Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 20, 1997Black Hawk County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 20, 1997, 6:45 AM CDT for Black Hawk County, Iowa. It was in force for 45 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 20, 1997, 6:45 AM CDT (11:45 UTC)
Expired
Jun 20, 1997, 7:30 AM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Black Hawk County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:47 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 20, 4:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 00:00Z on 1997-06-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1838 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 1997-06-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 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
1838 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1254 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

931 
WUUS1 KDSM 201144 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC013-201230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
645 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  BLACK HAWK COUNTY - NORTHEASTERN IOWA

* UNTIL 730 AM CDT
 
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
    WATERLOO
    CEDAR FALLS

* AT 640 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES WEST OF
  WATERLOO MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE IN THE WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS AREA AROUND 7 AM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  DO NOT GO OUTDOORS.

RECENT REPORT - TREE LIMBS DOWN IN GRUNDY CENTER AT 635 AM

FELDT
 

&

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

Local storm report, Jun 20, 2:05 AM CDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
205 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

TIME(CDT)   .....CITY LOCATION.....  ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE(CDT)   ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0123 AM     CUMBERLAND               IA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/20/97    CASS

JOHNSON
Local storm report, Jun 20, 2:07 AM CDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
205 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

TIME(CDT)   .....CITY LOCATION.....  ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE(CDT)   ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0123 HAM     CUMBERLAND               IA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/20/97    CASS

JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 2:28 AM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
IAZ004>006-015-016-023>025-033>036-044-201000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
228 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 482 HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

THERE ARE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST IOWA AT
THIS TIME BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED IN THIS AREA.

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 485 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 6AM.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 6:45 AM CDT, 0 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-201800-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
645 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

HAZARD -- ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NORTHERN IOWA THIS MORNING
CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  A RISK OF SEVERE STORMS
ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA NORTH OF A LAMONI TO OTTUMWA LINE THIS
AFTERNOON.

TIMING AND AREA OF CONCERN -- THROUGH 1000 AM FOR NORTHERN IOWA THIS
MORNING.  AFTER 3 PM FOR THE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS --  A COLD FRONT WAS FORCED SOUTH THIS MORNING
DUE TO STRONG CONVECTION EXTENDING FROM NEAR DECORAH TO FORT DODGE TO
NEAR OMAHA.  IN ADDITION...OTHER THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WERE
PRESENT ACROSS SOUTHWEST IOWA.  VERY UNSTABLE AIR WAS PRESENT OVER IOWA
THIS MORNING WITH LIFTED INDICES OF MINUS 6 TO MINUS 8.  THUNDERSTORMS
WILL CONTINUE TO LOCALLY EXCEED SEVERE LIMITS THROUGH 9 AM.  THE PRIMARY
THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER.  AFTER
THIS MORNINGS THUNDERSTORMS DISSIPATE...THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL ACT TO FOCUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON.  TEMPERATURES SHOULD CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S
THIS AFTERNOON ONCE THE CLOUDS FROM THIS MORNINGS ACTION DIMINISHES.
THIS COMBINED WITH HIGH DEWPOINTS WILL ALLOW THE AIRMASS TO BECOME VERY
UNSTABLE.  A STRONGER WIND FIELD IS FORECAST OVER IOWA THIS AFTERNOON
SUGGESTING ORGANIZED MULTICELL AND EVEN ISOLATED SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORMS.

PRECAUTIONS -- EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD BE READY TO DEPLOY SPOTTERS
THIS MORNING OVER NORTHERN IOWA AND ACROSS MOST OF IOWA THIS AFTERNOON.
REMEMBER TO PASS ALONG ALL REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER TO COUNTY
DISPATCHERS AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

JOHNSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 12:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCass32 min
Jun 20, 1:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdair, Cass50 min
Jun 20, 5:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWebster33 min
Jun 20, 5:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHamilton, Wright33 min
Jun 20, 5:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin, Hardin32 min
Jun 20, 6:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler, Grundy36 min
Jun 20, 7:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler35 min
Jun 20, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren31 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.