Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Des Moines, IA

July 8, 2003Adair County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jul 8, 2003, 6:20 PM CDT for Adair County, Iowa. It was in force for 55 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 8, 2003, 6:20 PM CDT (23:20 UTC)
Expired
Jul 8, 2003, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Adair County, IA

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 8, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 154 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 2003-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1156 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 2003-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 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
1156 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-143 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1055 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

453 
WFUS53 KDMX 082320
TORDMX
IAC001-090015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
620 PM CDT TUE JUL 8 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ADAIR COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 617 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF FONTANELLE...OR ABOUT 57 MILES WEST OF
  DES MOINES...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE...

  7 MILES NORTHEAST OF BRIDGEWATER AROUND 630 PM...
  NEAR FONTANELLE AROUND 640 PM...
  NEAR GREENFIELD AROUND 645 PM AND
  3 MILES NORTHEAST OF ORIENT AROUND 700 PM.

THIS IS A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. SEEK SHELTER IN A BASEMENT...OR IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OR IN A
CAR...SEEK SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM TUESDAY
EVENING FOR SOUTHERN IOWA.

LAT...LON 4149 9471 4118 9469 4117 9425 4149 9427

JAW

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 7:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMarshall50 min
Jul 8, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCass37 min
Jul 8, 6:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAppanoose, Decatur, Wayne67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.