Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 18, 2000Jasper County, Marion County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2000, 12:07 PM CDT for Jasper County, Marion County, Iowa. It was in force for 28 min. 8 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2000, 12:07 PM CDT (17:07 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2000, 12:35 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Jasper County, IA, Marion County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:10 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, 12:20 PM CDTHail 1.75Prairie City, IA
May 18, 12:23 PM CDTHail 3Prairie City, IA
May 18, 12:25 PM CDTHail 1.75Prairie City, IA
May 18, 12:28 PM CDTHail 2.75Newton, IA
May 18, 12:40 PM CDTHail 2.75Monroe, IA
May 18, 12:43 PM CDTHail 2.75Reasnor, IA
May 18, 12:43 PM CDTHail 1.75Newton, IA
May 18, 12:43 PM CDTHail 1.75Kellogg, 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 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

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 220 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2000-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1779 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2000-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1779 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
796 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
310 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
10.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 181709
TORDSM
IAC099-125-181730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1207 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  JASPER COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA
  NORTHERN MARION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1235 PM CDT

* AT 1207 PM CDT WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO JUST NORTH OF   
  SWAN...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES MOINES...MOVING          
  NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE...
  SWAN NOW
  NEAR PRAIRIE CITY AROUND 1215 PM CDT
  NEAR MONROE BY 1215 PM CDT
  3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLFAX AROUND 1220 PM CDT
  3 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAMBS GROVE AROUND 1230 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN A SCHOOL...HOSPITAL OR NURSING HOME...GO TO YOUR
PRE-DESIGNATED SHELTER AREA. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR
WALLS.



LAT...LON 4142 9333 4141 9290 4186 9279 4186 9335
&

SEARCY
N.NNN

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, 11:51 AM CDTTornado WarningDMXPolk, Warren29 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.