Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 25, 2008Black Hawk County, Bremer County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2008, 5:21 PM CDT for Black Hawk County, Bremer County, Iowa. It was in force for 24 min. 22 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
May 25, 2008, 5:21 PM CDT (22:21 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 2008, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Black Hawk County, IA, Bremer County, IA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 25, 5:23 PM CDTHAIL 1.753 S Denver, IA
May 25, 5:23 PM CDTHAIL 1.755 Wsw Denver, IA
May 25, 5:25 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG6 S Janesville, IANUMEROUS RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AT DEALERSHIP DESTROYED. LIKELY STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE.
May 25, 5:28 PM CDTTORNADO4 Nnw Waterloo Airport, IATELEVISION VIEWER REPORTED LARGE TORNADO AT THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY HIGHWAY C 57 AND HIGHWAY 218.
May 25, 5:28 PM CDTTORNADOCedar Falls, IANEAR CEDAR WAPSIE ROAD AND 1 MILE NORTH OF LONE TREE ROAD.
May 25, 5:29 PM CDTHAIL 14 Ne Waterloo Airport, IA
May 25, 5:29 PM CDTTORNADOCedar Falls, IATORNADO AT U.S. 57 AND U.S. 218 IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF CEDAR FALLS.
May 25, 5:31 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Denver, IA
May 25, 5:33 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 76Waterloo Airport, IA
May 25, 5:33 PM CDTHAIL 2.751 Wnw Waterloo Airport, IA
May 25, 5:33 PM CDTTORNADO1 Wnw Waterloo Airport, IALONE TREE ROAD AND HIGHWAY 218
May 25, 5:35 PM CDTHAIL 0.88Waverly, IA
May 25, 5:37 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 93Waterloo Airport, IATHE SUSTAINED WIND SPEED WAS 65 MPH.
May 25, 5:38 PM CDTTORNADO6 Nnw Waterloo, IAAT WAGNER ROAD AND DUNKERTON ROAD. POWER LINES DOWN ON UNION ROAD.
May 25, 5:39 PM CDTHAIL 43 S Denver, IABASEBALL TO SOFTBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED 7 MILES NORTH OF WATERLOO.
May 25, 5:44 PM CDTTORNADO6 Ene Waterloo Airport, IA
May 25, 5:45 PM CDTTORNADOWaterloo Airport, IABUILDINGS DAMAGED AND POWER LINES DOWN ON WAGNER ROAD...BETWEEN BIG ROCK ROAD AND DUNKERTON ROAD...JUST NORTH OF WATERLOO AIRPORT.
May 25, 5:48 PM CDTTORNADO3 N Dunkerton, IADAMAGE TO A FARMHOUSE AND OUTBUILDINGS. TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED.
May 25, 5:50 PM CDTTORNADO3 Nnw Waterloo Airport, IAHOMES DESTROYED.
May 25, 5:50 PM CDTTORNADODunkerton, IAPUBLIC REPORTED TORNADO DESTROYED THEIR HOME. NO INJURIES. UNCONFIRMED REPORT. FROM KWWL TV.
May 25, 5:53 PM CDTTORNADO3 N Dunkerton, IAWEDGE TORNADO REPORTED ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF DUNKERTON.
May 25, 5:54 PM CDTTORNADO2 Ne Waterloo, IA2 MILES NORTH OF DEWAR.

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
May 25, 3:30 PM CDTTornado Watch PDSSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 190 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 2008-05-25Temperature 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 2008-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 229 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
843 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
297 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDMX 252222
TORDMX
IAC013-017-252245-
/O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0015.080525T2221Z-080525T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
521 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BLACK HAWK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WATERLOO...
  SOUTHERN BREMER COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT.

* AT 517 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CEDAR
  FALLS...OR 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF WATERLOO...MOVING EAST AT 34 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CEDAR FALLS AND JANESVILLE BY 530 PM CDT...
  WATERLOO AIRPORT BY 535 PM CDT...
  WATERLOO AND DENVER BY 540 PM CDT...


THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE ORIGINAL TORNADO WARNING FOR 
BREMER AND BLACKHAWK COUNTIES.  


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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING
FOR IOWA.

LAT...LON 4244 9254 4276 9256 4279 9255 4282 9208
      4236 9208
TIME...MOT...LOC 2221Z 269DEG 29KT 4258 9254

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KDMX 252232
SVSDMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
531 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

IAC013-017-252245-
/O.CON.KDMX.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-080525T2245Z/
BREMER IA-BLACK HAWK IA-
531 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT FOR BLACK
HAWK AND SOUTHERN BREMER COUNTIES...

AT 526 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND STORM
SPOTTERS WERE TRACKING A LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR CEDAR FALLS...OR 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF
WATERLOO...MOVING EAST AT 33 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  EVANSDALE BY 540 PM CDT...
  ELK RUN HEIGHTS...RAYMOND...6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DUNKERTON AND 8
  MILES NORTH OF GILBERTVILLE BY 545 PM CDT...

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY

AT 528 PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED A LARGE TORNADO AT THE INTERSECTION OF 
557 AND HIGHWAY 218 IN BLACKHAWK COUNTY. THE TORNADO IS NOW IN THE 
NORTHEAST SIDE OF CEDAR FALLS AND HEADED TO NORTH SIDE OF WATERLOO.  

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING
FOR IOWA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
SUNDAY EVENING FOR NORTHWESTERN IOWA.

LAT...LON 4244 9254 4276 9256 4279 9255 4282 9208
      4236 9208
TIME...MOT...LOC 2231Z 282DEG 29KT 4255 9241

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 3:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin, Wright52 min
May 25, 4:03 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Franklin42 min
May 25, 4:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXFranklin28 min
May 25, 4:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin43 min
May 25, 4:22 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXButler, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin23 min
May 25, 4:46 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXButler, Grundy44 min
May 25, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBlack Hawk, Bremer56 min
May 25, 5:27 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXButler14 min
May 25, 5:37 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBlack Hawk38 min
May 25, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Decatur, Lucas43 min
May 25, 5:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBremer26 min
May 25, 6:12 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXClarke, Lucas48 min
May 25, 6:54 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXLucas36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.