Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 22, 1997, 5:45 PM CDT for Humboldt County, Iowa. It was in force for 45 min. 3 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
- Jun 22, 1997, 5:45 PM CDT (22:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 22, 1997, 6:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Humboldt County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:46 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 5:46 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Humboldt, IA | |
| Jun 22, 5:48 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Dakota City, IA | |
| Jun 22, 6:03 PM CDT | Hail 2.75 | Humboldt, 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
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 236 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1642 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 7 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 94 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
004
WUUS1 KDSM 222244 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC091-222330-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
545 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
HUMBOLDT COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
* UNTIL 630 PM CDT
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
HUMBOLDT
THOR
DAKOTA CITY
* AT 540 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SOUTH OF
HUMBOLT...10 MILES NORTH OF FORT DODGE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR HUMBOLDT AND DAKOTA CITY AT 545 PM CDT.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. DO NOT GO OUTDOORS.
S2What 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, Jun 22, 11:51 AM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-222055- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1152 AM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997 HAZARD--ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AREA OF CONCERN--NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20. TIMING DETAILS--BETWEEN 200 AND 600 PM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A WARM FRONT OVER CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL ADVANCE INTO NORTHERN IOWA BY LATE AFTERNOON. SOUTHERLY WINDS AT THE LOW LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO GRADUALLY INCREASE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHES INTO THE DAKOTAS AND WESTERN MINNESOTA. THE STRONGEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE WILL BE OVER THE DAKOTAS AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER...A CONVECTIVELY INDUCED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EXISTS ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA AND THIS COULD FOCUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY MID AFTERNOON IN THIS AREA. ONE NEGATIVE FACTOR WILL BE THE WARMING TEMPERATURES AROUND 10,000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY KEEP THUNDERSTORMS FROM BECOMING A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM OVER NORTHERN IOWA. SEVERAL THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND MINNESOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT WHICH COULD SPILL INTO THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES OF IOWA. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WOULD BE WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING OVER NORTHERN IOWA. SHORT TERM FORECASTS THIS AFTERNOON WILL OUTLINE THE AREA OR AREAS OF CONCERN WITH AN UPDATED CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK SCHEDULED FOR AROUND 300 PM. SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 11:52 AM CDT, 5 hours 53 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-222055- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1152 AM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997 HAZARD--ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AREA OF CONCERN--NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20. TIMING DETAILS--BETWEEN 200 AND 600 PM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A WARM FRONT OVER CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL ADVANCE INTO NORTHERN IOWA BY LATE AFTERNOON. SOUTHERLY WINDS AT THE LOW LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO GRADUALLY INCREASE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHES INTO THE DAKOTAS AND WESTERN MINNESOTA. THE STRONGEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE WILL BE OVER THE DAKOTAS AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER...A CONVECTIVELY INDUCED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EXISTS ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA AND THIS COULD FOCUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY MID AFTERNOON IN THIS AREA. ONE NEGATIVE FACTOR WILL BE THE WARMING TEMPERATURES AROUND 10,000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY KEEP THUNDERSTORMS FROM BECOMING A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM OVER NORTHERN IOWA. SEVERAL THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND MINNESOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT WHICH COULD SPILL INTO THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES OF IOWA. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WOULD BE WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING OVER NORTHERN IOWA. SHORT TERM FORECASTS THIS AFTERNOON WILL OUTLINE THE AREA OR AREAS OF CONCERN WITH AN UPDATED CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK SCHEDULED FOR AROUND 300 PM. SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 3:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-230300- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 300 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997 HAZARD -- ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. AREA OF CONCERN -- NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20. TIMING DETAILS -- BETWEEN 500 AND 900 PM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS -- A WARM FRONT CURRENTLY OVER CENTRAL IOWA WILL ADVANCE INTO NORTHERN IOWA THIS EVENING. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER NORTH-CENTRAL IOWA WILL INTERACT WITH THIS FRONT LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. ALTHOUGH...THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS UNSTABLE WITH LIFTED INDICES OF MINUS 2 TO MINUS 5 ...A STRONG TEMPERATURE INVERSION WILL PREVENT WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS FROM DEVELOPING. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES REMAIN WELL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH SO ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE LIKELY. LATER TONIGHT...A SECOND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL EXIT THE DAKOTAS AND MOVE INTO WESTERN MINNESOTA. WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW AT MID-LEVELS MAY CAUSE THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM TO DRIFT SOUTH INTO IOWA. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WOULD BE WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. PRECAUTIONS -- SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING OVER NORTHERN IOWA. HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY WITH ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP TONIGHT SO PEOPLE LIVING IN OR NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE WEATHER. KUBINA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 4:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Webster | 31 min |
| Jun 22, 6:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hancock | 47 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.