Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 27, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 1994, 6:55 PM CDT for Mitchell County, Iowa. It was in force for 20 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
- Aug 17, 1994, 6:55 PM CDT (23:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 1994, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 20 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Mitchell County, IA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 6:56 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Osage, 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
Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 178 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
- 55 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -390 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1153 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 24 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 56 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 180001 COR TORALO IAC131-180015- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTION TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 655 PM CDT WED AUG 17 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WATERLOO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA ...EASTERN MITCHELL COUNTY AT 652 PM...A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF OSAGE...OR 35 MILES WEST OF DECORAH. THIS TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ARE NEW HAVEN AND RICEVILLE. TAKE COVER NOW. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. DURING A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDXY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS. DEWALD &
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, Aug 17, 6:06 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
IAZ006>011-016>019-180010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 607 PM CDT WED AUG 17 1994 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST IOWA... AT 6PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS SHOWING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAD RAPIDLY DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST IOWA. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED 20 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY OR JUST EAST OF NORA SPRINGS. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE TOWNS OF ORCHARD...AND OSAGE BY 645PM. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. LINDENBERG
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 6:07 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
IAZ006>011-016>019-180010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 607 PM CDT WED AUG 17 1994 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST IOWA... AT 6PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN WATERLOO WAS SHOWING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAD RAPIDLY DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST IOWA. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED 20 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY OR JUST EAST OF NORA SPRINGS. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE TOWNS OF ORCHARD...AND OSAGE BY 645PM. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. LINDENBERG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 6:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Mitchell | 45 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.