Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2008

Mesoscale Discussion 721

April 25, 200820 counties in Iowa; 9 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 25, 2008, 2:24 AM CDT for 20 counties in Iowa; 9 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 66 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 25, 2008, 2:24 AM CDT (07:24 UTC)
Expired
Apr 25, 2008, 3:30 AM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 29 counties

Adair County, IA, Adams County, IA, Cass County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Dallas County, IA, Decatur County, IA, Guthrie County, IA, Jasper County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Madison County, IA, Marion County, IA, Monroe County, IA, Montgomery County, IA, Page County, IA, Polk County, IA, Ringgold County, IA, Taylor County, IA, Union County, IA, Warren County, IA, Wayne County, IA, Andrew County, MO, Daviess County, MO, DeKalb County, MO, Gentry County, MO, Grundy County, MO, Harrison County, MO, Mercer County, MO, Nodaway County, MO, Worth County, MO

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:27 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 7.4 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 00:00Z on 2008-04-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1577 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 00:00Z on 2008-04-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 81 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
1577 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
484 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
ACUS11 KWNS 250725
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 250724 
IAZ000-MOZ000-250830-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0721
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0224 AM CDT FRI APR 25 2008

AREAS AFFECTED...SWRN IA AND NWRN MO

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 228...

VALID 250724Z - 250830Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 228
CONTINUES.

REGIONAL RADARS INDICATED A BOWING STRUCTURE ACROSS FAR SWRN IA/
NWRN MO...EXTENDING FROM SRN MILLS COUNTY IA TO NODAWAY COUNTY MO. 
ADDITIONAL TSTMS HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED JUST DOWNSTREAM OF THE BOW IN
TAYLOR/UNION COUNTIES IA...AND ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL IA...MAINLY N
OF A WARM FRONT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDED FROM SW-EAST CENTRAL
IA.

STRONG 70-80 KT SSWLY LLJ EXTENDING INTO NERN KS/NWRN MO TO SWRN IA
WILL MAINTAIN MOISTURE/WARM AIR ADVECTION DOWNSTREAM OF THE BOWING
STRUCTURE.  GIVEN 60-70 KT WIND SPEEDS LOCATED JUST OFF THE SURFACE
PER WIND PROFILER AT LTH AND KANSAS CITY WSR-88D...DAMAGING WINDS
WILL BE LIKELY WITH ANY DOWNDRAFTS THAT PENETRATE TO THE SURFACE. 
ALTHOUGH THIS WIND DATA INDICATED A WEAKNESS IN SPEEDS IN THE 2-3 KM
LAYER...WINDS IN THE 2-6 KM LAYER ARE EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN THROUGH
12Z AS CENTRAL ROCKIES UPPER TROUGH ADVANCES EWD INTO THE CENTRAL
PLAINS.  THIS WOULD SUGGEST A POTENTIAL FOR SURFACE BASED OR
NEAR-SURFACE BASED STORMS TO PRODUCE A THREAT FOR TORNADOES AS LOW
LEVEL DIRECTIONAL SHEAR INCREASES.  THESE TRENDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE
MONITORED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL WATCHES THAT WOULD BE NEEDED.

..PETERS.. 04/25/2008

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...DMX...EAX...OAX...

39729457 40319531 41129562 41639483 41869447 41899265
41079281 39919326

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 25, 12:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Adams, Cass, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur and 15 more7 hr
Apr 25, 12:55 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPage35 min
Apr 25, 1:13 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCFremont, Montgomery, Page5 hr
Apr 25, 3:18 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFremont, Montgomery, Page57 min
Apr 25, 4:22 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppanoose, Benton, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Davis and 31 more23 min
Apr 25, 4:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAppanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton and 23 more5 hr
Apr 25, 9:10 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClinton, Jackson, Scott65 min
Apr 25, 12:21 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCedar, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Des Moines, Henry and 14 more54 min
Apr 25, 1:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Henry, Iowa and 12 more7 hr
Apr 25, 3:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClinton, Louisa, Scott62 min
Apr 25, 3:41 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones and 4 more4 hr
Apr 25, 5:18 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClinton, Louisa, Scott57 min
Apr 25, 6:01 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClinton, Louisa, Scott59 min
Apr 25, 6:38 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Benton, Cass, Cedar, Clay and 16 more67 min
Apr 25, 2:15 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Camden, Christian, Dallas, Dent, Douglas and 13 more90 min
Apr 25, 6:40 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCButler, Carter, Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon and 1 more65 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2008Mesoscale Discussions in Missouri, 2008Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.