Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 16, 1992Cerro Gordo County, Hancock County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1992, 4:25 PM CDT for Cerro Gordo County, Hancock County, Iowa. It was in force for 50 min. 3 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
May 16, 1992, 4:25 PM CDT (21:25 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1992, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cerro Gordo County, IA, Hancock County, IA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 16, 4:45 PM CDTHail 0.75Cerro Gordo, IA
May 16, 4:56 PM CDTHail 1Cerro Gordo, IA
May 16, 5:08 PM CDTHail 0.75Hancock, 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, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 197 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 1992-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1992-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 285 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
657 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
250 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, May 16, 10:34 AM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 16, 1:28 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 16, 3:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 16, 3:46 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 16, 3:51 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
IAZALL-162140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...COR FOR TORNADO WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
350 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 1992

.....A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

AT 3 30 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
IOWA 15 TO 20 MILES WEST OF MASON CITY.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
PRODUCING HAIL...DAMAGING WIND UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL.  AT 3 20 PM A REPORT WAS RECEIVED OF 1 INCH HAIL 5 MILES WEST
OF NORTHWOOD.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE URGED TO MONITOR WEATHER REPORTS
AND SEEK SHELTER IF A STORM APPROACHES.

THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NOURTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR...
HOWEVER THE STORMS SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPING TO THE SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL
AND NORTHWEST IOWA.
/
MILLER
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:16 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
IAZALL-162215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR IOWA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
415 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 1992

AT 405 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
IOWA.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A 10 MILE WIDE LINE THAT EXTENDED
FROM NEAR BODE...25 MILES NORTH OF FORT DODGE...TO THE MINNESOTA BORDER
20 MILES NORTH OF MASON CITY.  WIND GUSTS OF 80 MILES AN HOUR WERE
RECORDED AT MASON CITY AT 345 PM.  HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN ALSO
BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE URGED TO EXCERCISE CAUTION...
MONITOR WEATHER REPORTS...AND SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 TO4 40 MILES AN HOUR...
HOWEVER THE STORM SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPINT TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST.

THE OUTLOOK THROUGH 5 PM...CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF INTENSE THUNDER-
STORMS INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST IOWA...AND MOVING INTO NORTHEAST IOWA.
/
MILLER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 3:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWorth39 min
May 16, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Hancock40 min
May 16, 5:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMitchell37 min
May 16, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Floyd40 min
May 16, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCalhoun, Sac25 min
May 16, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPocahontas37 min
May 16, 6:26 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXCerro Gordo4 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.