Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2012
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 2012, 9:21 PM CDT for Mahaska County, Iowa. It was in force for 24 min. 2 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
- Apr 14, 2012, 9:21 PM CDT (02:21 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 14, 2012, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 24 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
County Mahaska County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 9:22 PM CDT | TSTM WND GST 97 | Se Oskaloosa Airport, IA | MEASURED BY AWOS SITE AT THE AIRPORT. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| Apr 14, 9:23 PM CDT | TORNADO | 1 N Oskaloosa Airport, IA | THE TORNADO WAS DETERMINED TO BE AN EF1 TORNADO WITH A BROAD AND INTENSE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT SOUTH OF THE TRACK. THANK YOU MAHASKA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THE PICTURES AND COMMENTS |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 5:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 170 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 300 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -50 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 726 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 124 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 126 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
120
WFUS53 KDMX 150221
TORDMX
IAC123-150245-
/O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0005.120415T0221Z-120415T0245Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
921 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHEASTERN MAHASKA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
* UNTIL 945 PM CDT
* AT 918 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OSKALOOSA...AND MOVING EAST
AT 40 MPH.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FREMONT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IMMEDIATELY SEEK SHELTER IN A BASEMENT...
OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A REINFORCED BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.
IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE...IN A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...SEEK
SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...FIND THE
LOWEST SPOT AVAILABLE AND COVER YOUR HEAD.
TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT...ACT QUICKLY. TAKE COVER
NOW!
&&
LAT...LON 4119 9256 4126 9257 4131 9240 4130 9240
4120 9240
TIME...MOT...LOC 0222Z 257DEG 35KT 4124 9248
$$
LEE1 follow-up statement
815
WWUS53 KDMX 150235
SVSDMX
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
935 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012
IAC123-150245-
/O.EXP.KDMX.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120415T0245Z/
MAHASKA IA-
935 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN MAHASKA COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
945 PM CDT...
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.
ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...AND A TORNADO
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
LAT...LON 4119 9256 4126 9257 4131 9240 4130 9240
4120 9240
TIME...MOT...LOC 0235Z 257DEG 35KT 4127 9232
$$
LEEThe office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 7:07 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Adair, Madison | 101 min |
| Apr 14, 7:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Madison, Union | 19 min |
| Apr 14, 7:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clarke, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Union, Warren | 49 min |
| Apr 14, 7:30 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Adair, Dallas, Guthrie, Madison, Polk, Warren | 3 hr |
| Apr 14, 7:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Polk, Warren | 43 min |
| Apr 14, 7:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Polk, Story | 38 min |
| Apr 14, 7:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Clarke, Madison, Warren | 23 min |
| Apr 14, 8:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper, Marshall, Polk, Story | 50 min |
| Apr 14, 8:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Clarke, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Warren | 46 min |
| Apr 14, 8:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Poweshiek, Tama | 57 min |
| Apr 14, 8:43 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Marshall, Tama | 84 min |
| Apr 14, 8:55 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, Ringgold and 2 more | 103 min |
| Apr 14, 8:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Wapello | 49 min |
| Apr 14, 9:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Wapello | 16 min |
| Apr 14, 10:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Watch | DMX | Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Dallas and 7 more | 7 hr |
| Apr 15, 4:15 AM CDT | High Wind Warning | DMX | Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll and 19 more | 16 hr |
| Apr 15, 4:15 AM CDT | Wind Advisory | DMX | Appanoose, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun and 29 more | 33 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.