Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 13, 1990Adair County, Adams County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jun 13, 1990, 10:10 PM CDT for Adair County, Adams County, Iowa. It was in force for 20 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 13, 1990, 10:10 PM CDT (03:10 UTC)
Expired
Jun 13, 1990, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
20 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adair County, IA, Adams 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, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 1990-06-14Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1990-06-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
3606 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
113 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 140310
TORDSM
IAC175-001-003-140400-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1010 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
          ...NORTHWESTERN UNION
IN SOUTHWEST IOWA
          ...SOUTHEASTERN ADAIR...NORTHEASTERN ADAMS
 
AT 1005 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE
ADAIR...ADAMS...AND UNION COUNTY BORDERS ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF
GREENFIELD OR 40 SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES.
 
SOME TOWNS TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM ARE
CRESTON...ORIENT...NEVINIVELLE AND GREENFIELD.
 
THE STORM IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST F)LOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
LNE

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, Jun 13, 6:44 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
IAZALL-140030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
644 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM THIS WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF IOWA...

AT 630 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHWEST
AND EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA.   OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA...AN INTENSE STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR LEWIS...OR 40 MILES EAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS.  IN
EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA...THE INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ELKADER
OR ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE.

THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH VERY LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL AND
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...COULD ALSO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WIND
AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.

PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY
IF THRETENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED..AND WERE
MOSTLY SOUTH OF A LINE...EXTENDING FROM NEAR DAVENPORT/MOLINE...TO
THE IOWA/MISSOURI BORDER SOUTH OF OTTUMWA.

WPM/KAS
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 6:49 PM CDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
IAZALL-140030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...COR LAST PARA...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
644 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM THIS WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF IOWA...

AT 630 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHWEST
AND EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA.   OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA...AN INTENSE STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR LEWIS...OR 40 MILES EAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS.  IN
EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA...THE INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ELKADER
OR ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE.

THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH VERY LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL AND
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...COULD ALSO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WIND
AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.

PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY
IF THRETENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED..AND WERE
MOSTLY SOUTH OF A LINE...EXTENDING FROM NEAR DAVENPORT/MOLINE...TO
THE IOWA/MISSOURI BORDER SOUTH OF OTTUMWA.

ALL THE STORMS IN IOWA WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

WPM/KAS
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 7:08 PM CDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
IAZALL-140100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
705 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM THIS WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF IOWA...

AT 700 PM...AN ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA
...15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS.  ALONG WITH THE EXTREME
RAINS...BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL ARE
LIKELY.  THIS STORM SHOULD MOVE INTO THE ATLANTIC AREA BY 8 PM.

ALSO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS THE
FAR SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL COUNTIES.

THE STRONG STORMS IN THE NORTHEAST WERE CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI AND
MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST &WISCONSIN.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

KS
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 7:57 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
IAZALL-140130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
755 PM CDT WED JUN 14 1990

 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 457 CANCELLED...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF
IOWA HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
HALF OF IOWA AT 745PM.  SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.  HOWEVER...THESE STORMS
ARE NO LONGER SEVERE...AND THE SEVERE WEATHER NO LONGER APPEARS LIKELY.

ELLIS
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 8:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
IAZALL-140230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
840 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990

...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHERN IOWA UNTIL 2 AM THURSDAY MORNING...

AT 833 PM...AN ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER THE FAR SOUTHWEST
CORNER OF IOWA...JUST NORTHEAST OF SIDNEY.  THE STORM HAD DEVELOPED
RAPIDLY AND IS PRODUCING EXTREME RAINS...PROBABLY STRONG WINDS AND
SOME HAIL.

WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSBTORMS WERE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND
WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES...ALONG OR SOUTH OF A LINE FROM OMAHA/COUNCIL
BLUFFS THROUGH COON RAPIDS AND DES MOINES TO BURLINGTON.

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

KS
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 9:51 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
IAZALL-140330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
940 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990

...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHERN IOWA UNTIL 2 AM THURSDAY MORNING...

AT 925 PM...AN ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA...
35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR GREENFIELD.  THIS STORM WAS
PRODUCING EXTREME RAINS...HAIL 1/2 INCH OR LARGER AND BRIEF GUSTY
WINDS.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM SOUTHWEST INTO NORTHEAST IOWA...GENERALLY ALONG OR SOUTH OF A
OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS...MASON CITY LINE.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25
MILES AN HOUR.

KS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 13, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdair, Cass63 min
Jun 13, 10:10 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXUnion50 min
Jun 13, 10:50 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXUnion40 min
Jun 13, 10:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWapello67 min
Jun 13, 11:27 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPolk33 min
Jun 14, 12:33 AM CDTTornado WarningDMXJasper42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.