Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 83, NWS Omaha, NE

August 3, 2004Montgomery County, Iowa

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Aug 3, 2004, 8:38 PM CDT for Montgomery County, Iowa. It was in force for 52 min. 6 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: Aug 3, 2004, 8:38 PM CDT (01:38 UTC)
Expired: Aug 3, 2004, 9:30 PM CDT
In force: 52 min
Issued by: NWS Omaha, NE
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Montgomery County, IA

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:38 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 3, 8:46 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	7 Se Henderson, IA
Aug 3, 8:46 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	7 Se Henderson, IA
Aug 3, 8:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 W Red Oak, IA	LARGE TREES DOWN
Aug 3, 8:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 W Red Oak, IA	LARGE TREES DOWN
Aug 3, 9:30 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	1 W Red Oak, IA
Aug 3, 9:30 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	1 W Red Oak, IA

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

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 3, 5:00 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 232 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 4543 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1505 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 284 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 14.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KOAX 040138
TOROAX
IAC137-040230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
838 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 834 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE STORM WITH A POSSIBLE
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES
  WEST OF RED OAK...OR ABOUT 38 MILES NORTH OF TARKIO...MOVING EAST
  AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ELLIOTT
  STANTON
  GRANT
  VILLISCA

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT. IF A BASEMENT
IS NOT AVAILABLE...TAKE COVER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. AVOID WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST IOWA AND EASTERN NEBRASKA.

LAT...LON 4116 9538 4092 9539 4091 9495 4116 9494

$$

62

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Aug 3, 3:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 3:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
315 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2004

.DISCUSSION...
THE PRIMARY FORECAST CHALLENGES WILL BE TEMPERATURES...ALONG WITH
TIMING OF FRONTS AND POPS.

THERE IS STILL SOME QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER FOG SHOULD BE MENTIONED
IN FCST TONIGHT.  MODELS INSIST ON LOW LEVEL DRY ADVECTION...BUT DEW
POINTS HAVE REMAINED STUBBORNLY HIGH ALL DAY...AND IT WILL NOT TAKE
MUCH RADIATION TO DROP BELOW CURRENT DEW POINTS.  DECIDED TO MENTION
PATCHY FOG TOWARD MORNING FOR ALL BUT DRIER AREA IN NORTHEAST NEB.

THU WILL BE COOL AND DRY.  FIRST CHC OF PRECIP COMES WITH RETURN
FLOW IN NORTHEAST NEB LATE THU NIGHT.  MID LEVEL MOISTURE IS PROGGED
TO INCREASE ON FRIDAY...AND DID NOT MUCH CHANGE LOW POPS ALREADY IN
THE FORECAST.

A SOMEWHAT BETTER CHANCE FOR PRECIP DURING THE WEEKEND...AS RETURN
FLOW MOISTURE INCREASES AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT.  MODELS HAVE SOME
TIMING DIFFERENCES...SO EXACT TIMING IS UNCERTAIN.  POPS WILL DEPEND
ON HOW WELL FRONT CORRESPONDS WITH DAYTIME HEATING.  TEMPS LIKELY
WARMEST IN PREFRONTAL REGIME FRI NIGHT AND SAT...THEN BEGIN DROPPING
LATER IN THE WEEKEND AS FRONT MOVES THOUGH.

MODELS DO NOT AGREE ON THE TIMING OR INTENSITY OF THE WAVE DROPPING
OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST EARLY NEXT WEEK.
ACCEPT HPC IDEA THAT THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER PUSH OF UNSEASONABLY
COOL AIR AND GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS...ALTHOUGH DETAILS ARE UP FOR
GRABS THIS FAR OUT.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...NONE.
IA...NONE.

&&

POLLACK

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 5:16 PM CDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
516 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2004

IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ015-031>034-042>045-050>053-
065>068-041100-
BURT-BUTLER-CASS-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS-FREMONT IA-HARRISON IA-
LANCASTER-MADISON-MILLS IA-MONONA IA-MONTGOMERY IA-OTOE-PAGE IA-
PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SEWARD-SHELBY IA-STANTON-
THURSTON-WASHINGTON-
516 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND
SOUTHWEST IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY

TORNADO WATCH...# 700...IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10PM CDT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL RAPIDLY DEVELOP ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA
THIS EVENING. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE WITH TORNADOES...
HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING THE MAIN HAZARDS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY...BUT
NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY

CHANCES FOR THU8NDERSTORMS CONTINUE FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SOME OF
THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE
PRIMARY HAZARDS. HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT
EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

NEZ011-012-016>018-030-078-088>093-041100-
ANTELOPE-BOONE-CEDAR-GAGE-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-KNOX-NEMAHA-PAWNEE-
PIERCE-RICHARDSON-SALINE-WAYNE-
516 PM CDT TUE AUG 3 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND
SOUTHWEST IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA
TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS THE PRIMARY HAZARDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY

CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SOME OF
THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE
PRIMARY HAZARDS. HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT
EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

DEE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 7:50 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
750 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0750 PM     HAIL             BELLEVUE                41.16N 95.92W
08/03/2004  1.25 INCH        SARPY              NE   PUBLIC

&&

BG

Local storm report, Aug 3, 7:52 PM CDT, 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
752 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0730 PM     TSTM WND DMG     OMAHA                   41.26N 96.01W
08/03/2004                   DOUGLAS            NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LARGE TREE BLOCKING ROAD ON 180TH ST BETWEEN MAPLE AND
            BLONDO.

&&

BG

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:06 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
806 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0756 PM     HAIL             5 NW SILVER CITY        41.16N 95.71W
08/03/2004  1.00 INCH        MILLS              IA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            OCCURRED IN MINEOLA

&&

MEB

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:09 PM CDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
809 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0745 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GLENWOOD                41.05N 95.74W
08/03/2004                   MILLS              IA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WINDOWS BROKEN AT GLENWOOD POLICE DEPT. POWER LINES DOWN.
            APPROXIMATELY 200 RESIDENTS WITHOUT POWER ACROSS MILLS
            COUNTY.

&&

MEB

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:35 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
835 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0825 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MISSOURI VALLEY         41.56N 95.90W
08/03/2004                   HARRISON           IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN DOWN. WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED 60
            MPH.

&&

MEB

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:38 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
838 PM CDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0530 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S FREMONT             41.43N 96.49W
08/03/2004                   DODGE              NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWN ALONG PLATTE RIVER SOUTH OF
            FREMONT

&&

BG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Omaha, NE issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 3, 7:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Mills	47 min
Aug 3, 8:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Harrison	45 min
Aug 3, 8:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Mills, Montgomery	58 min
Aug 3, 9:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Pottawattamie	43 min
Aug 3, 9:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Fremont, Montgomery, Page	62 min

Nearby

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