Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 94, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 12, 1994Clay County, Dickinson County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 12, 1994, 7:45 PM CDT for Clay County, Dickinson County, Iowa. It was in force for 30 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 12, 1994, 7:45 PM CDT (00:45 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1994, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 219 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 00:00Z on 1994-06-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1994-06-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1268 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 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, Jun 12, 6:49 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
IAZALL-130040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
649 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL
1000 PM CDT THIS SUNDAY EVENING...

AT 633 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO THE EXTREME
NORTHWEST IOWA AROUND THE ROCK RAPIDS...SIBLEY AND SPIRIT LAKE
AREA. THESE STORMS ARE LIKELY TO PRODUCE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...
HAIL...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND NEARLY CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD MONITOR
CONDITIONS CLOSELY.

AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING
THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST IOWA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THESE
SHOWERS AND STORMS EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO NORTHEAST
TO NEAR WAUKON...IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF IOWA.

THE STORMS OVER NORTHWEST IOWA WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES
AN HOUR WHILE THE SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER NORTHEAST AND NORTH
CENTRAL IOWA WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:10 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:15 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
IAZ006-007-008-009-010-011-016-017-018-019-026-027-028-029-038-
039-040-130115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
710 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE TO THE EAST OF HIGHWAY 63 CORRIDOR...

AT 705 PM RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE
IN A LINE FROM 5 MILES EAST OF DECORAH TO 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF
INDEPENDENCE.  THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ISOLATED GUSTS
UP TO 50 MPH ALONG WITH SMALL HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND BRIEF
HEAVY RAINS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL AFFECT
THE FOLLOWING TOWNS:

WAUKON...ELKADER AND MANCHESTER THROUGH 715 - 735 PM

TRI STATE AREA INCLUDING DUBUQUE   720 - 740 PM

FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 63 AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS
WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF I-35
TILL 10 PM. MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO FAR NORTHWEST IOWA
AND WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED FOR NORTH CENTRAL IOWA LATER THIS
EVENING.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

TRS
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:26 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
IAZALL-130330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
726 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF IOWA
UNTIL 1000 PM CDT...

THE POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ACROSS IOWA THIS
EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ORGANIZING INTO A BAND FROM
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA TO SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. SEVERAL TORNADOES HAVE
ALREADY BEEN REPORTED ALONG THIS LINE. IT IS EXPECTED TO MARCH EAST
ACROSS IOWA DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THEY WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE FORT
DODGE AND COUNCIL BLUFFS AREAS BY 900 PM CDT...AND THE DES MOINES/AMES
AREAS AFTER 1000 PM CDT.

WEATHER BALLOONS...DOPPLER RADAR....AND SATTELITE PICTURES AS OF 700 PM
CDT CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR
RESIDENTS IN THE TORNADO WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...
HEAVY RAIN...AND TORNADOES ARE ALL POSSIBLE AS THIS LINE MARCHES EAST
ACROSS IOWA TONIGHT.

ALL RESIDENTS OF IOWA ARE URGED TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
COMMERCIAL MEDIA BROADCASTS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT FOR ALL THE LATEST
BULLETINS AND WARNINGS.

PYTLAK
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:27 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
IAZALL-130330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
726 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF IOWA
UNTIL 1000 PM CDT...

THE POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ACROSS IOWA THIS
EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ORGANIZING INTO A BAND FROM
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA TO SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. SEVERAL TORNADOES HAVE
ALREADY BEEN REPORTED ALONG THIS LINE. IT IS EXPECTED TO MARCH EAST
ACROSS IOWA DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THEY WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE FORT
DODGE AND COUNCIL BLUFFS AREAS BY 900 PM CDT...AND THE DES MOINES/AMES
AREAS AFTER 1000 PM CDT.

WEATHER BALLOONS...DOPPLER RADAR....AND SATTELITE PICTURES AS OF 700 PM
CDT CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR
RESIDENTS IN THE TORNADO WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...
HEAVY RAIN...AND TORNADOES ARE ALL POSSIBLE AS THIS LINE MARCHES EAST
ACROSS IOWA TONIGHT.

ALL RESIDENTS OF IOWA ARE URGED TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
COMMERCIAL MEDIA BROADCASTS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT FOR ALL THE LATEST
BULLETINS AND WARNINGS.

PYTLAK
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:45 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
IAZALL-130140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
745 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL
1000 PM CDT THIS SUNDAY EVENING...

AT 730 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER EXTREME
NORTHWEST IOWA. THESE STORMS WERE LLOCATED AROUND SPIRIT LAKE
AND ROCK RAPIDS. HAIL...BRIEF TORENTIAL DOWNPOURS...WINDS GUSTS
IN EXCESS OF 40 MILES AN HOUR AND NEARLY CONTINUOUS DEADLY LIGHTNING
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN
EXPANDING AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY NORTHEAST TO TO ESTHERVILLE.
ESTHERVILLE IS 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPENCER.

ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED OVER THE
NORTHEAST QUARTER OF IOWA. THIS AREA WAS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 10
MILES EAST OF MASON CITY SOUTHEAST TO 10 MILES NORTH OF CEDAR RAPIDS.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE ALL MOVING EAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 12, 7:08 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDickinson37 min
Jun 12, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet30 min
Jun 12, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClay, Palo Alto30 min
Jun 12, 8:25 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPalo Alto35 min
Jun 12, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt, Kossuth35 min
Jun 12, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt34 min
Jun 12, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWebster38 min
Jun 12, 9:41 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWright34 min
Jun 12, 9:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Franklin34 min
Jun 12, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHamilton31 min
Jun 12, 10:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBlack Hawk47 min
Jun 12, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFayette29 min
Jun 12, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCarroll22 min
Jun 13, 12:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdams14 min
Jun 13, 12:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBoone, Dallas21 min
Jun 13, 1:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMarion28 min
Jun 13, 1:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPoweshiek28 min
Jun 13, 1:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1994

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.