Alert archive / South Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 18, 1994Todd County, South Dakota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1994, 5:32 PM CDT for Todd County, South Dakota. It was in force for 28 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1994, 5:32 PM CDT (22:32 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1994, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Todd County, SD

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KRAP), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 199 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, Rapid City, SD at 12:00Z on 1994-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 993 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Rapid City, SD at 12:00Z on 1994-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 94 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
993 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-252 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2143 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSD 182232
TORFSD
SDC121-182300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
532 PM CDT (432 PM MDT) MON JUL 18 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT (500 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA
 
   ...WESTERN TODD COUNTY
 
AT 530 PM CDT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR THE
TOWN OF PARMELEE...WHICH IS ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF VALENTINE.
THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE
INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  IF YOU LIVE
IN A MOBILE HOME...ABANDON IT FOR A STRONGER SHELTER.
 
TAKE COVER NOW.
 
MENTZER
 
&

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

Local storm report, Jul 18, 2:09 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
230 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994

STORM DATA FOR JUL 18 1994
TIME           COUNTY...LOCATION            CHARACTER OF STORM...DAMAGE
625 AM CDT     HYDE CO...2 SE SPRING LAKE   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

630 AM CDT     HYDE CO...1 N LAKE MITCHELL  3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL

635 AM CDT     HYDE CO...16 N HIGHMORE      2 INCH SIZE HAIL

730 AM CDT     HYDE CO...HIGHMORE           GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

752 AM CDT     HYDE CO...HIGHMORE & 25N     GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

755 AM CDT     HAND CO...1/2 S REE HEIGHTS  GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

825 AM CDT     HAND CO...10 S MILLER        GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
MILLER
Local storm report, Jul 18, 2:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
230 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994

STORM DATA FOR JUL 18 1994
TIME           COUNTY...LOCATION            CHARACTER OF STORM...DAMAGE
625 AM CDT     HYDE CO...2 SE SPRING LAKE   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

630 AM CDT     HYDE CO...1 N LAKE MITCHELL  3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL

635 AM CDT     HYDE CO...16 N HIGHMORE      2 INCH SIZE HAIL

730 AM CDT     HYDE CO...HIGHMORE           GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

752 AM CDT     HYDE CO...HIGHMORE & 25N     GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

755 AM CDT     HAND CO...1/2 S REE HEIGHTS  GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL

825 AM CDT     HAND CO...10 S MILLER        GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
MILLER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:14 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
IAZ021-032-043-013-020-031-NEZ014-013-015-SDZ071-182315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
512 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY...

AT 506 PM CDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY AND COULD CLIP OBRIEN
COUNTY BETWEEN 6 AND 630 PM. PEOPLE IN OBRIEN COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER
WEATHER STATEMENTS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
SIOUX...OBRIEN...PLYMOUTH...CHEROKEE...WOODBURY...AND IDA COUNTIES IN
NORTHWEST IOWA.

MICHELS
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:18 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
IAZ021-032-043-013-020-031-NEZ014-013-015-SDZ071-182315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...ADDED UNION COUNTY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
518 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY...

AT 506 PM CDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY AND COULD CLIP OBRIEN
COUNTY BETWEEN 6 AND 630 PM. PEOPLE IN OBRIEN COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER
WEATHER STATEMENTS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
SIOUX...OBRIEN...PLYMOUTH...CHEROKEE...WOODBURY...AND IDA COUNTIES IN
NORTHWEST IOWA. UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH DAKOTA IS ALSO UNDER THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH.

MICHELS
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:19 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
IAZ021-032-043-013-020-031-NEZ014-013-015-SDZ071-182315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...ADDED UNION COUNTY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
518 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY...

AT 506 PM CDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY AND COULD CLIP OBRIEN
COUNTY BETWEEN 6 AND 630 PM. PEOPLE IN OBRIEN COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER
WEATHER STATEMENTS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
SIOUX...OBRIEN...PLYMOUTH...CHEROKEE...WOODBURY...AND IDA COUNTIES IN
NORTHWEST IOWA. UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH DAKOTA IS ALSO UNDER THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH.

MICHELS

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Dakota, 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.