Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jul 6, 1994, 2:32 PM CDT for Cerro Gordo County, Floyd County, Iowa. It was in force for 43 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 6, 1994, 2:32 PM CDT (19:32 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 6, 1994, 3:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Cerro Gordo County, IA, Floyd County, IA
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 337 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
- 7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -778 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2088 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -60 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -77 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KALO 061933 TORALO IAC033-067-062015- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 232 PM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WATERLOO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 315 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA ...CERRO GORDO COUNTY...FLOYD COUNTY AT 225 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS INDICATING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FUNNEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES LOCATED FROM MASON CITY...TO 10 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN MASON CITY...NORA SPRINGS...ROCKFORD...MARBLE ROCK CHARLES CITY...AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY! DURING A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN 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. AVOID WINDOWS. LINDENBERG
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 6, 11:00 AM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
IAZ005-061700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1059 AM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN KOSSUTH COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF LAKOTA...45 MILES NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY. THIS STORM HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY AND IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING RAINFALL AT THE RATE OF AN INCH AN HOUR. PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STANDING WATER ON ROADWAYS AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. RUNYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 11:22 AM CDT, 3 hours 10 minutes before
IAZ006-061730- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 1121 AM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 AT 1115 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS INDICATING A CLUSTER OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS AND WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY. AS A RESULT SOME STREET FLOODING WILL OCCUR. PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING TOWNS AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SMALL STREAM AND STREET FLOODING...BUFFALO CENTER...FOREST CITY...THOMPSON...AND LAKE MILLS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING RAIN OF AN INCH PER HOUR AND WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST AT 5 TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. DO NOT DRIVE IN WATER COVERING THE ROAD. IT MAY BE DEEPER THAN YOU THINK...AND COULD OVERTURN YOUR CAR. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS WEATHER SITUATION. LINDENBERG
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 12:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
IAZ006>008-016>018-061830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 1225 PM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 AT 1220 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS INDICATING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM MASON CITY...TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST OF MASON CITY. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE VERY SLOW MOVING AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS. PERSONS IN MASON CITY...ROCKFORD...CHARLES CITY...MANLY...OSAGE...AND FOREST CITY CAN EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN DURING THE NEXT HOUR AND SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SOME SMALL STREAM AND STREET FLOODING. NEVER DRIVE INTO A FLOODED STRETCH OF ROAD. THE DEPTH OF WATER MAY BE ENOUGH TO FLOAT YOUR VEHICLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 12:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
IAZ006>008-016>018-061830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 1225 PM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 AT 1220 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS INDICATING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM MASON CITY...TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST OF MASON CITY. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE VERY SLOW MOVING AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS. PERSONS IN MASON CITY...ROCKFORD...CHARLES CITY...MANLY...OSAGE...AND FOREST CITY CAN EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN DURING THE NEXT HOUR AND SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SOME SMALL STREAM AND STREET FLOODING. NEVER DRIVE IxNTO A FLOODED STRETCH OF ROAD. THE DEPTH OF WATER MAY BE ENOUGH TO FLOAT YOUR VEHICLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 1:22 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
IAZ006>008-016>018-061925- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 122 PM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONTINUING IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... AT 115 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS SHOWING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA FROM CHARLES CITY...TO MASON CITY...TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 5 TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN MASON CITY...NORA SPRINGS...ROCKFORD...CHARLES CITY...AND MANLY CAN EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING AN INCH OF RAIN IN ONE HOUR. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY! WHILE THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT SEVERE...THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE PRODUCING STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORECMENT AGENCY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. LINDENBERG
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 1:50 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
IAZ050>054-062>064-062000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 150 PM CDT WED JUL 6 1994 AN INTENSIFYING THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHWEST LINN COUNTY WILL AFFECT THE CITY OF CEDARN RAPIDS THROUGH 3 PM. RAINFALL OF AROUND AN INCH AN HOUR WILL OCCUR. SO LOCAL STREET FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY IN AND AROUND CEDAR RAPIDS. WIND GUSTS MAY REACH 30 MPH. THE STORM IS MOVING NORTHWARD AT 10 TO 15 MPH. MYERS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 3:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Floyd, Mitchell | 41 min |
| Jul 6, 4:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Fayette | 33 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes 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.