Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Des Moines, IA

April 29, 1991Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 29, 3:25 PM CDTHail 0.75Cerro Gordo, IA
Apr 29, 3:28 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Cerro 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1991-04-29Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1991-04-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 266 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur40 min
Apr 28, 8:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur, Wayne51 min
Apr 28, 9:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXWayne117 min
Apr 29, 1:25 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXCrawford, Sac35 min
Apr 29, 1:52 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXCrawford53 min
Apr 29, 1:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBuena Vista33 min
Apr 29, 2:19 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXHamilton, Hardin36 min
Apr 29, 2:31 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPocahontas44 min
Apr 29, 2:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXSac50 min
Apr 29, 3:05 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPalo Alto40 min
Apr 29, 3:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWorth40 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.