Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 12, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

June 20, 1997Plymouth County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 20, 1997, 2:51 AM CDT for Plymouth County, Iowa. It was in force for 29 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
Jun 20, 1997, 2:51 AM CDT (07:51 UTC)
Expired
Jun 20, 1997, 3:20 AM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Plymouth County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:52 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 20, 3:05 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 62Le Mars, 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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 158 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 1997-06-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1320 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-06-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 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
1320 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2762 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

629 
WUUS1 KFSD 200751 RRA
SVRFSD
IAC149-200820-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
251 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  PLYMOUTH COUNTY - IN NORTHWESTERN IOWA

* UNTIL 320 AM CDT
 
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
  LE MARS                  AROUND 255 AM CDT
  MERRILL                  AROUND 255 AM CDT
  SENEY                    AROUND 255 AM CDT
  OYENS                    AROUND 300 AM CDT
  REMSEN                   AROUND 310 AM CDT

* AT 247 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 19 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY OR 4 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF LE MARS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.

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.

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 19, 8:29 PM CDT, 6 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 19, 8:29 PM CDT, 6 hours 22 minutes before
SOUTH DAKOTA/NORTHWEST IOWA/SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
830 PM CDT WED JUN 18 1997

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL HAS NOT DEVELOPED AS WELL AS EARLIER
EXPECTED AND SOME ADJUSTMENT TO EARLIER CWA ZONES WILL BE MADE.  WILL
ADJUST ZONES IN LINE WITH SPC CHANGES TO WATCH AREA WHICH IS ANTICIPATED
AROUND 9 PM.  WILL LOWER THE POPS FOR LATER TONIGHT FOLLOWING THE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ALONG THE SOUTHEAST BORDER. POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS YET THROUGH MIDNIGHT FROM AROUND YANKTON ON EAST INTO
NORTHWEST IOWA AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THAT AREA.

.FSD...NONE
UMLAND

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 19, 10:55 PM CDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
1055 PM CDT THU JUN 19 1997

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

0910 PM    CLAYTON                   SD   1.25 INCH HAIL
06/19/97   HUTCHINSON                     4 MILES SOUTH OF CLAYTON

UMLAND
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 11:04 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before
NEZ013-014-SDZ060>062-065>071-200510-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1104 PM CDT THU JUN 19 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 482 WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR
EXTREME SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND DAKOTA AND DIXON COUNTIES OF
EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA HAS BEEN CANCELED.  THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER TONIGHT.

UMLAND
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 1:45 AM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ089-090-098-200800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
145 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 482 FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS EAST ACROSS THE AREA THE REST OF
TONIGHT...BUT THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. HOWEVER
A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS.

RUBY
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 1:45 AM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ089-090-098-200800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
145 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

...CORRECTED FOR EXTRA WORDING IN LINE 3...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 482 FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REST OF
TONIGHT...BUT THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. HOWEVER
A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS.

RUBY
Special weather statement, Jun 20, 1:51 AM CDT, 1 hour before
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ089-090-098-200800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
145 AM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

...CORRECTED FOR EXTRA WORDING IN LINE 3...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 482 FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REST OF
,TONIGHT...BUT THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. HOWEVER
A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS.

RUBY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 3:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee31 min
Jun 20, 5:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Sioux31 min
Jun 20, 6:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDSioux36 min
Jun 20, 8:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDO'Brien, Osceola32 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.