Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 588
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jun 24, 2003, 10:55 PM CDT for 17 counties in Iowa; 13 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 24, 2003, 10:55 PM CDT (03:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 25, 2003, 4:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 30 counties
Buena Vista County, IA, Cerro Gordo County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Hancock County, IA, Howard County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Winnebago County, IA, Worth County, IA, Blue Earth County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Jackson County, MN, Martin County, MN, Mower County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Steele County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN
The radar
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 157 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:55 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.
Warnings issued inside it
2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 12:27 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MPX | Martin, Watonwan | 33 min |
| Jun 25, 4:00 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | FSD | Cherokee, Plymouth, Woodbury | 2 hr |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 156 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 5332 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -12 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 859 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 171 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 288 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 7.4
- Supercell composite
- 34.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 250358
SEL8
SPC WW 250355
IAZ000-MNZ000-250900-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 588
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1055 PM CDT TUE JUN 24 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN IOWA
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1055 PM
UNTIL 400 AM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST OF SPENCER IOWA TO 20 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF ROCHESTER MINNESOTA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 585...WW 586...WW 587...
DISCUSSION...SSWLY LLJ REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS ERN NEB/WRN IA FOR
MUCH OF THE NIGHT...SUGGESTING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE SPREADING EWD INTO MN AND NRN IA. BOW ECHO IS BECOMING
BETTER DEFINED WITHIN BROADER SQUALL LINE NEAR FSD ATTM. THIS
SYSTEM WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TRACKING ENEWD AT AROUND 50 KT AS AIR
MASS AHEAD OF IT REMAINS MODERATE TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE. THOUGH
DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE PRIMARY THREAT AS IT MOVES ACROSS SRN MN AND
FAR NRN IA...STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND PERSISTENT PRESSURE FALLS
AHEAD OF IT SHOULD SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL TORNADO THREAT.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25050.
...EVANS
434,0955 442,0920 430,0920 423,0955
WWUS20 KWNS 250358
SEL8
SPC WW 250355
IAZ000-MNZ000-250900-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 588
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1055 PM CDT TUE JUN 24 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN IOWA
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1055 PM
UNTIL 400 AM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST OF SPENCER IOWA TO 20 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF ROCHESTER MINNESOTA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 585...WW 586...WW 587...
DISCUSSION...SSWLY LLJ REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS ERN NEB/WRN IA FOR
MUCH OF THE NIGHT...SUGGESTING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE SPREADING EWD INTO MN AND NRN IA. BOW ECHO IS BECOMING
BETTER DEFINED WITHIN BROADER SQUALL LINE NEAR FSD ATTM. THIS
SYSTEM WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TRACKING ENEWD AT AROUND 50 KT AS AIR
MASS AHEAD OF IT REMAINS MODERATE TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE. THOUGH
DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE PRIMARY THREAT AS IT MOVES ACROSS SRN MN AND
FAR NRN IA...STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND PERSISTENT PRESSURE FALLS
AHEAD OF IT SHOULD SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL TORNADO THREAT.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25050.
...EVANS
434,0955 442,0920 430,0920 423,0955SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 8:35 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Lyon, Sioux | 5 hr |
| Jun 24, 10:27 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux | 93 min |
| Jun 25, 12:37 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Boone, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Crawford and 12 more | 113 min |
| Jun 25, 10:36 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Appanoose, Benton, Cass, Clarke, Davis and 24 more | 114 min |
| Jun 25, 11:38 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Emmet, Greene and 8 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 25, 11:50 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appanoose, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Des Moines and 18 more | 115 min |
| Jun 25, 12:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Appanoose, Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton and 26 more | 6 hr |
| Jun 25, 2:43 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appanoose, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines and 20 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 24, 7:09 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Aitkin, Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Carver and 31 more | 66 min |
| Jun 24, 7:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Big Stone, Clay, Traverse, Wilkin | 6 hr |
| Jun 24, 8:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Anoka, Benton, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago and 35 more | 6 hr |
| Jun 24, 9:52 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Big Stone, Clay, Traverse, Wilkin | 83 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2003Tornado Watches in Minnesota, 2003Every tornado watch 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.