Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 21, 2004Black Hawk County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2004, 3:35 PM CDT for Black Hawk County, Iowa. It was in force for 40 min. 5 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
May 21, 2004, 3:35 PM CDT (20:35 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2004, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Black Hawk County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:37 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 21, 3:35 PM CDTTSTM WND DMGEvansdale, IATREES DOWN ON LAFAYETTE ST.
May 21, 3:41 PM CDTHAIL 0.88Waterloo, IA
May 21, 3:45 PM CDTHAIL 0.881 Se Raymond, IA
May 21, 3:45 PM CDTHAIL 0.884 Se Waterloo, IAESTIMATED 4 MI SE OF WATERLOO, MM65, I380
May 21, 4:04 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Waterloo, IA

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 21, 10:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
May 21, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 280 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2004-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2004-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 216 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
732 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
216 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
321 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 212035
TORDMX
IAC013-212115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
335 PM CDT FRI MAY 21 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BLACK HAWK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WATERLOO

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT

* AT 333 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO 4 MILES WEST OF HUDSON...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  WATERLOO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE...

  NEAR HUDSON AROUND 340 PM...
  9 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AROUND 345 PM...
  4 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO AROUND 350 PM...
  NEAR EVANSDALE AROUND 355 PM...
  NEAR GILBERTVILLE AROUND 400 PM AND
  9 MILES SOUTH OF DUNKERTON AROUND 410 PM.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF TORNADOES.  IN ADDITION...ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM
THAT HAS PRODUCED TORNADOES IS OVER SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF WATERLOO...
MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

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.

LAT...LON 4262 9253 4231 9254 4232 9210 4262 9212

$$

DONAVON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 2:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCrawford42 min
May 21, 2:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXSac53 min
May 21, 4:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin28 min
May 21, 5:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBremer37 min
May 21, 10:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPalo Alto61 min
May 21, 11:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHancock67 min
May 21, 11:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Worth50 min
May 21, 12:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler40 min
May 21, 12:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Worth16 min
May 21, 12:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHamilton40 min
May 21, 1:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWebster58 min
May 21, 1:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCalhoun35 min
May 21, 1:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHardin48 min
May 21, 1:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXGrundy35 min
May 21, 2:02 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXGrundy43 min
May 21, 2:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin, Wright25 min
May 21, 2:06 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXHamilton39 min
May 21, 2:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHardin55 min
May 21, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin, Wright47 min
May 21, 2:39 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXHardin51 min
May 21, 2:43 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBlack Hawk57 min
May 21, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXGrundy45 min
May 21, 3:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler39 min
May 21, 3:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXTama23 min
May 21, 3:27 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXGrundy48 min
May 21, 3:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXBlack Hawk, Palo Alto, Pocahontas119 days
May 21, 3:44 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMarshall, Tama31 min
May 21, 4:16 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXTama29 min
May 21, 5:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWright44 min
May 21, 5:27 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXPalo Alto, Pocahontas, Taylor120 days
May 21, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Hancock48 min
May 21, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPalo Alto45 min
May 21, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin43 min
May 21, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXGrundy, Hardin53 min
May 21, 5:54 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPalo Alto, Pocahontas51 min
May 21, 6:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXAdams, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth and 1 more120 days
May 21, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo45 min
May 21, 6:15 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXHumboldt, Kossuth45 min
May 21, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler53 min
May 21, 6:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPocahontas24 min
May 21, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXHumboldt34 min
May 21, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBremer36 min
May 21, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWright51 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.