Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jun 13, 1990, 10:50 PM CDT for Union County, Iowa. It was in force for 40 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
- Jun 13, 1990, 10:50 PM CDT (03:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 13, 1990, 11:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Union 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 11:05 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Union, 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, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 181 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDSM 140351
TORDSM
IAC175-140430-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1050 PM CDT WED JUN 13 1990
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
...UNION
AT 1045 PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED TWO FUNNEL CLOUDS 5 MILES EAST OF
CRESTON...OR 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES. THE FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE
SIGHTED ON HIGHWAY 34 BETWEEN CRESTON AND AFTON.
THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. SOME TOWNS WHICH WILL BE
AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE CRESTON...AFTON...THAYER...LORIMOR
AND ARISPE.
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 FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BOKDY. AVOID WINDOWS.
LNEWhat 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, 4 hours 6 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, 4 hours 1 minute 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 42 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 53 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, 2 hours 4 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, 59 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 9:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Adair, Cass | 63 min |
| Jun 13, 10:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Union | 50 min |
| Jun 13, 10:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Adair, Adams | 20 min |
| Jun 13, 10:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Wapello | 67 min |
| Jun 13, 11:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Polk | 33 min |
| Jun 14, 12:33 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Jasper | 42 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.