Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 28, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 13, 1995Franklin County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1995, 4:52 PM CDT for Franklin County, Iowa. It was in force for 33 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 13, 1995, 4:52 PM CDT (21:52 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 1995, 5:25 PM CDT
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

County Franklin County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:56 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 237 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 631 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 161 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 132151
SVRDSM
IAC069-132225-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
452 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  FRANKLIN COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 525 PM CDT
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    COULTER
    LATIMER
    HAMPTON

* AT 448 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR DOWS 40
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF MASON CITY MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR LATIMER AND COULTER BY 505 PM AND HAMPTON BY
  515 PM.

  THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE IS LIKELY.
  MOVE INDOORS AT ONCE.  A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT.  SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES.

PYTLAK

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, May 13, 12:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before

IOWA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
1258 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

HAZARD...THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOW FORMING INTO A LINE.  SOME STORMS MAY
CONTAIN LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AREA OF CONCERN...WEST CENTRAL INTO NORTH CENTRAL IOWA FOR THE NEXT TWO
HOURS.  CITIES IN THEIS AREA INCLUDE FORT DODGE...CLARION...ALGONA...
BOONE...ATLANTIC AND GUTHRIE CENTER.

TIMING DETAILS...THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINING TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY OVER THE
AREA OF CONCERN.  FOR THE NEXT TWO HOUR PERSONS IN THIS AREA NEED TO
KEEP TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION IN CASE A WARNING IS
ISSUED.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...A COLD FRONT WAS BEGINNING TO PUSH INTO
WESTERN IOWA AT 1245 PM.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT
ALONG THIS FRONT AS IT PUSHES INTO CENTRAL IOWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
THE WIND PROFILE REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES AND DAMAGING
WINDS.  AS THE SUN CONTINUES OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA THE
ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE OVER THE EASTERN HALF
OF THE STATE.

PRECAUTIONS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS OVER THE AREA OF CONCERN SHOULD
CONSIDER SPOTTER ACTIVATION.  CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA EMERGENCY
MANAGERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

 BELLES

Special weather statement, May 13, 2:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before

IAZ017-131955-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
220 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN CERRO GORDO COUNTY UNTIL 240
PM CDT...

AT 218 PM CDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THAT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH
GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WILL MOVE TO NEAR CLEAR LAKE BY 225 PM CDT.
BOATERS SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AS THIS STORM ALSO CONTAINS
DEADLY LIGHTNING AND STRONG WINDS.

 BELLES

Local storm report, May 13, 2:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
224 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

TIME(CDT)   .....CITY LOCATION.....  STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
            ....COUNTY LOCATION....
155 PM     8 NE GOLDFIELD            IA     2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
           NORTHERN WRIGHT CO

158 PM     7 N OF GOLDFIELD          IA     1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
           NORTHERN WRIGHT CO

207 PM     NEAR KLEMME               IA     1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
           SOUTHERN HANCOCK CO

212 PM     NEAR KLEMME               IA     GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL
           SOUTHERN HANCOCK CO

PYTLAK
&

Local storm report, May 13, 2:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
231 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

TIME(CDT)   .....CITY LOCATION.....  STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
            ....COUNTY LOCATION....
226 PM     3 S OF VENTURA            IA     1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
           WESTERN CERRO GORDO CO

PYTLAK
&

Local storm report, May 13, 3:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
300 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

TIME(CDT)   .....CITY LOCATION.....  STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
            ....COUNTY LOCATION....
240 PM     JUST S|W OF MASON CITY     IA     FUNNEL CLOUD
           CENTRAL CERRO GORDO CO

257 PM     ALEXANDER                 IA     1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
           NORTHWEST FRANKLIN CO

PYTLAK
&

Special weather statement, May 13, 4:08 PM CDT, 44 minutes before

IAZ047-060-073-084-095-132215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
407 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR BOONE...POLK...WARREN...LUCAS
AND WAYNE COUNTIES. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THESE
AREAS.

TORNADO WATCHES NUMBERS 368 AND 369 REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE REST OF
NORTHWEST AND THE EASTERN HALF OF IOWA UNTIL 900 PM CDT. THE WATCH IS
NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM DENISON...TO VWEBSTER CITY...TO AMES...TO
CENTERVILLE.

PYTLAK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 13, 4:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Davis	33 min
May 13, 1:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Hancock, Wright	32 min
May 13, 2:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cerro Gordo	29 min
May 13, 2:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cerro Gordo	30 min
May 13, 3:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Floyd	44 min
May 13, 4:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Franklin	36 min
May 13, 4:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Wright	8 min
May 13, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Butler	17 min
May 13, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Floyd	32 min
May 13, 5:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Chickasaw	31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1995 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1995

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.