Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 36, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

June 11, 2004Buena Vista County, Clay County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 2004, 2:15 PM CDT for Buena Vista County, Clay County, Iowa. It was in force for 30 min. 17 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, 2:15 PM CDT (19:15 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2004, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Buena Vista County, IA, Clay County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 153 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:16 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, 2:20 PM CDTTORNADO2 N Marathon, IASTORM CHASER. CONE SHAPED WHILE ON THE GROUND WITH DEBRIS CLOUD VERY EVIDENT.
Jun 11, 2:23 PM CDTTORNADO3 Ne Sioux Rapids, IA
Jun 11, 2:23 PM CDTTORNADO3 Ne Sioux Rapids, IA
Jun 11, 2:23 PM CDTTORNADO3 Ne Sioux Rapids, IA
Jun 11, 2:26 PM CDTTORNADO5 Nw Marathon, IACONE SHAPED TORNADO
Jun 11, 2:26 PM CDTTORNADO5 Nw Marathon, IACONE SHAPED TORNADO
Jun 11, 2:26 PM CDTTORNADO5 Nw Marathon, IACONE SHAPED TORNADO
Jun 11, 2:28 PM CDTTORNADO3 W Webb, IA
Jun 11, 2:28 PM CDTTORNADO3 W Webb, IA
Jun 11, 2:28 PM CDTTORNADO3 W Webb, IA
Jun 11, 2:33 PM CDTTORNADO2 Ne Marathon, IATORNADO A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS WIDE
Jun 11, 2:33 PM CDTTORNADO2 Ne Marathon, IATORNADO A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS WIDE
Jun 11, 2:33 PM CDTTORNADO2 Ne Marathon, IATORNADO A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS WIDE
Jun 11, 2:45 PM CDTTORNADOWebb, IA245 PM TO 255 PM. 2 CONFIRMED TORNADES IN WEBB AREA. WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF HOUSE. TREE AND CROP DAMAGE.
Jun 11, 2:46 PM CDTTORNADOE Webb, IATORNADO ON COUNTY ROAD B63 JUST EAST OF WEBB
Jun 11, 2:46 PM CDTTORNADOE Webb, IATORNADO ON COUNTY ROAD B63 JUST EAST OF WEBB
Jun 11, 2:46 PM CDTTORNADOE Webb, IATORNADO ON COUNTY ROAD B63 JUST EAST OF WEBB

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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 209 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2004-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1910 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2004-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 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
1910 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
161 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

783 
WFUS53 KFSD 111915
TORFSD
IAC021-041-111945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
215 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN BUENA VISTA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  SOUTHERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 215 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 3 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF SIOUX RAPIDS...OR ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF SPENCER...
  MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WEBB...MARATHON AROUND 220 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.

LAT...LON 4298 9515 4286 9518 4284 9493 4300 9494

$$

BOUSTEAD

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 2:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDWoodbury37 min
Jun 11, 3:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDIda24 min
Jun 11, 3:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDIda30 min
Jun 11, 1:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCherokee30 min
Jun 11, 1:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista30 min
Jun 11, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay40 min
Jun 11, 2:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, O'Brien26 min
Jun 11, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDClay30 min
Jun 11, 2:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDickinson, Osceola42 min
Jun 11, 2:59 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDClay31 min
Jun 11, 3:30 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDClay30 min
Jun 11, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDickinson28 min
Jun 11, 3:37 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDDickinson23 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.