Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 99, NWS Des Moines, IA

September 14, 1992Calhoun County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 14, 1992, 5:34 AM CDT for Calhoun County, Iowa. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 14, 1992, 5:34 AM CDT (10:34 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 1992, 6:00 AM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Calhoun County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 00:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 186 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 1992-09-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2491 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1992-09-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 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
2491 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1434 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 141035
SVRDSM
IAC025-141100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
534 AM CDT MON SEP 14 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA
 
   ...CALHOUN COUNTY
 
AT 530 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN DES MOINES INDICATED
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT DODGE...ABOUT 5 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF ROCKWELL CITY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35
MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING ROCKWELL CITY...RINARD...AND
SOMERS BETWEEN 535 AND 600 AM THIS MORNING.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THIS AREA...YOU SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING
IMMEDIATELY.  LARGE HAIL WAS INDICATED WITH 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.
 
RAP/SULLIVAN

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 13, 11:36 PM CDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
IAZALL-140535-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1135 PM CDT SUN SEP 13 1992

AT 1125 PM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER THE NORTHERN THIRD OF IOWA.  THE
STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHWEST IOWA...JUST NORTHWEST OF
SPENCER.  THIS STORM WAS PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.

THE THUNDERSTORM WAS IN A 15 MILE WIDE BAND OF SHOWERS AND STORMS
EXTENDING FROM 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY...TO 25 MILES NORTHEAST
OF SPENCER NEAR ESTHERVILLE.

OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
IOWA.  THE SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING IN A 20 MILE WIDE BAND STRETCHING
FROM 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO NEAR ELDORA...TO 55 MILES NORTHEAST
OF WATERLOO NEAR WAUKON.

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

JAK
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 12:50 AM CDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before
IAZALL-140635-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1243 AM CDT MON SEP 14 1992

AT 1231 AM CDT...AN AREA OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...AND
ADJACENT AREAS OF MINNESOTA.

THIS THUNDERSTORMS AREA WAS 30 MILES WIDE AND CENTERED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPENCER TO THE MINNESOTA BORDER
10 MILES NORTH OF BANCROFT. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES
NORTHEAST OF SPENCER.

THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY
WINDS...FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HAIL.

INTENSITY HAD INCREASED SINCE 1125 PM. MOVEMENT WAS NORT4HEAST AT 25
MILES AN HOUR.
/
ALSO...A 70 MILE WIDE AREA OF WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND ADJACENT AREAS OF WISCONCIN AND
MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

R A PRENTICE
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 4:51 AM CDT, 43 minutes before
IAZALL-141035-

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

AT 431 AM CDT...AN AREA OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF IOWA...AND ADJACENT
AREAS OF NEBRASKA...MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN.

THIS THUNDERSTORMS AREA WAS LOCATED NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM 30
MILES NORTHWEST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS NEAR MONDAMIN...TO FORT DODGE...TO 25
MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO...TO JUST NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ESTHERVILLE...
JUST NORTH OF SPENCER...10 MILES NORTHWEST OF IDA GROVE...10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF STORM LAKE...AND NEAR GILMORE CITY.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

R A PRENTICE
ALSO...A 70 MILE WIDE AREA OF WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND ADJACENT AREAS OF WISCONCIN AND
MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES( AN HOUR.

R A PRENTICE
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 5:13 AM CDT, 21 minutes before
IAZALL-141035-

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

AT 431 AM CDT...AN AREA OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF IOWA...AND ADJACENT
AREAS OF NEBRASKA...MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN.

THIS THUNDERSTORMS AREA WAS LOCATED NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM 30
MILES NORTHWEST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS NEAR MONDAMIN...TO FORT DODGE...TO 25
MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO...TO JUST NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ESTHERVILLE...
JUST NORTH OF SPENCER...10 MILES NORTHWEST OF IDA GROVE...10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF STORM LAKE...AND NEAR GILMOREx CITY.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

R A PRENTICE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 13, 9:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth22 min
Sep 14, 12:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet, Palo Alto35 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.