Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 44, NWS Des Moines, IA

August 13, 1995Kossuth County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Aug 13, 1995, 9:37 PM CDT for Kossuth County, Iowa. It was in force for 23 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Aug 13, 1995, 9:37 PM CDT (02:37 UTC)
Expired: Aug 13, 1995, 10:00 PM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

County Kossuth County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 169 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:41 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 (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 189 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: 1246 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 622 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 146 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 294 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 8.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 140237
TORDSM
IAC109-140300-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
937 PM CDT SUN AUG 13 1995

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  NORTHERN KOSSUTH COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    GOOSE LAKE
    BURT LAKE
    SWEA CITY
    LEDYARD

* AT 935 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTH OF ARMSTRONG OR
  40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPENCER MOVING NORTHEAST 10 MPH.

* THE S(TORM WILL BE SWEA CITY BY 950 PM CDT.

IF YOU ARE NEAR THIS DANGEROUS STORM...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN THE
LOWEST FLOOR AND INNER MOST ROOM OF A BUILDING.

FORSTER/BELLES

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 13, 3:42 PM CDT, 5 hours 55 minutes before

IAZALL-140200-

IOWA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
342 PM CDT SUN AUG 13 1995

HAZARD...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DOWNBURST WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH.

AREA OF CONCERN...THE NORTHWEST TWO-THIRDS OF IOWA...MAINLY NORTHWEST
OF A DUBUQUE TO SHENANDOAH LINE.

TIMING DETAILS...THE GREATEST RISK OF DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE FROM
AROUND 800 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT IN NORTHWEST IOWA. FURTHER SOUTHEAST...
THE RISK WILL EXTEND FROM ABOUT 1000 PM UNTIL 200 AM.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT ENTERING IOWA TONIGHT
WILL BE ENOUGH TO BREAK A MID LEVEL TEMPERATURE INVERSION OVER IOWA.
WINDS ABOUT 3000 FT UP WILL INCREASE TO 50 MPH BY MIDNIGHT...SO ANY
THUNDERSTORM DOWNBURSTS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS. THE ATMOSPHERE
WILL ALSO BE VERY UNSTABLE WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES BETWEEN -6 AND -10
FOR MUCH OF THE EVENING. ONE LIMITING FACTOR IS THAT THE MOST
IMPRESSIVE DYNAMICS WILL REMAIN NORTH...SO ANY SEVERE WIND GUSTS WILL
BE ISOLATED OVER IOWA. EVEN THOUGH THE ATMOSPHERE IS EXTREMELY MOIST
OVERALL...THE FAST MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WILL HOLD DOWN THE FLASH
FLOOD POTENTIAL. LARGE HAIL IS NOT A BIG CONCERN TONIGHT BECAUSE
TEMPERATURES ALOFT ARE SO WARM AHEAD OF THE FRONT.

PRECAUTIONS...DAMAGING WINDS ARE INHERENTLY HARDER FOR SPOTTERS TO
TRACK AT NIGHT. ANY DOWNBURSTS WILL ALSO BE SHORT-LIVED. EMERGENCY
MANAGERS SHOULD KEEP THIS IN MIND IF SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NEEDED
TONIGHT. PEOPLE WITH OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES BEFORE SUNSET SHOULD
EXPERIENCE NO PROBLEMS...BUT IT WOULD BE WISE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE
SKY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE FAR NORTHWEST.

PYTLAK

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 6:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before

IAZALL-140300-

IOWA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
630 PM CDT SUN AUG 13 1995

HAZARD...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DOWNBURST WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH.

AREA OF CONCERN...THE NORTHWEST TWO-THIRDS OF IOWA...MAINLY NORTHWEST
OF A DUBUQUE TO SHENANDOAH LINE.

TIMING DETAILS...THUNDERSTORMS WERE FORMING OVER EASTERN NEBRASKA
AROUND GRAND ISLAND EARLY THIS EVENING.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH
INTO WESTERN IOWA BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL RACE ACROSS NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING SERVING AS A TRIGGER FOR THUNDERSTORMS.  THE MAIN THREAT
WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS DAMAGING WIND.  THE FRONT IS FORCAST TO PUSH
ACROSS IOWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS REACHING FROM LAMONI TO CLINTON
BY MORNING.  WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED ALTHOUGH SOME
ISOLATED SEVERE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT.

PRECAUTIONS...DAMAGING WINDS ARE INHERENTLY HARDER FOR SPOTTERS TO
TRACK AT NIGHT. ANY DOWNBURSTS WILL ALSO BE SHORT-LIVED. EMERGENCY
MANAGERS SHOULD KEEP THIS IN MIND IF SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NEEDED
TONIGHT. PEOPLE WITH OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES BEFORE SUNSET SHOULD
EXPERIENCE NO PROBLEMS...BUT IT WOULD BE WISE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE
SKY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE FAR NORTHWEST.

EP/JEB AUG 95

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 6:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before

IAZALL-140300-

IOWA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
630 PM CDT SUN AUG 13 1995

HAZARD...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DOWNBURST WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH.

AREA OF CONCERN...THE NORTHWEST TWO-THIRDS OF IOWA...MAINLY NORTHWEST
OF A DUBUQUE TO SHENANDOAH LINE.

TIMING DETAILS...THUNDERSTORMS WERE FORMING OVER EASTERN NEBRASKA
AROUND GRAND ISLAND EARLY THIS EVENING.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH
INTO WESTERN IOWA BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL RACE ACROSS NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING SERVING AS A TRIGGER FOR THUNDERSTORMS.  THE MAIN THREAT
WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS DAMAGING WIND.  THE FRONT IS FORCAST TO PUSH
ACROSS IOWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS REACHING FROM LAMONI TO CLINTON
BY MORNING.  WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED ALTHOUGH SOME
ISOLATED SEVERE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT.

PRECAUTIONS...DAMAGING WINDS ARE INHERENTLY HARDER FOR SPOTTERS TO
TRACK AT NIGHT. ANY DOWNBURSTS WILL ALSO BE SHORT-LIVED. EMERGENCY
MANAGERS SHOULD KEEP THIS IN MIND IF SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NEEDED
TONIGHT. PEOPLE WITH OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES BEFORE SUNSET SHOULD
EXPERIENCE NO PROBLEMS...BUT IT WOULD BE WISE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE
SKY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE FAR NORTHWEST.

EP/JEB AUG 95

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 9:24 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

IAZ004-015-140300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
924 PM CDT SUN AUG 13 1995

...SEVEREE THUNDERSTORMS WARNING FOR PALO ALTO AND EMMET COUNTIES UNTIL
930 PM CDT...

A SPOTTER IN EMMETSBURG REPORTED WINDS BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MILES AN HOUR
AT 915 PM CDT.  THE STORMS WILL HIT RODMAN AND WEST BEND.

 BELLES

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 13, 9:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Emmet	16 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1995 Every tornado warning in 1995 Tornadoes 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.