Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 1997, 8:11 PM CDT for Appanoose County, Iowa. It was in force for 49 min. 1 report 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 2, 1997, 8:11 PM CDT (01:11 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 1997, 9:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 49 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Appanoose County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 8:30 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Centerville, 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 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 221 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
- 483 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 56 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 65 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
230
WUUS1 KDSM 030111 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC007-030200-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
811 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
SOUTHERN APPANOOSE COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
* UNTIL 900 PM CDT
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
CINCINNATI
NUMA
EXLINE
MOULTON
* AT 809 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF CINCINNATI OR 50 SOUTHWEST OF OTTUMWA MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
* THE STORM WILL BE SOUTH OF CINCINNATI BY 825 PM CDT.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. DO NOT GO OUTDOORS.
FORSTER/KUBINAWhat 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 2, 3:35 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
IAZ057-070>071-081>086-092>097-030300- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 335 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 HAZARD--ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF COLD AIR FUNNELS. AREA OF CONCERN--THE SOUTHERN QUARTER OF IOWA...ALONG AND SOUTH OF A AUDUBON TO OTTUMWA LINE. TIMING DETAILS--THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE OUTLOOK AREA BETWEEN 4 AND 8 PM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ALOFT IS FORECAST TO SLOWLY PUSH ACROSS THE STATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ASSOCIATED WITH THIS UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM ARE SOME FAIRLY COLD TEMPERATURES FROM 10,000 TO 20,000 FEET IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND SOME LOW LEVEL WARMING THAT OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND EXTREME SOUTHERN IOWA THIS AFTERNOON WILL ENHANCE THE THREAT FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS PRODUCING A COLD AIR FUNNEL. IN ADDITION...WITH THE TEMPERATURES COOLING OFF IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON...FREEZING LEVELS AND WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS WILL BE LOWERING WHICH WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF HAIL WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. PRECAUTIONS...PEOPLE PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DISRUPT THEIR EVENTS FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT IS THERE FOR A FEW COLD AIR FUNNELS WITH THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...STUDIES OF COLD AIR FUNNELS SHOW THAT THEY RARELY TOUCH THE GROUND. THEY ARE USUALLY QUITE SMALL AND ARE NOT AS VIOLENT AS THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. COLD AIR FUNNELS NORMALLY PROTRUDE A FEW HUNDRED FEET DOWNWARD FROM THE PARENT CLOUD...ROTATE OR SPIN LIKE A TOP...AND LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE DISSIPATING. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING. SMITH
Special weather statement, May 2, 3:38 PM CDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before
IAZ057-070>071-081>086-092>097-030300- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 335 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 HAZARD--ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF COLD AIR FUNNELS. AREA OF CONCERN--THE SOUTHERN QUARTER OF IOWA...ALONG AND SOUTH OF A AUDUBON TO OTTUMWA LINE. TIMING DETAILS--THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE OUTLOOK AREA BETWEEN 4 AND 8 PM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ALOFT IS FORECAST TO SLOWLY PUSH ACROSS THE STATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ASSOCIATED WITH THIS UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM ARE SOME FAIRLY COLD TEMPERATURES FROM 10,000 TO 20,000 FEET IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND SOME LOW LEVEL WARMING THAT OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND EXTREME SOUTHERN IOWA THIS AFTERNOON WILL ENHANCE THE THREAT FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS PRODUCING A COLD AIR FUNNEL. IN ADDITION...WITH THE TEMPERATURES COOLING OFF IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON...FREEZING LEVELS AND WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS WILL BE LOWERING WHICH WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF HAIL WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. PRECAUTIONS...PEOPLE PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DISRUPT THEIR EVENTS FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT IS THERE FOR A FEW COLD AIR FUNNELS WITH THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...STUDIES OF COLD AIR FUNNELS SHOW THAT THEY RARELY TOUCH THE GROUND. THEY ARE USUALLY QUITE SMALL AND ARE NOT AS VIOLENT AS THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. COLD AIR FUNNELS NORMALLY PROTRUDE A FEW HUNDRED FEET DOWNWARD FROM THE PARENT CLOUD...ROTATE OR SPIN LIKE A TOP...AND LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE DISSIPATING. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING. SMITH
Special weather statement, May 2, 7:58 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
IAZ095-030120- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 758 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WAYNE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED. FORSTER/KUBINA
Special weather statement, May 2, 7:59 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
IAZ095-030120- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 758 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WAYNE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED. FORSTER/KUBINA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 7:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Decatur | 30 min |
| May 2, 7:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Wayne | 33 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.