Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 6, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 8, 2002Winneshiek County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2002, 7:01 PM CDT for Winneshiek County, Iowa. It was in force for 59 min. 5 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 8, 2002, 7:01 PM CDT (00:01 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Winneshiek County, IA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 8, 7:17 PM CDTHail 1Ridgeway, IA
May 8, 7:18 PM CDTHail 0.75Spillville, IA
May 8, 7:29 PM CDTHail 1Decorah, IA
May 8, 7:30 PM CDTHail 0.75Decorah, IA
May 8, 7:33 PM CDTHail 0.88Decorah, 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 8, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 216 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 00:00Z on 2002-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1642 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 00:00Z on 2002-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
1642 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
951 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
227 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KARX 090001
TORLSE
IAC191-090100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
700 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 700 PM CDT...SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 3 MILES OF SOUTH OF 
  PROTIVIN MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE DEVELOPING TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  NEAR SPILLVILLE...AND FORT ATKINSON AT 715 PM CDT...
  NEAR RIDGEWAY...AND CALMAR AT 720 PM CDT...
  NEAR OSSIAN AT 730 PM CDT...
  NEAR DECORAH AT 740 PM CDT...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. GO TO THE BASEMENT
IF A BASEMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR

BOYNE

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee53 min
May 8, 8:01 PM CDTTornado WarningARXAllamakee59 min
May 8, 8:56 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXAllamakee3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.