Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 381, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

September 18, 2002Plymouth County, Sioux County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 18, 2002, 6:54 PM CDT for Plymouth County, Sioux County, Iowa. It was in force for 36 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Sep 18, 2002, 6:54 PM CDT (23:54 UTC)
Expired
Sep 18, 2002, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Plymouth County, IA, Sioux County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:54 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
Sep 18, 7:00 PM CDTHail 1Struble, IA
Sep 18, 7:00 PM CDTHail 1Maurice, 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
Sep 18, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 2002-09-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 666 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2002-09-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 392 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
666 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-219 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
674 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
392 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
429 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

330 
WUUS53 KFSD 182354
SVRFSD
IAC149-167-190030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
653 PM CDT WED SEP 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN PLYMOUTH COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  SOUTHEAST SIOUX COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 653 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 3 MILES SOUTH OF STRUBLE TO 5
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF MERRILL...OR FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF LE MARS TO 9
  MILES SOUTH OF LE MARS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  STRUBLE...LE MARS AROUND 700 PM CDT
  ORANGE CITY AROUND 730 PM CDT

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. GO INSIDE A
STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

AT 640 PM CDT 3/4 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED 3 MILES NORTH OF HINTON.

LAT...LON 4288 9627 4258 9625 4275 9602 4308 9604

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 4:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon31 min
Sep 18, 4:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Sioux35 min
Sep 18, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPlymouth39 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.