Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 47, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 3, 2012Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 2012, 4:52 PM CDT for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It was in force for 53 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: May 3, 2012, 4:52 PM CDT (21:52 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2012, 5:45 PM CDT
In force: 53 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 50.0 mph

County Cerro Gordo County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 170 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:55 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 3, 4:56 PM CDT	HAIL 0.88	4 N Mason City Airport, IA
May 3, 5:01 PM CDT	HAIL 1	3 Nne Mason City Airpor, IA
May 3, 5:12 PM CDT	HAIL 1	4 N Mason City, IA	QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 330TH AND OLIVE STREET.
May 3, 5:15 PM CDT	HAIL 1	4 Nne Mason City, IA

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

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 187 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1755 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 521 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

167 
WUUS53 KDMX 032152
SVRDMX
IAC033-032245-
/O.NEW.KDMX.SV.W.0047.120503T2152Z-120503T2245Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
452 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CERRO GORDO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT

* AT 452 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL.  THIS
  STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTH OF CLEAR LAKE...OR 9 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF MASON CITY...AND MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PLYMOUTH AND ROCK FALLS.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 198 AND 202.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

LARGE HAIL CAN CAUSE INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. SEEK SAFETY INDOORS
UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

&&

LAT...LON 4314 9302 4314 9303 4319 9341 4326 9340
      4326 9311 4325 9302
TIME...MOT...LOC 2153Z 278DEG 23KT 4322 9334
WIND...HAIL <50MPH 1.00IN

$$

COGIL

2 follow-up statements

886 
WWUS53 KDMX 032214
SVSDMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
514 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

IAC033-032245-
/O.CON.KDMX.SV.W.0047.000000T0000Z-120503T2245Z/
CERRO GORDO IA-
514 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN
CERRO GORDO COUNTY UNTIL 545 PM CDT...

AT 512 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL.  THIS 
STORM WAS JUST NORTH OF MASON CITY...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PLYMOUTH AND ROCK FALLS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PREPARE FOR LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE
OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A REINFORCED BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4317 9322 4326 9320 4325 9311 4325 9302
      4314 9302 4314 9303
TIME...MOT...LOC 2214Z 277DEG 24KT 4321 9315
WIND...HAIL <50MPH 1.00IN

$$

COGIL

582 
WWUS53 KDMX 032237
SVSDMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
537 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

IAC033-032247-
/O.EXP.KDMX.SV.W.0047.000000T0000Z-120503T2245Z/
CERRO GORDO IA-
537 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN CERRO GORDO
COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 545 PM CDT...

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

LAT...LON 4317 9322 4326 9320 4325 9311 4325 9302
      4314 9302 4314 9303
TIME...MOT...LOC 2237Z 277DEG 24KT 4319 9294

$$

COGIL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 5:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Butler, Cerro Gordo, Franklin	47 min
May 3, 2:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Kossuth	21 min
May 3, 2:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Kossuth	42 min
May 3, 3:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Hancock, Kossuth, Winnebago	44 min
May 3, 3:48 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Kossuth	4 hr
May 3, 4:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Emmet, Kossuth	42 min
May 3, 4:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth	42 min
May 3, 5:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Kossuth	39 min
May 3, 6:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Humboldt	47 min
May 3, 6:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Humboldt	48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.