Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 65, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 22, 1997Franklin County, Wright County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 22, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT for Franklin County, Wright County, Iowa. It was in force for 31 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
Jun 22, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT (01:34 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 1997, 9:05 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, IA, Wright County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:36 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
Jun 22, 9:05 PM CDTHail 0.75Belmond, IA
Jun 22, 9:15 PM CDTHail 0.75Alexander, 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 00:00Z, 1.6 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1997-06-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1565 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1997-06-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1565 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1227 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

848 
WUUS1 KDSM 230133 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC069-197-230205-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
834 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
  NORTHEASTERN WRIGHT COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 905 PM CDT
 
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
    BELMOND
    ALEXANDER
    CHAPIN

* AT 830 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF
  BELMOND...40 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT DODGE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR ALEXANDER AT 845 PM CDT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  DO NOT GO OUTDOORS.

S2

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, Jun 22, 3:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 34 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
Local storm report, Jun 22, 7:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
730 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997

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

 548 PM     DAKOTA CITY              IA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 603 PM     HUMBOLDT                 IA   2.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 648 PM     KANAWHA                  IA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HANCOCK
Local storm report, Jun 22, 7:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
730 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997

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

 548 PM     DAKOTA CITY              IA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 603 PM     HUMBOLDT                 IA   2.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 648 PM     KANAWHA                  IA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HANCOCK
Local storm report, Jun 22, 7:34 PM CDT, 1 hour before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...COR FOR ADDITIONAL REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
734 PM CDT SUN JUN 22 1997

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

 546 PM     HUMBOLDT                 IA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 548 PM     DAKOTA CITY              IA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 603 PM     HUMBOLDT                 IA   2.75 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HUMBOLDT

 648 PM     KANAWHA                  IA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/22/97    HANCOCK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 22, 9:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHancock, Winnebago32 min
Jun 22, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin35 min
Jun 22, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin31 min
Jun 22, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWinnebago29 min
Jun 22, 9:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXGrundy30 min
Jun 22, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler47 min
Jun 22, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHancock34 min
Jun 22, 10:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXFranklin, Hancock, Wright3 hr
Jun 22, 10:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXButler3 hr

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.