Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 96, NWS Des Moines, IA

September 9, 1992Polk County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 9, 1992, 7:46 AM CDT for Polk County, Iowa. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 9, 1992, 7:46 AM CDT (12:46 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 1992, 8:15 AM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Polk County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 12:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 236 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 12:00Z on 1992-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 100 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 12:00Z on 1992-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 211 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
100 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-263 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
211 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.1

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, Sep 9, 4:42 AM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
IAZALL-091045-

RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
441 AM CDT WED SEP 9 1992

AT 425 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA.
THE STORMS WERE LOCATED WITHIN A 20 MILE WIDE AREA CENTERED FROM 20
MILES NORTHWEST OF OTTUMWA NEAR OSKALOOSA TO 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF
OTTUMWA NEAR RICHLAND.  ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
KEOSAUQUA.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE STATE.

OTHER SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST
IOWA AS WELL.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

RICHTER
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 4:52 AM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
450 AM CDT WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 1992

...OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES IS EXPECTED TODAY
INTO TONIGHT FROM THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO THE LOWER GREAT
LAKES AREA...

THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER IN KANSAS CITY MISSOURI
IS FORECASTING AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES
TODAY INTO TONIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO
VALLEYS...AND THE LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION.

THE STATES WHICH ARE MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THE BRUNT OF THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY INCLUDE...
...MOST OF MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS...
...EASTERN IOWA...
...SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND SOUTHERN MICHIGAN...
...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL INDIANA...
...NORTHWEST OHIO...
/
A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE
MID AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE AN
OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES ACROSS MUCH OF THE
MIDWEST.  A VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM IS FORECAST TO DRIVE
THE COLD FRONT EASTWARD ACROSS A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS AS LOW
LEVEL WINDS BRING MOISTURE NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO.  THE
COMBINATION OF WARM SURFACE TEMPERATURES COUPLED WITH THE STRONG
UPPER LEVEL WINDS WILL CAUSE EXPLOSIVE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY
AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT MOVING INTO EASTERN KANSAS..IOWA..
AND MISSOURI.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY EASTWARD DURING
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING BRINGING A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TO
PARTS OF IOWA..MISSOURI..ILLINOIS..INDIANA..SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF
WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN...AND NORTHWEST OHIO.  ALSO...A FEW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT PARTS OF KANSAS..OKLAHOMA..
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA..NORTHERN ARKANSAS..AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF
WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN TODAY.

THE COMBINATION OF AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...STRONG MID
LEVEL WINDS AND A VERY MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS AHEAD OF THE COLD
FRONT IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES IN
THE HIGH RISK AREA.  DAMAGING THUDERSTORM WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE
ALSO LIKELY WITH THE WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE
MIDWEST.  IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION TODAY INTO TONIGHT FROM MISSOURI AND IOWA INTO THE
LOWER GREAT LAKES AREA.

ALL PERSONS IN THE THREATENED AREA ARE URGED TO REVIEW SAFETY RULES
...AND LISTEN TO RADIO..TV..OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.  THIS IS A POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION FOR THE AFFECTED AREAS AND SHOULD BE
MONITORED CLOSELY.

..LARRY WILSON..
NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER

..BOB CORBETT..
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...DES MOINES IA
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 5:43 AM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
IAZALL-091145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
541 AM CDT WED SEP 9 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST
IOWA UNTIL 11 AM CDT...

AT 525 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA.
THE STORMS WERE LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA AND 15 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF CEDAR RAPIDS NEAR IOWA CITY.  ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM
WAS LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA NEAR HARLAN.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE
SMALL HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THAT COVERED MOST OF IOWA EXCEPT FOR PARTS OF THE \CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
COUNTIES.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

RICHTER
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 6:40 AM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
IAZALL-091245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
639 AM CDT WED SEP 9 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST
IOWA UNTIL 11 AM CDT...

AT 625 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER WEST CENTRAL
IOWA...45 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF OTTUMWA NEAR
OSKALOOSA AND 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF OTTUMWA NEAR WASHINGTON.  THESE STORMS
WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THAT WERE OCCURRING SOUTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM SIOUX CITY TO DUBUQUE.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

RICHTER
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 7:43 AM CDT, 3 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 7:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPolk28 min

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.