Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 22, NWS La Crosse, WI

August 19, 2009Fayette County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this tornado warning at Aug 19, 2009, 3:33 PM CDT for Fayette County, Iowa. It was in force for 42 min. 3 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 19, 2009, 3:33 PM CDT (20:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 19, 2009, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Fayette County, IA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:35 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 19, 3:52 PM CDTTORNADO 02 Sw West Union, IAEF0 TORNADO CAUSED SOME TREE DAMAGE ON N AVENUE. THERE WAS A SEMI-CONTINUOUS PATH OF DAMAGE IN A CORN FIELD OFF OF N AVENUE.
Aug 19, 3:52 PM CDTTORNADO2 Nw West Union, IA
Aug 19, 3:53 PM CDTTORNADO2 Ne Hawkeye, IAHAWKEYE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED TORNADO ON GROUND NORTHEAST OF HAWKEYE

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

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 189 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 2009-08-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 74 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2009-08-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 126 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
74 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
943 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
141 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 KARX 192033
TORARX
IAC065-192115-
/O.NEW.KARX.TO.W.0022.090819T2033Z-090819T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
333 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA...

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT

* AT 327 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A TORNADO NEAR HAWKEYE...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WEST              
  UNION...MOVING   NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. ANOTHER STORM WAS LOCATED    
  NEAR WAUCOMA WHICH ALSO HAS A TORNADO THREAT. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WEST UNION AND WAUCOMA AROUND 345 PM...
  DOUGLAS AROUND 350 PM...
  ELDORADO AND ST. LUCAS AROUND 355 PM...
  COUNTY ROADS W 42 AND B 40 AROUND 400 PM...

A BARN WAS DAMAGED FROM THESE STORMS NEAR FREDERICKSBURG AROUND 320 
PM. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

&&

LAT...LON 4287 9209 4309 9208 4308 9161 4307 9161
      4283 9192
TIME...MOT...LOC 2031Z 217DEG 21KT 4291 9194

$$

BAUMGARDT
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KARX 192047
SVSARX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
347 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

IAC065-192115-
/O.CON.KARX.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-090819T2115Z/
FAYETTE IA-
347 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
FAYETTE COUNTY...

AT 345 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HAWKEYE...OR NEAR 
WEST UNION...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. NO TORNADO REPORTS HAVE 
BEEN RECEIVED WITH THIS STORM BUT THE THREAT EXISTS FOR A BRIEF 
TORNADO TOUCHDOWN. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WEST UNION AROUND 355 PM...
  DOUGLAS AROUND 400 PM...
  ELDORADO AND COUNTY ROADS W 42 AND B 40 AROUND 410 PM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A STURDY BUILDING. AS A
LAST RESORT...LAY FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

&&

LAT...LON 4294 9200 4309 9192 4309 9166 4308 9161
      4289 9185
TIME...MOT...LOC 2046Z 215DEG 16KT 4295 9192

$$

BAUMGARDT
000 
WWUS53 KARX 192057
SVSARX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
357 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

IAC065-192115-
/O.CON.KARX.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-090819T2115Z/
FAYETTE IA-
357 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
FAYETTE COUNTY...

AT 352 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND 
ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF WEST UNION AND NORTHEAST OF HAWKEYE. 
SPOTTERS REPORT DEBRIS IN THE AIR AND THE TORNADO REMAINING ON THE 
GROUND MOVING NORTHEAST. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ELDORADO AROUND 400 PM...
  COUNTY ROADS W 42 AND B 40 AROUND 405 PM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A STURDY BUILDING. AS A
LAST RESORT...LAY FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

&&

LAT...LON 4294 9200 4309 9192 4309 9166 4308 9161
      4289 9185
TIME...MOT...LOC 2055Z 223DEG 19KT 4299 9184

$$

BAUMGARDT

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 19, 3:43 PM CDTTornado WarningARXWinneshiek62 min
Aug 19, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WarningARXFayette30 min
Aug 19, 4:26 PM CDTTornado WarningARXAllamakee49 min
Aug 19, 4:38 PM CDTTornado WarningARXClayton, Fayette52 min
Aug 19, 5:20 PM CDTTornado WarningARXAllamakee31 min
Aug 19, 5:59 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryARXAllamakee47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.