Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 29, 1991, 3:20 PM CDT for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It was in force for 26 min. 2 reports 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 29, 1991, 3:20 PM CDT (20:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 29, 1991, 3:46 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cerro Gordo County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 3:25 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Cerro Gordo, IA | |
| Apr 29, 3:28 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cerro Gordo, 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 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 198 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
- 562 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 266 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 267 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
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, Apr 29, 2:09 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
IAZ010-292035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 207 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 259 PM...VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN NORTHWEST SAC COUNTY...50 MILES EAST OF SIOUX CITY...AND IN SOUTHWEST CRAWFORD COUNTY...OR 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. TORNADOES...VERY LARGE AND DAMAGING HAIL...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WIND AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED AS THEY MOVE INTO BUENA VISTA AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES. OTHER VERY STRONG STORMS WERE NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES...FROM NEAR JEFFERSON TO NEAR STORY CITY. PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...55 MILE AN HOUR WIND...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE 20 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES...AND ALSO IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE EAST AND SOUTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 40 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR. HUTTON
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 2:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
IAZ002-003-006-007-292000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR NORTHEAST IOWA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 215 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... AT 105 PM...A 20 MILE WIDE LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...CONTINUED IN EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR PRAIRIE DU CHIEN WISCONSIN TO NEAR DECORAH AND ALONG THE MINNESOTA BORDER NORTH OF CHARLES CITY. THESES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S WITH SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH. FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS. TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 70 WHILE WINDS CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH 15 TO 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 2:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
IAZ010-292035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE...CORRECTION...TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 207 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 159 PM...VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN NORTHWEST SAC COUNTY...50 MILES EAST OF SIOUX CITY...AND IN SOUTHWEST CRAWFORD COUNTY...OR 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. TORNADOES...VERY LARGE AND DAMAGING HAIL...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WIND AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED AS THEY MOVE INTO BUENA VISTA AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES. OTHER VERY STRONG STORMS WERE NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES...FROM NEAR JEFFERSON TO NEAR STORY CITY. PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...55 MILE AN HOUR WIND...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE 20 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES...AND ALSO IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE EAST AND SOUTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 40 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR. HUTTON
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 2:20 PM CDT, 1 hour before
IAZ002-003-006-007-292000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR NORTHEAST IOWA... CORRECTED FOR TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 215 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... AT 210 PM...A 20 MILE WIDE LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...CONTINUED IN EXTREME NORTHEAST IOWA FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR PRAIRIE DU CHIEN WISCONSIN TO NEAR DECORAH AND ALONG THE MINNESOTA BORDER NORTH OF CHARLES CITY. THESES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S WITH SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH. FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS. TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 70 WHILE WINDS CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH 15 TO 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 2:56 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
IAZ010-292035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 255 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 232 PM...A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EXTREME EASTERN BUENA VISTA AND WESTERN POCAHONTAS COUNTIES. A TORNADO WAS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF POCAHONTAS. GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED. THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING THROUGH POCAHONTAS COUNTY THROUGH 330 PM. POCAHONTAS IS LOCATED ABOUT 80 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES. ANOTHER VERY INTENSE STORM WAS 80 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES IN SOUTHERN SAC COUNTY. THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES NEAR ELDORA...TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF MASON CITY...TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF SPENCER. OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH/NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MILES AkN HOUR. HUTTON
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 3:12 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 7:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Decatur | 40 min |
| Apr 28, 8:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Decatur, Wayne | 51 min |
| Apr 28, 9:33 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Wayne | 117 min |
| Apr 29, 1:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Crawford, Sac | 35 min |
| Apr 29, 1:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Crawford | 53 min |
| Apr 29, 1:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Buena Vista | 33 min |
| Apr 29, 2:19 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hamilton, Hardin | 36 min |
| Apr 29, 2:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Pocahontas | 44 min |
| Apr 29, 2:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Sac | 50 min |
| Apr 29, 3:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Palo Alto | 40 min |
| Apr 29, 3:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Worth | 40 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991
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.