINGTON AND CANTRILL AREAS.
 
LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM...AS IS BRIEF EXTREMELY HEAVY
RAINS.  WINDS OF OVER 60 MILES AN HOUR ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
 
TRUETT/BARLOW

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, Jun 30, 5:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
IAZ001>015-301400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
540 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

DENSE FOG HAS FORMED OVER PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS MORNING.  VISIBILITIES WERE NEAR ZERO
TO ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET IN MANY AREAS.

VISIBILITIES SHOULD IMPROVE CONSIDERABLY BETWEEN 8 AND 9AM THIS
MORNING BUT IN THE MEANTIME TRAVELERS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE
EXTRA CAREFUL...SLOW DOWN...AND UcSE THEIR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS.

ADAMS
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 9:29 AM CDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL STATEMENT AND IOWA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
925 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 915 AM...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA SOME
20 MILES WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF BURLINGTON. ALTHOUGH THESE STORMS HAVE
APPEARED TO WEAKEN SINCE 835...THEY STILL COULD PRODUCE HAIL AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN.

ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS HAD POPPED UP AROUND THE OTTUMWA AREA.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

OVER THE REST OF THE STATE VARIABLY CLOUDY SKIES WERE REPORTED. DENSE
FOG WAS BEING REPORTED OVER PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IOWA.

THE OUTLOOK THROUGH 11AM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE OVER THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...SKIES SHOULD BECOME MOSTLY
SUNNY OVER THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE AND THE FOG OVER THE
EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST SHOULD SLOWLY DISSIPATE.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 9:53 AM CDT, 27 minutes before
IAZALL-301530-

SPECIAL STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
950 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 935 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ONCE AGAIN REGENERATED OVER
EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA...IN VAN BUREN COUNTY SOME 35 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF OTTUMWA. LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH FREQUENT DEADLY
LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN IN THIS AREA.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A 10 TO 20 MILE WIDE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS
THAT EXTENDED FROM 10 MILES SOUTH OF OTTUMWA SOUTHEAST TO ABOUT 10
MILES WEST THROUGH SOUTH OF BURLINGTON.

PEOPLE LIVING IN EASTERN DAVIS COUNTY...VAN BUREN AND LEE COUNTIES
SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AS THE STORMS NOW
LOCATED IN YOUR COUNTIES HAVE SHOWN A TENDENCY TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP
AND THEN DISSIPATE.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 29, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWright40 min
Jun 30, 8:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 9:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 1:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXDavis, Van Buren4 hr
Jun 30, 1:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDavis, Van Buren45 min
Jun 30, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren37 min
Jun 30, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMadison37 min
Jun 30, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Lucas37 min
Jun 30, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren30 min
Jun 30, 3:42 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMadison, Warren33 min
Jun 30, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Union44 min
Jun 30, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur, Wayne41 min
Jun 30, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur54 min
Jun 30, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska51 min
Jun 30, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold, Union48 min
Jun 30, 4:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDecatur33 min
Jun 30, 5:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMahaska4 hr
Jun 30, 5:03 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAdams, Union27 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.