Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2005

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 103

March 30, 200544 counties in Iowa; 11 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Mar 30, 2005, 8:40 AM CST for 44 counties in Iowa; 11 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 30, 2005, 8:40 AM CST (14:40 UTC)
Expired
Mar 30, 2005, 2:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 55 counties

Adair County, IA, Adams County, IA, Audubon County, IA, Boone County, IA, Butler County, IA, Calhoun County, IA, Carroll County, IA, Cass County, IA, Cerro Gordo County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Dallas County, IA, Decatur County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Franklin County, IA, Fremont County, IA, Greene County, IA, Guthrie County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Hancock County, IA, Hardin County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Madison County, IA, Marshall County, IA, Mills County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Montgomery County, IA, Page County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Polk County, IA, Ringgold County, IA, Sac County, IA, Shelby County, IA, Story County, IA, Taylor County, IA, Union County, IA, Warren County, IA, Webster County, IA, Winnebago County, IA, Worth County, IA, Wright County, IA, Blue Earth County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Martin County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Steele County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:40 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.

Warnings issued inside it

16 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 9:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold, Taylor45 min
Mar 30, 10:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold45 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, 12:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSteele36 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, 1:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXDodge36 min
Mar 30, 1:43 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXCerro Gordo32 min
Mar 30, 1:51 PM CSTTornado WarningDMXWorth39 min
Mar 30, 1:52 PM CSTTornado WarningARXMitchell23 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 188 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 2005-03-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 585 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2005-03-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 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
585 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
916 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 6:03 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Calhoun and 32 more117 min
Mar 30, 10:46 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllamakee, Appanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan and 29 more119 min
Mar 30, 10:50 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll and 29 more85 min
Mar 30, 11:05 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAllamakee, Appanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan and 28 more5 hr
Mar 30, 1:14 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton and 7 more61 min
Mar 30, 1:23 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Cedar and 25 more97 min
Mar 30, 2:00 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton and 7 more30 min
Mar 30, 2:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAllamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler and 20 more6 hr
Mar 30, 3:54 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson, Winneshiek66 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Iowa, 2005Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Minnesota, 2005Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.