Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1992
Tornado Warning 17, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jul 15, 1992, 5:52 PM CDT for Audubon County, Cass County, Iowa. It was in force for 53 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
- Jul 15, 1992, 5:52 PM CDT (22:52 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 15, 1992, 6:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 53 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Audubon County, IA, Cass County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 6:41 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Cass, 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
Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 123 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
- 190 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -258 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1188 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 208 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 254 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 152258 TORDSM IAC029-009-152345- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 552 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHWEST IOWA ...EXTREME NORTHERN CASS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA ...EXTREME SOUTHERN AUDUBON COUNTY AT 550 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 3 MILES NORTH OF WALNUT...OR 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF OMAHA. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST 30 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE MARNE... BRAYTON. IN ADDITION...AT 550 PM...DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 3 MILES NORTH OF WALNUT. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS..\.PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. SMITH
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, Jul 15, 12:57 PM CDT, 4 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 100 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF IOWA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT COLLIDING WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF IOWA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE MOST FAVORABLE AREAS WILL BE OVER ABOUT THE SOUTHEAST TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN IOWA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND MOVE INTO CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. JLA
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 4:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
IAZALL-152240- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 437 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 426 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST IOWA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT DODGE TO 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTH OF STORM LAKE IN BUENA VISTA COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. RICHTER/FILLBACH
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:09 PM CDT, 43 minutes before
IAZALL-152315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 508 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 5 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NORTHWEST ARE LOCATED AT SPENCER...ARMSTRONG...AND MARATHON. THE STORMS OVER THE SOUTHWEST WERE APPROACHING HAMBURG FROM SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCUNG VERY HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING... GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA 35 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. THE STORMS IN SOUTHWEST IOWA WILPL MOVE INTO THE SHENANDOAH AREA AS WELL. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. RICHTER
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:42 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 538 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 AT 545 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BANCROFT IOWA...50 MILES EAST OF FOREST CITY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL AFFECT BUFFALO CENTER AND BRITT IOWA IN THE NEXT HOUR. THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS IT MOVES THROUGH THESE AR~EAS.
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:46 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
IAZALL-152340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 545 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1992 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 530 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER THE WEST HALF OF IOWA. THE STORMS WERE WEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM THE IOWA/MINNESOTA BORDER NORTH OF MASON CITY...TO 20 MILES WEST OF DES MOINES AT ADEL...TO LAMONI. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWES OF SHENANDOAH...55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES... 15 MILES SOUTH OF HARLAN IN SHELBY COUNTY...AND BETWEEN SPIRIT LAKE AND POCAHONTAS. PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. RICHTER/FILLBACH
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 6:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Adair, Union | 40 min |
| Jul 15, 6:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Taylor | 41 min |
| Jul 15, 6:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Ringgold | 51 min |
| Jul 15, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Cass | 45 min |
| Jul 15, 6:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Union | 34 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes 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.