Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Mar 22, 1991, 5:28 PM CST for Grundy County, Iowa. It was in force for 47 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
- Mar 22, 1991, 5:28 PM CST (23:28 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 22, 1991, 6:15 PM CST
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Grundy County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 5:40 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 70 | Grundy, IA | |
| Mar 22, 5:50 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Grundy, 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 280 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
- 543 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 57 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 108 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 KALO 222328 TORALO IAC075-230015- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 528 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WATERLOO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL IOWA ...GRUNDY COUNTY AT 525 PM CST WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING INTO EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN GRUNDY COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF WHITTEN. CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ARE WHITTEN...CONRAD...GRUNDY CENTER...HOLLAND AND WELLSBURG. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. YOU SHOULD SEEK SHELTER BELOW GROUND LEVEL pIF POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE AND AVOID WINDOWS. COLLAR /?A TOPROBICT jTTAA00 KICT 222329 |ICT 2325 CELL TRW+/+ 13/110 D10 C2740 MT 300 AREA 1RW-/- 45/55 90/15 30W C2740 MT U150
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, Mar 22, 3:40 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
IAZALL-222240- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 340 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST...SOUTH CENTRAL ... AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 7 PM... AT 329 PM...A 15 MILE WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM ADAIR...45 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES...TO JUST NORTH OF FORT DODGE. THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF IOWA. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS LOCATED WEST OF A LINE FROM OTTUMWA TO WATERLOO. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. JAK
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 4:25 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
IAZALL-222320- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR IOWA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 425 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 9 PM... AT 415 PM...A 15 MILE WIDE LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM SOUTH CENTRAL INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM LAMONI TO 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY NEAR EAGLE GROVE. SEVERAL OF THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING PEA TO MARBLE SIZE AND LARGER HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF IOWA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. JAK
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 4:33 PM CST, 55 minutes before
IAZ002-003-007-221600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 433 PM CST TUE MAR 19 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 CST FOR CENTRAL IOWA... AT 4 PM NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEAST IOWA. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATE 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAMPTON OR 30 MILES NORTH OF WATERLOO. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR AND MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THIS STORM WAS PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AN THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF A LINE FROM DECORAH TO HAMPTON TO ELDORA AND TO THE IOWA-MISSOURI BORDER SOUTH OF SEYMOUR. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. TS
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 4:45 PM CST, 43 minutes before
IAZALL-222340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 344 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 9 PM... AT 432 PM...A 20 MILE WIDE BAND OF SCATTERED VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SOUTH CENTRAL INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 30 MILES EAST OF LAMONI...TO 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY NEAR EAGLE GROVE. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING PEA TO MARBLE SIZE AND LARGER HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WEST TWO THIRDS OF IOWA...GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE F2ROM OTTUMWA TO WATERLOO. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. JAK
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:06 PM CST, 22 minutes before
IAZ002-003-007-221600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 505 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 CST FOR CENTRAL IOWA... AT 5 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING FROM MASON CITY THROUGH THROUGH HAMPTON TO JUST WEST OF GRUNDY CENTER. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF HAMPTON....20 MILES SOUTH OF MASON CITY. HOWEVER STRONGER STORMS WERE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO GRUNDY COUNTY...25 MILES WEST OF WATERLOO. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE SOME SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STROKES. THROUGH 6 PM THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL EFFECT GRUNDY CENTER ...PARKERSBURG...MARBLE ROCK AND OSUAGE. REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT AND ANY OF THESE STORMS MAY SPAWN A TORNADO IN A MOMENTS NOTICE. SO BE ALERT! COLLAR
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:16 PM CST, 12 minutes before
IAZALL-220015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR IOWA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 515 PM CST FRI MAR 22 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 9 PM... AT 510 PM...A 10 MILE WIDE LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM SOUTHEAST INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES SOUTH OF OTTUMWA AT MOULTON...TO 25 MILES SOUTH OF MASON CITY. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING PEA TO MARBLE SIZE AND LARGER HAIL... VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST IOWA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES_ AN HOUR. SHOWERS AND INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN IOWA THROUGH 615 PM. JAK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2:08 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cass | 67 min |
| Mar 22, 3:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Guthrie | 50 min |
| Mar 22, 3:58 PM CST | Tornado Warning | DMX | Boone | 32 min |
| Mar 22, 4:14 PM CST | Tornado Warning | DMX | Boone | 29 min |
| Mar 22, 4:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Story | 36 min |
| Mar 22, 4:34 PM CST | Tornado Warning | DMX | Story | 26 min |
| Mar 22, 5:02 PM CST | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hardin | 28 min |
| Mar 22, 5:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Appanoose, Davis | 27 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.