Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 21, 2004Wright County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2004, 7:16 PM CDT for Wright County, Iowa. It was in force for 29 min. 3 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, 7:16 PM CDT (00:16 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2004, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Wright County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:18 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, 7:30 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 604 W Clarion, IADELAYED REPORT.
May 21, 7:30 PM CDTTORNADO6 Nw Clarion, IARELAYED FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT. DELAYED REPORT.
May 21, 7:35 PM CDTHAIL 0.88Nnw Clarion, IADELAYED REPORT.

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, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 227 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 00:00Z on 2004-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2004-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 215 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
215 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
257 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

378 
WFUS53 KDMX 220016
TORDMX
IAC197-220045-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN WRIGHT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 713 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF
  TORNADOES 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLARION MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...OR ABOUT
  26 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT DODGE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE...

  5 MILES NORTH OF CLARION MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AROUND 720 PM...
  NEAR BELMOND AROUND 730 PM AND
  7 MILES NORTH OF ROWAN AROUND 735 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.

LAT...LON 4288 9396 4270 9391 4271 9350 4291 9351

$$

SMALL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBremer44 min
May 21, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin54 min
May 21, 7:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXBremer, Butler17 hr
May 21, 7:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWright14 min
May 21, 8:12 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBremer48 min
May 21, 8:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPalo Alto31 min
May 21, 10:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXKossuth, Winnebago, Worth18 hr
May 21, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPalo Alto, Pocahontas51 min
May 21, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt, Kossuth50 min
May 21, 11:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXSac44 min
May 21, 11:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Hancock51 min
May 22, 12:07 AM CDTTornado WarningDMXHamilton38 min
May 22, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBoone51 min
May 22, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdair25 min
May 22, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCarroll50 min
May 22, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBoone34 min
May 22, 6:51 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXCarroll39 min
May 22, 6:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXStory50 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.