Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 11, 2004Palo Alto County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 2004, 2:28 PM CDT for Palo Alto County, Iowa. It was in force for 57 min. 8 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
Jun 11, 2004, 2:28 PM CDT (19:28 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2004, 3:25 PM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Palo Alto County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 168 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:31 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
Jun 11, 3:00 PM CDTTORNADO1 W Ruthven, IAESTIMATED TO BE 1/4 MILE WIDE.
Jun 11, 3:04 PM CDTTORNADO5 E Dickens, IA
Jun 11, 3:04 PM CDTTORNADO5 E Dickens, IA
Jun 11, 3:04 PM CDTTORNADO5 E Dickens, IA
Jun 11, 3:05 PM CDTTORNADO1 W Ruthven, IATORNADO BACK ON GROUND.
Jun 11, 3:21 PM CDTTORNADO7 Nw Emmetsburg, IA
Jun 11, 3:24 PM CDTTORNADO7 S Graettinger, IA
Jun 11, 3:28 PM CDTTORNADO6 S Graettinger, IAREPORT FROM KICD RADIO.

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
Jun 11, 1:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 213 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 2004-06-11Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2004-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -29 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
572 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

600 
WFUS53 KDMX 111928
TORDMX
IAC147-112025-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
228 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PALO ALTO COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 325 PM CDT

* AT 225 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF
  TORNADOES 14 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AYRSHIRE...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTH
  OF SPENCER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE...

  7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RUTHVEN AROUND 300 PM...
  NEAR AYRSHIRE AROUND 305 PM...
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF CURLEW AROUND 310 PM...
  9 MILES NORTHWEST OF MALLARD AROUND 315 PM...
  NEAR EMMETSBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AROUND 325 PM AND
  NEAR EMMETSBURG AROUND 330 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 4325 9493 4292 9492 4292 9448 4325 9448

$$

COGIL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 3:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXSac46 min
Jun 11, 3:24 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXEmmet, Palo Alto56 min
Jun 11, 4:01 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXKossuth44 min
Jun 11, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet25 min
Jun 11, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPalo Alto51 min
Jun 11, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPalo Alto45 min
Jun 11, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet, Kossuth58 min
Jun 11, 5:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth53 min
Jun 11, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCalhoun, Pocahontas, Webster45 min
Jun 11, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt51 min
Jun 11, 6:14 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXKossuth3 hr
Jun 11, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth43 min
Jun 11, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHancock56 min
Jun 11, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXTaylor47 min
Jun 11, 6:36 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWebster24 min
Jun 11, 6:56 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWebster34 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.