Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

June 20, 20114 counties in Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Jun 20, 2011, 10:22 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 23 min. 4 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
Jun 20, 2011, 10:22 PM CDT (03:22 UTC)
Expired
Jun 20, 2011, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:25 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
Jun 20, 10:25 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG4 S Hartley, IATWO HOG CONFINEMENTS HAD PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE.
Jun 20, 10:30 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG1 N Hartley, IAPART OF A MACHINE SHED ROOF TORN OFF
Jun 20, 10:35 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG4 S Hartley, IATWO HOG CONFINEMENTS HAD PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE.
Jun 20, 10:45 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG8 E Melvin, IAMACHINE SHED ROOF DAMAGE ON WHITE AVE AS WELL AS TREES DOWN ON HOUSES AND ACROSS ROADS

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
Jun 20, 6:53 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 219 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 2011-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4194 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 2011-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 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
4194 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
898 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
182 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.6
Supercell composite
17.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

605 
WFUS53 KFSD 210322
TORFSD
IAC041-059-141-143-210345-
/O.NEW.KFSD.TO.W.0031.110621T0322Z-110621T0345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1022 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...
  SOUTHWESTERN DICKINSON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...
  NORTHEASTERN O'BRIEN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...
  SOUTHEASTERN OSCEOLA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...

* UNTIL 1045 PM CDT

* AT 1022 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTH OF HARTLEY...OR 15 MILES
  WEST OF SPENCER...AND MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HARTLEY AND EVERLY AROUND 1030 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4332 9557 4329 9518 4301 9535 4302 9549
      4309 9566
TIME...MOT...LOC 0322Z 199DEG 38KT 4311 9543

$$

LIEBL
2 follow-up statements
641 
WWUS53 KFSD 210333
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1033 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011

IAC041-059-141-143-210345-
/O.CON.KFSD.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-110621T0345Z/
OSCEOLA IA-O'BRIEN IA-DICKINSON IA-CLAY IA-
1033 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN CLAY...
SOUTHWESTERN DICKINSON...NORTHEASTERN O'BRIEN AND SOUTHEASTERN
OSCEOLA COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 PM CDT...

AT 1033 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR HARTLEY...OR 15 MILES WEST OF
SPENCER...MOVING NORTH AT 50 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHEASTERN
O'BRIEN...NORTHWESTERN CLAY...SOUTHEASTERN OSCEOLA AND SOUTHWESTERN
DICKINSON COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4332 9557 4329 9518 4313 9529 4321 9561
TIME...MOT...LOC 0333Z 185DEG 43KT 4325 9543

$$

LIEBL
052 
WWUS53 KFSD 210348
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1048 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011

IAC041-059-141-143-210358-
/O.EXP.KFSD.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-110621T0345Z/
OSCEOLA IA-O'BRIEN IA-DICKINSON IA-CLAY IA-
1048 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLAY...SOUTHWESTERN
DICKINSON...NORTHEASTERN O'BRIEN AND SOUTHEASTERN OSCEOLA COUNTIES
HAS EXPIRED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.

ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...AND A TORNADO 
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT. 

LAT...LON 4332 9557 4329 9518 4313 9529 4321 9561
TIME...MOT...LOC 0333Z 185DEG 43KT 4325 9543

$$

LIEBL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 9:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCherokee, Ida, Plymouth, Woodbury33 min
Jun 20, 9:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDPlymouth, Sioux, Woodbury2 hr
Jun 20, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Ida, O'Brien, Plymouth and 1 more41 min
Jun 20, 9:37 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDPlymouth23 min
Jun 20, 9:39 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDLyon, Sioux3 hr
Jun 20, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux46 min
Jun 20, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista40 min
Jun 20, 10:38 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDDickinson, Osceola37 min
Jun 20, 10:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Dickinson, Lyon, Osceola29 min
Jun 21, 12:55 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay, Dickinson9 days
Jun 21, 12:55 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDCherokee11 days
Jun 21, 12:55 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon5 days
Jun 21, 12:55 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay6 days
Jun 21, 6:34 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon14 hr
Jun 21, 6:34 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDO'Brien30 hr
Jun 21, 6:34 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDSioux30 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.