Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 18, 2000Polk County, Warren County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2000, 11:51 AM CDT for Polk County, Warren County, Iowa. It was in force for 29 min. 4 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
May 18, 2000, 11:51 AM CDT (16:51 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2000, 12:20 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Polk County, IA, Warren County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 28 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:51 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
May 18, 11:55 AM CDTHail 1Des Moines, IA
May 18, 12:01 PM CDTTornado F1Hartford, IAMoved from Warren County into Marrion County.
May 18, 12:10 PM CDTHail 1.75Runnells, IA
May 18, 12:17 PM CDTTornado F0Runnells, IABrief touchdown.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 18, 11:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 235 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 12:00Z on 2000-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1602 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2000-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1602 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
505 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
159 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 181652
TORDSM
IAC153-181-181715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1151 AM CDT THU MAY 18 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  POLK COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA
  NORTHERN WARREN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1220 PM CDT

* AT 1151 AM CDT A DEVELOPING TORNADO 2 MILES EAST OF CARLISLE...OR
  ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.
  RADAR ALSO SHOWS DEVELOPING TORNADOES FROM CUMMING TO NORWALK.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE...
  4 MILES EAST OF PLEASANT HILL AROUND 1210 PM CDT
  OVER THE DES MOINES METRO AREA AROUND 1210 PM
  NEAR ALTOONA AROUND 1210 PM CDT
  5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ELKHART AROUND 1220 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN A FACTORY OR SHOPPING CENTER...GO TO YOUR
PRE-DESIGNATED SHELTER AREA. AVOID LARGE OPEN AREAS AND EXTERIOR
WINDOWS. GET TO THE LOWEST LEVEL.



&&
SEARCY

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 10:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXStory22 min
May 18, 10:34 AM CDTTornado WarningDMXAdair, Cass21 min
May 18, 10:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBoone, Hamilton, Hardin, Story31 min
May 18, 10:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXGrundy, Marshall31 min
May 18, 10:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDallas31 min
May 18, 10:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBlack Hawk, Grundy, Tama31 min
May 18, 11:00 AM CDTTornado WarningDMXAudubon, Cass30 min
May 18, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDickinson10 min
May 18, 11:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDallas, Madison, Polk, Warren46 min
May 18, 11:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWapello28 min
May 18, 11:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBlack Hawk28 min
May 18, 11:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBlack Hawk29 min
May 18, 12:07 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXJasper, Marion28 min
May 18, 12:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXJasper29 min
May 18, 12:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPoweshiek32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000

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.