Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 24, 1996Mahaska County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 24, 1996, 9:54 AM CDT for Mahaska County, Iowa. It was in force for 31 min. 5 reports 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
May 24, 1996, 9:54 AM CDT (14:54 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 1996, 10:25 AM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Mahaska County, IA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 24, 10:00 AM CDTHail 2.5Lake Kenoma, IA
May 24, 10:00 AM CDTHail 1.75Rose Hill, IA
May 24, 10:01 AM CDTHail 0.75Leighton, IA
May 24, 10:03 AM CDTHail 0.75Oskaloosa, IA
May 24, 10:30 AM CDTHail 0.75Rose Hill, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 181 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1996-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1996-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 352 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
710 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
352 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
374 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 24, 4:18 AM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-240900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
418 AM CDT FRI MAY 24 1996

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE I-35 CORRIDOR...FROM
AMES SOUTH TO INDIANOLA. PEA TO MARBLE-SIZED HAIL WAS COMMON
THROUGHOUT THE AREA ALONG WITH REPORTS NEAR 3/4 INCH. WINDS WERE
OCCASIONALLY GUSTING TO 40-50 MPH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS SINCE 3 AM HAVE
BEEN 1 1/2 TO 2 1/2 INCHES.

TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW LANDS...DITCHES AND STREETS WILL OCCUR
THROUGH 5 AM. RISING SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL OCCUR THROUGH 10
AM.

THE HEAVIEST OF THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
MARSHALLTOWN...NEWTON AND KNOXVILLE0 AREAS BY 5 AM.

MYERS
Special weather statement, May 24, 9:03 AM CDT, 51 minutes before
IAZ074-075-241440-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
903 AM CDT FRI MAY 24 1996

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEAST MARION AND NORTHERN
MAHASKA COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE STORM HAS WEAKEN.
NUMEROUS REPORTS WERE RECEIVED FROM NORTHEAST MARION COUNTY.

THREE MILES SOUTHWEST OF PELLA 3/4 TO 1 INCH HAIL...5 MILES NORTH OF
KNOXVILLE GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL...KNIA RADIO IN PELLA REPORTED ONE
INCH HAIL...AND 3.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF KNOXVILLE REPORTED ONE INCH
HAIL.

FORSTER
Special weather statement, May 24, 9:26 AM CDT, 28 minutes before
IAZALL-241400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
925 AM CDT FRI MAY 24 1996

STRONG WINDS WERE BEING REPORTED IN PARTS OF NORTHWEST AND NORTH
CENTRAL IOWA.  IT APPEARS THAT STRONG WINDS ALOFT ARE BEING
TRANSPORTED DOWN TO THE SURFACE.

REPORTS OF 55 TO 60 MPH WINDS WERE REPORTED IN POCAHONTAS...CLAY
AND PALO ALTO COUNTIES.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN KOSSUTH...HUMBOLDT...NORTHEN WEBSTER CAN EXPECT
THESE STRONG SURFACE WINDS BETWEEN 930 AND 1030 AM CDT.

FORSTER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 8:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska, Marion34 min
May 24, 9:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska48 min
May 24, 9:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMarion35 min
May 24, 10:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska32 min
May 24, 11:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska, Marion47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

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.