Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 1991, 7:49 PM CDT for Crawford County, Iowa. It was in force for 26 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 26, 1991, 7:49 PM CDT (00:49 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 26, 1991, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Crawford County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado F3 | Crawford, 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
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 338 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
- NaN m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 79 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 409 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 485 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 17.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 270050 TORDSM IAC047-270115- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 749 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA ...CRAWFORD COUNTY AT 745 PM...A TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND NEAR MANILLA IN SOUTHER CRAWFORD COUNTY. TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST 40 MILES AN HOUR. OTHER TORNADO WERE SPOTTED IN THE DENISON AREA AT 748 PM. PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS OF DENISON AND OTHER ADJACENT COMMUMNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. +
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 26, 3:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before
IAZALL-262035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 255 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 AT 235 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER THE NORTHERN TWO TIERS OF IOWAS COUNTIES...FROM ESTHERVILLE TO 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF WAUKON...WAUKON IS 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. FILLBACH/BARLOW
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 4:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
IAZALL-262235- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 440 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS FRIDAY EVENING. AT 430 PM...THERE WAS A SMALL RAIN SHOWER LOCATED OVER WEST CENTRAL IOWA...ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SIOUX CITY. THIS SHOWER WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THERE WILL BE OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM?S ENTERING WESTERN IOWA... FROM EASTERN NEBRASKA DURING THE NEXT HOUR...BETWEEN OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS AND SIOUX CITY. JAK/WPM
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
IAZALL-262235- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND IOWA WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 508 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS FRIDAY EVENING. WIDELY SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS CONTINUED TO SPREAD INTO SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA. THESE SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. THE OUTLOOK THROUGH 6PM...THE SKY WILL REMAIN CLOUDY TO MOSTLYn CLOUDY STATEWIDE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE SOME SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WIND...AS WELL AS FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. JAK/WPM
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:34 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
IAZALL-262335- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 534 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS FRIDAY EVENING. AT 527 PM CDT...SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUED OVER EXTREME WEST CENTRAL IOWA...BETWEEN COUNCIL BLUFFS/OMAHA AND SIOUX CITY. THESE SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. JAK/WPM
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 6:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
IAZALL-270035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND IOWA WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 605 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY EVENING. NUMEROUS SHOWERS CONTINUED OVER WEST CENTRAL IOWA...IN A 45 MILE WIDE AREA...CENTERED FROM 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY... TO 15 MILES NORTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. THESE SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. THE OUTLOOK THROUGH 7 PM...IS FOR CONTINUED INCREASING COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER ABOUT THE WEST ONE-THIRD OF IOWA. THE SKY WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY STATEWIDE. JAK/WPM
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 6:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
IAZALL-270135- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 740 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY EVENING. AT 727 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER WEST CENTRAL IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN ABOUT A 20 MILE WIDE AREA...CENTERED FROM NEAR ADAIR...OR 50 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES...TO NEAR MANILLA...OR 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO JUST NORTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS. THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...HAVE BEEN PRODUCING SOME LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND COULD ALSO PRODUCE BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WIND. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. . PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. JAK/WPM
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 7:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Crawford | 32 min |
| Apr 26, 8:19 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Sac | 56 min |
| Apr 26, 8:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Buena Vista | 29 min |
| Apr 26, 8:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Ringgold | 30 min |
| Apr 26, 9:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Decatur | 35 min |
| Apr 26, 9:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clarke | 41 min |
| Apr 26, 9:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Polk, Warren | 44 min |
| Apr 26, 10:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Lucas, Wayne | 31 min |
| Apr 26, 11:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Wayne | 27 min |
| Apr 26, 11:23 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Lucas | 37 min |
| Apr 27, 12:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Mahaska, Marion, Monroe | 28 min |
| Apr 27, 1:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Mahaska | 45 min |
| Apr 27, 2:04 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Iowa | 41 min |
| Apr 27, 2:04 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Keokuk | 15 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.