Alert archive / South Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 5, 1994Union County, South Dakota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1994, 12:52 AM CDT for Union County, South Dakota. It was in force for 15 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 5, 1994, 12:52 AM CDT (05:52 UTC)
Expired: Jul 5, 1994, 1:07 AM CDT
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area: Whole counties

County Union County, SD

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 170 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3643 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1098 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 8.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSUX 050553
TORSUX
SDC127-050615-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
1252 AM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  115 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA
 
   ...NORTHEASTERN UNION COUNTY
 
AT 1241 AM A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 35 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY BETWEEN
ALCESTER AND BIG SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MILES AN
HOUR.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM!!  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.  IF YOU ARE
IN A STRONG BUILDING GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET
INTO A DvITCH OR DEPRESSION...COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
HOPPES

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 4, 9:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before

SDZ050-063-050345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
941 PM CDT (841 PM MDT) MON JUL 4 1994

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN CHARLES MIX AND GREGORY COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AT 940 PM CDT.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE VARYING
RAPIDLY IN INTENSITY AND WERE MOSTLY PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
...SMALL HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MPH.

AT 940 PM CDT THE STRONGEST STORM WAS IN NEBRASKA AND WILL MOVE INTO
SOUTHERN GREGORY COUNTY SOUTH OF BONESTEEL...25 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
LAKE ANDES...BEFORE 10 PM CDT...AND SHOULD APPROACH BONESTEEL SHORTLY
AFTER 10 PM.

PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO SEEK SHELTER WHEN THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
APPROACH.  AT LEAST ONE STORM PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL THIS EVENING
AND THERE IS THE POSSIBLITY OF ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT.

SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.

UMLAND

Local storm report, Jul 4, 10:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1020 PM CDT MON JUL 04 1994

STORM DATA FOR MONDAY JULY 04 1994

 TIME          COUNTY...LOCATION AND STATE   CHARACTER OF STORM...DAMAGE
.......................................................................

 857 PM CDT   CHARLES MIX...GEDDES SD         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
 945 PM CDT   SRN GREGORY...5S BONESTEEL SD   NICKEL SIZE HAIL...HVY
                                              RAIN
"

GRAHAM

Local storm report, Jul 4, 10:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1020 PM CDT MON JUL 04 1994

STORM DATA FOR MONDAY JULY 04 1994

 TIME          COUNTY...LOCATION AND STATE   CHARACTER OF STORM...DAMAGE
.......................................................................

 857 PM CDT   CHARLES MIX...GEDDES SD         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
 945 PM CDT   SRN GREGORY...5S BONESTEEL SD   NICKEL SIZE HAIL...HVY
                                              RAIN

GRAHAM

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 10:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before

SDZ040-055-056-059>062-065>070-050445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1044 PM CDT MON JUL 4 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH DAKOTA...

AT 1042 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN
SOUTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN SOUTHERN GREGORY AND
WESTERN CHARLES MIX COUNTIES. THE AREA OF SHOWERS WAS BASICALLY FROM
SOUTH OF PIERRE TO NORTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND EASTWARD TO A
MITCHELL-GREENWOOD LINE. ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER
THEY ARE VARYING IN INTENSITY RAPIDLY. STRONG GUSTY WINDS... VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL ARE ALL LIKELY WITH THE
STRONGER STORMS.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS THIS EVENING...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION 0AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

MG

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 11:56 PM CDT, 56 minutes before

SDZ063>070-IAZ001-002-012-050555-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1152 PM CDT MON JUL 4 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM CDT...

AT 1150 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR ARMOUR IN SOUTHERN DOUGLAS
COUNTY SOUTH DAKOTA SOUTHWARD TO NEAR NORFOLK NEBRASKA. ANOTHER
ISOLATED STRONG STORM WAS LOCATED EAST OF LECHTER IN SOUTHEASTERN
SANBORN COUNTY. ALL OF THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO
20 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 50 MPH WERE REPORTED 10 MILES SOUTH OF YANKTON AT
1150 PM.

IF YOU LIVE IN EXTRME SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA OR NORTHWESTERN IOWA...
YOU CAN EXPECT HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH YOUR
AREA.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  PERSONS SHOULD WATCH FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

MG

Special weather statement, Jul 5, 12:10 AM CDT, 42 minutes before

IAZ021-032-043-013-020-031-NEZ014-013-015-SDZ071-050615-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
1208 AM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA...

AT MIDNIGHT CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE 50 MILES WEST OF SIOUX CITY IN
NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS
WILL EXTEND FROM BERESFORD SOUTH DAKOTA TO MACY NEBRASKA OR 30 MILES
SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY BY 1 AM.

GUSTY WIND UP TO 55 MILES AN HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. PEA
TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE SIOUX CITY AREA
UNTIL 4 AM CDT.

MICHELS

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Dakota, 1994 Every tornado warning in 1994 Tornadoes 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.