Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 73, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 11, 2004Emmet County, Palo Alto County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 2004, 3:24 PM CDT for Emmet County, Palo Alto County, Iowa. It was in force for 56 min. 9 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, 3:24 PM CDT (20:24 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2004, 4:20 PM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Emmet County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 166 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:25 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, 3:24 PM CDTTORNADO7 S Graettinger, IA
Jun 11, 3:28 PM CDTTORNADO6 S Graettinger, IAREPORT FROM KICD RADIO.
Jun 11, 3:44 PM CDTHAIL 0.753 Nw Ringsted, IA
Jun 11, 3:46 PM CDTHAIL 13 Nw Ringsted, IANEAR N52/A33 INTERSECTION.
Jun 11, 3:50 PM CDTTORNADO1 W Ringsted, IADISSIPATED.
Jun 11, 3:54 PM CDTTORNADO4 Nw Ringsted, IA
Jun 11, 4:02 PM CDTTORNADO1 S Armstrong, IA
Jun 11, 4:18 PM CDTHAIL 0.753 Nw Ringsted, IA
Jun 11, 4:29 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Armstrong, 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
Jun 11, 1:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 200 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.

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 112024
TORDMX
IAC063-147-112120-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 420 PM CDT

* AT 320 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF
  TORNADOES 3 MILES WEST OF GRAETTINGER...OR ABOUT 18 MILES EAST OF
  SPENCER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE...

  3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WALLINGFORD AROUND 335 PM...
  8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ESTHERVILLE AROUND 340 PM...
  3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRUVER AROUND 350 PM...
  9 MILES NORTHWEST OF RINGSTED AROUND 355 PM...
  3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DOLLIVER AROUND 405 PM AND
  5 MILES NORTHWEST OF ARMSTRONG AROUND 410 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 4308 9491 4309 9446 4349 9447 4350 9491

$$

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, 2:28 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXPalo Alto57 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.