Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 14, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Apr 29, 1991, 1:57 PM CDT for Buena Vista County, Iowa. It was in force for 33 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
- Apr 29, 1991, 1:57 PM CDT (18:57 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 29, 1991, 2:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 33 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Buena Vista County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2:27 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Buena Vista, 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 (KOVN), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 187 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
- 298 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -51 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 732 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -139 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -100 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- -0.1
- Supercell composite
- -1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 291858 TORDSM IAC021-161-291945- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 157 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 245 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHWEST IOWA ...BUENA-VISTA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA ...NORTHERN SAC COUNTY AT 159 PM...WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER NORTHERN SAC COUNTY NEAR EARLY...ABOUT 45 MILES WEST OF FORT DODGE. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE CITIES OF EARLY...NEMAHA...SULFUR SPRINGS...LAKESIDE...AND STORM LAKE. 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 TmO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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, Apr 29, 10:42 AM CDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
IAZALL-291635- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1040 AM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 1035 AM...A 10 MILE WIDE BAND OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM LUCAS...OR ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES SOUTHEAST TO NEAR CENTERVILLE OR ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES. BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND WINDS GUSTS OF 45 MILES AN HOUR IS LIKELY WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS NARROW BAND OF STORMS. SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN A 60 MILE WIDE BAND CENTERED FROM 25 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES NORTHWEST TO BANCROFT OR 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA WERE MOVING NORTH AT 45 MILES AN HOUR...WHILE THE SHOWERS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHWEST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 12:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
IAZALL-291835- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1245 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 1240 PM...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER THE NORTHEAST THIRD OF IOWA...WHILE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN OVER SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. IN NORTHEAST IOWA..THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE NEAR AND NORTHEAST OF A MASON CITY...WATERLOO...CEDAR RAPIDS LINE...WITH A SECOND SMALL AREA 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO...BETWEEN IOWA FALLS AND TAMA. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE HEAVIER STORMS IN THIS AREA. IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST IOWA...THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERLLY BETWEEN RATHBUN LAKE AND OMAHA. THE STRONGER STORMS IN THIS AREA WERE PRODUCING ONE-QUARTER TO ONE-HALF IN HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS...AND ALSO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF PRODUCING 30 TO 40 MILE AN HOUR WIND GUSTS. ALL OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS IN THE STATE WERE MOVING NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/TRUETT
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 1:04 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
IAZ010-291900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 103 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO CENTRAL IOWA... AT 1 PM...WEATHER RADAR IN DES MOINES INDICATED SEVERAL VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT OVER 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE DES MOINES AREA BETWEEN 115 AND 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. AT THIS TIME...VERY HEAVY RAINS...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GU 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS. BARLOW/TRUETT
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 1:21 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
IAZ010-291920- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR IOWA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 120 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 AT 114 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN EXTREME WESTERN IOWA...FROM JUST NORTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO JUST EAST OF MISSOURI VALLEY...ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. LARGE HAIL...HIGH WIND...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. OTHER VERY STRONG STORMS WERE NEAR WINTERSET...INDIANOLA...AND JUST MOVING INTO THE SOUTHERN PART OF DES MOINES. PEA SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED AT INDIANOLA AND 45 MILE AN HOUR WIND WAS REPORTED AT THE DES MOINES AIRPORT AT 117 PM. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...WIND TO 55 MILES AN HOUR...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. HUTTON/BARLOW
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 1:24 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
IAZ010-291930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 123 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL IOWA... AT 122 PM...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH SIDE OF DES MOINES. WINDS AT THE DES MOINES AIRPORT REACHED ALMOST 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND VERY HEAVY RAINS AND PEA SIZED HAIL WAS ALSO OCCURRING. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTH THROUGH CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 230 PM THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN NORTHERN POLK COUNTY...AS WELL AS THOSE IN THE SAYLORVILLE LAKE RECREATIONAL AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE RAPID ONSET OF THIS STORM. TRUETT
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 1:48 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
IAZ010-291945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 147 PM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL IOWA... AT 145 PM...A CLUSTER OF VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER CENTRAL IOWA. THE STORMS WERE ABOUT 10 TO 15 MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN DES MOINES...NEAR THE POLK-STORY COUNTY LINE. THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MILES AN HOUR... AS WELL AS EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINS AND SMALL HAIL. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE PASSING THROUGH STORY COUNTY BETWEEN 145 AND 230 PM THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN STORY COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT. TRUETT/GOODSON ?
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, 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 |
| Apr 29, 3:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cerro Gordo | 26 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes 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.