Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 119, NWS Des Moines, IA

August 9, 1999Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 9, 1999, 10:10 PM CDT for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It was in force for 35 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
Aug 9, 1999, 10:10 PM CDT (03:10 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 1999, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Cerro Gordo County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 155 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:11 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
Aug 9, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 198 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 1999-08-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1808 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 1999-08-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 291 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1808 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
733 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
291 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
13.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 9, 3:30 PM CDT, 6 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 3:30 PM CDT, 6 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
330 PM CDT MON AUG 9 1999

WX QUITE FOR TNGT WITH HI MOVG ACRS IA OVR NGT.  MAIN FEAT COMES
LATE WED INTO THU MRNG.  MDLS CONSISTENT WITH MVMT OF UPR LO AND STG
VMAX FOR THIS TIME OF YR.  MEAN RDG PSN TO THE W OF IA AND MVMTS OF
UPR LO AND SFC CONSISTENT WITH THIS PSN.  QUICK REBOUND OF MSTR
INDCTD BY ALL MDLS WITH PWATS UP TO 50 MM B WED EVE.  THETA-E AVCTN
STG OVR IA LATE IN DAY WED THRU 08Z THU AND VRY GUF LLJ FOR MID
AUG.  TSTMS SHUD BE WDSPRD AND WL GO CAT POPS N, LKLY CNTRL AND CHC
S WED NGT AFT INTRO CHC OVR W THIRD WED.  MNTND POPS MAINLY MRNG THU
AND A LOT CUD GO WRONG WITH THIS FCST BFR ALL IS SAID AND DONE.
INDICTNS OF 1ST DRY SLOT IN AVN FOR THU AFTN AND EVE BFR COLD AIR
WRAPS ARND FM THE NW INTO ERY FRI.  WL CARRY SOME POPS INTO FRI ERY,
BUT THEN DRY UNTIL LATE SUN WITH NXT SYS.  SHUD WRM UP OVR WKND WITH
PHASE 2 OF SUMMER GETTING INTO SWING.
DSM 02722   ALO 01865

.DSM...NONE

MS AUG 99

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 9, 8:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-101100-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
800 PM CDT MON AUG 9 1999

HAZARD--WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME MAY BE SEVERE WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

AREA OF CONCERN AND TIMING DETAILS--ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA BUT
PRIMARILY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20.  STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE
STATE OVERNIGHT.  THE PRIMARY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD END BY
MIDNIGHT.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A FRONTAL BOUNDARY BRINGING IN DRIER AIR WAS
MOVING INTO NORTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  THE AIRMASS AHEAD
OF THE FRONT WAS QUITE UNSTABLE AND WIND SHEAR PROFILES WERE
SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY
OVER NORTHERN IOWA.  STORMS WHICH HAVE ALREADY FORMED IN SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN IOWA THIS EVENING WITH ALL FORMS
OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE INCLUDING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND
TO A LESSER EXTENT TORNADOES.

PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER DEPLOYMENT MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.   THE
WEATHER SITUATION COULD CHANGE RAPIDLY SO PEOPLE WITH OUTDOOR
CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR LATER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS AND
STATEMENTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION...AND BE READY TO MOVE TO SAFE
SHELTER QUICKLY.

COGIL
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 8:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-101100-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
800 PM CDT MON AUG 9 1999

HAZARD--WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME MAY BE SEVERE WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

AREA OF CONCERN AND TIMING DETAILS--ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA BUT
PRIMARILY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 20.  STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE
STATE OVERNIGHT.  THE PRIMARY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD END BY
MIDNIGHT.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A FRONTAL BOUNDARY BRINGING IN DRIER AIR WAS
MOVING INTO NORTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  THE AIRMASS AHEAD
OF THE FRONT WAS QUITE UNSTABLE AND WIND SHEAR PROFILES WERE
SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY
OVER NORTHERN IOWA.  STORMS WHICH HAVE ALREADY FORMED IN SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN IOWA THIS EVENING WITH ALL FORMS
OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE INCLUDING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND
TO A LESSER EXTENT TORNADOES.

PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER DEPLOYMENT MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.   THE
WEATHER SITUATION COULD CHANGE RAPIDLY SO PEOPLE WITH OUTDOOR
CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR LATER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS AND
STATEMENTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION...AND BE READY TO MOVE TO SAFE
SHELTER QUICKLY.

COGIL
Local storm report, Aug 9, 9:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
906 PM CDT MON AUG 09 1999

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

0902 PM    SCARVILLE                 IA    TORNADO
08/09/99   WINNEBAGO                       TORNADO REPORTED NEAR
                                           SCARVILLE
Local storm report, Aug 9, 9:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
906 PM CDT MON AUG 09 1999

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

0902 PM    SCARVILLE                 IA    TORNADO
08/09/99   WINNEBAGO                       TORNADO REPORTED NEAR
                                           SCARVILLE
Local storm report, Aug 9, 10:00 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 9, 10:00 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWinnebago63 min
Aug 9, 9:00 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWinnebago, Worth35 min
Aug 9, 9:24 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXCerro Gordo46 min
Aug 9, 10:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1999Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.