Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Des Moines, IA

March 30, 2005Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Mar 30, 2005, 1:43 PM CST for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It was in force for 32 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 30, 2005, 1:43 PM CST (19:43 UTC)
Expired
Mar 30, 2005, 2:15 PM CST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cerro Gordo County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 159 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:43 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 30, 8:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 283 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2005-03-30Temperature 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2005-03-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 140 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1316 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
316 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 301944
TORDMX
IAC033-302015-
/O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0004.050330T1943Z-050330T2015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
143 PM CST WED MAR 30 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CERRO GORDO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA.

* UNTIL 215 PM CST.

* AT 138 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A CONFIRMED TORNADO NEAR MASON CITY. THE
  STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE...
  NEAR PLYMOUTH BY 150 PM CST.

AT 140 PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO ONE MILE EAST OF MASON 
CITY...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.

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 4304 9344 4304 9303 4326 9304 4325 9345

$$

JOHNSON
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KDMX 301950
SVSDMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
150 PM CST WED MAR 30 2005

IAC033-302015-
/O.CON.KDMX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-050330T2015Z/
CERRO GORDO IA-
150 PM CST WED MAR 30 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES FOR NORTHERN CERRO GORDO COUNTY UNTIL
215 PM CST...

AT 148 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A CONFIRMED TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS STORM 
WAS LOCATED 3 MILES EAST OF MASON CITY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 
MPH.

THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL BE...
  NEAR ROCK FALLS BY 152 PM CST.
  NEAR PLYMOUTH BY 155 PM CST.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4304 9344 4304 9303 4326 9304 4325 9345

$$

JOHNSON
000 
WWUS53 KDMX 302009
SVSDMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
208 PM CST WED MAR 30 2005

IAC033-302018-
/O.CAN.KDMX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-050330T2015Z/
CERRO GORDO IA-
208 PM CST WED MAR 30 2005

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN CERRO GORDO COUNTY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

AT 206 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE EITHER WEAKENED OR
MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...AND NO LONGER POSE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO
LIFE OR PROPERTY. THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

IF YOU EXPERIENCED ANY SEVERE WEATHER...PLEASE CALL THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN DES MOINES AT 1-800-759-9276 WITH YOUR 
REPORT.

LAT...LON 4304 9344 4304 9303 4326 9304 4325 9345

$$

JOHNSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 3:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth22 min
Mar 30, 4:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet21 min
Mar 30, 9:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold, Taylor45 min
Mar 30, 10:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold45 min
Mar 30, 10:58 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne47 min
Mar 30, 11:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPolk28 min
Mar 30, 11:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCalhoun36 min
Mar 30, 11:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDallas29 min
Mar 30, 12:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXStory24 min
Mar 30, 12:13 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXWebster32 min
Mar 30, 12:43 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXHamilton, Webster32 min
Mar 30, 12:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDallas50 min
Mar 30, 12:55 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXWright35 min
Mar 30, 1:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler39 min
Mar 30, 1:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPoweshiek42 min
Mar 30, 1:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBremer44 min
Mar 30, 1:51 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXWorth39 min
Mar 30, 2:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXJasper24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2005Every tornado warning in 2005Tornadoes in 2005

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.