Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 110, NWS Des Moines, IA

August 24, 1997Ringgold County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 24, 1997, 11:22 PM CDT for Ringgold County, Iowa. It was in force for 18 min. 2 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
Aug 24, 1997, 11:22 PM CDT (04:22 UTC)
Expired
Aug 24, 1997, 11:40 PM CDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Ringgold County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:21 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 24, 11:25 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Mt Ayr, IA
Aug 24, 11:37 PM CDTHail 0.75Mt Ayr, 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 190 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1997-08-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4736 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1997-08-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 46 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
4736 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1163 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 250422 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC159-250440-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1122 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  SOUTHERN RINGGOLD COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1140 PM CDT
 
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
    RURAL AREAS

* AT 1120 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF
  KELLERTON OR 65 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES MOVING SOUTH AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE OUT OF RINGGOLD COUNTY BY 1135 PM CDT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  DO NOT GO OUTDOORS.




FORSTER/SMITH

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, Aug 24, 7:00 PM CDT, 4 hours 22 minutes before
IAZ061-062-074-075-085-086-096-097-250100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
700 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE WATCH IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES OF NEWTON...POWESHIEK...MARION...MAHASKA...
MONROE...WAPELLO...APPANOOSE AND DAVIS.

REPEATING...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH (715) HAS BEEN CANCELLED
FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.

SMITH
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 7:05 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
IAZ061-062-074-075-085-086-096-097-250100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
700 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE WATCH IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES OF NEWTON...POWESHIEK...MARION...MAHASKA...
MONROE...WAPELLO...APPANOOSE AND DAVIS.

REPEATING...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH (#715) HAS BEEN CANCELLED
FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.

SMITH
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 11:10 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
IAZ033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-250815-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1110 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

HAZARD--ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL TO
ONE INCH IN DIAMETER...WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

AREA OF CONCERN--SOUTHERN IOWA...ALONG AND SOUTHWEST OF A
CORYDON TO AUDUBON LINE.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS SOUTHERN IOWA
WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT INTO THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS OVER THE SOUTHWEST THIRD OF THE STATE. HIGH
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THIS EVENING
INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR RAINFALL OF ONE TO TWO INCHES AN HOUR
ACROSS THE AREA OF CONCERN. IN ADDITION...CAPE VALUES OF AROUND
5500 JOULES PER KILOGRAM INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS AND HAIL TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER. THE STORMS SHOULD BEGIN
TO SHIFT SLOWLY INTO EXTREME SOUTHERN IOWA AND NORTHERN MISSOURI
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LATE TONIGHT AS LOW LEVEL WINDS BECOME SOUTHERLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST
IOWA.

PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS. KEEP ABREAST OF LATER SHORT TERM FORECASTS AND
CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOKS.

SMITH
Local storm report, Aug 24, 11:15 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1115 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1033 PM    3 NW DECATUR CITY         IA   60 MPH WINDS
08/24/97   DECATUR

1103 PM    KELLERTON                 IA   65 MPH WINDS
08/24/97   RINGOLD                        WITH TREES DOWNED

SMITH
Local storm report, Aug 24, 11:15 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1115 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1033 PM    3 NW DECATUR CITY         IA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
08/24/97   DECATUR

1103 PM    KELLERTON                 IA   65 MPH TSTM GUST
08/24/97   RINGOLD                        WITH TREES DOWNED

SMITH
Local storm report, Aug 24, 11:18 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1115 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1033 PM    3 NW DECATUR CITY         IA   60 MPH WINDS
08/24/97   DECATUR

1103 PM    KELLERTON                 IA   65 MPH WINDS
08/24/97   RINGOLD                        WITH TREES DOWNED

SMITH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 24, 10:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur35 min
Aug 24, 10:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur32 min
Aug 24, 10:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold34 min
Aug 24, 11:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold18 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.