Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Des Moines, IA

September 14, 1992Union County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 14, 1992, 8:00 PM CDT for Union County, Iowa. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 14, 1992, 8:00 PM CDT (01:00 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 1992, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Union County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 181 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1992-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2201 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1992-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2201 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.9
Supercell composite
15.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 150100
SVRDSM
IAC175-150145-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
800 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
 
   ...NORTHERN UNION COUNTY
 
AT 755 PM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE STORM IN NORTHEAST ADAMS COUNTY OR
ABOUT 50 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES.
 
THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES MILES AN HOUR AND WILL
ENTERING NORTHWEST UNION COUNTY BY 805 PM.
 
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES OF CRESTON...CROMWELL AND AFTON ARE IN THE
DIRECT PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
CEW

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, Sep 14, 5:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
IAZALL-142340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
544 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1992

AT 530 PM CDT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE
OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE
LOCATED IN A NARROW BAND THAT STRETCHED FROM 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES
MOINES NEAR GREENFIELD...TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES.  THESE STRONG
STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND NEARLY CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING.
SOME FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW-LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL.

OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE OCCURRING 10 TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF OTTUMWA...
AND 30 MILES WEST OF BURLINGTON.

THE STORMS WERE PART
OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS LOCATED MAINLY
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO DES MOINES...TO CEDAR
RAPIDS...TO DAVENPORT.

THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

JAK
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 6:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
IAZALL-150215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND SHORT RANGE FORECAST FOR IOWA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
610 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHERN IOWA THIS EVENING...

SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SOUTH
HALF OF IOWA THROUGH 9 PM.  MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE
OVER THE SOUTHERN THREE TIERS OF IOWA COUNTIES.  SOME OF THE STORMS IN
THIS AREA WILL PRODUCE ~VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT DEADLY
LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.

TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WILL BE MAINLY IN THE MIDDLE
60S TO MIDDLE 70S.

JAK
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 6:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
IAZALL-150040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
639 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF
   IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT...

AT 630 PM CDT...ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER
SOUTHWEST IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE LOCATED 35 TO 45 MILES EAST OF OMAHA/
COUNCIL BLUFFS NEAR ATLANTIC.  THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING EXTREMELY
HEAVY RAIN...NEARLY CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING AND PEA SIZE HAIL.  IN ADDITION
THE HEAVY RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE SOME FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW-LYING
AREAS.

THE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS LOCATED OVER THE
SOUTHERN THIRD OF IOWA.  THE AREA OF RAIN WAS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES NORTH OF OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO 10 MILES
NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES...TO DAVENPORT.

THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

JAK
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 7:45 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
IAZALL-150145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
745 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF
   IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH
   CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL MIDNIGHT...

AT 730 PM CDT...ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER SOUTHWEST
IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE OCCURRING 35 MILES EAST OF OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS
NEAR ATLANTIC...AND 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS BETWEEN
CUMBERLAND AND CORNING.  ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS LOCATED 25 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES NEAR MELCHER.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...NEARLY CONTINUOUS
LIGHTNING...AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.  THE VERY HEAVY RAIN MAY ALSO
CAUSE FLOODING OF SOME STREAMS...AS WELL AS STREETS AND LOW-LYING AREAS.

THE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS OCCURRING OVER
THE SOUTHERN THItRD OF IOWA.  THE RAIN WAS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR
GUTHRIE CENTER...TO THE QUAD CITIES.

THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

JAK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 7:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdams45 min
Sep 14, 11:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXClarke, Union3 hr
Sep 15, 2:01 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXDecatur, Lucas, Wayne4 hr
Sep 15, 2:26 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXClarke, Union4 hr
Sep 15, 5:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXClarke, Decatur, Lucas, Wayne3 hr
Sep 15, 5:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXUnion3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1992Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1992

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.