Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 29, 1990Wright County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jun 29, 1990, 7:44 PM CDT for Wright 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 29, 1990, 7:44 PM CDT (00:44 UTC)
Expired
Jun 29, 1990, 8:24 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Wright 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
Jun 29, 7:45 PM CDTTornado F1Wright, 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

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 236 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1990-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1583 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z 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
1583 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1346 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-25 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 300044
TORDSM
IAC197-300130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
744 PM CDT FRI JUN 29 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
          ...WRIGHT
 
AT 740 PM...AN APPARENT TORNADO WAS SIGHTED BY A MOTORIST NEAR EAGLE
GROVE...ABOUT 15 TO 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT DODGE. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE RADAR AT DES MOINES INDICATED THAT AN INTENSIFYING
THUNDERSTORM WAS IN WESTERN WRIGHT COUNTY...MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT
ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE CITY EAGLE GROVE...AS WELL AS GOLDFIELD...
CLARION...GALT...AND DOWS.
 
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.  USEF BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
DOWD/HUTTON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 30, 8:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 9:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 10:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren25 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

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.