Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2012
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2012, 5:40 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 35 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
- May 4, 2012, 5:40 PM CDT (22:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 4, 2012, 6:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Hancock County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Wright County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:42 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 4, 5:50 PM CDT | HAIL 1 | 3 W Corwith, IA | |
| May 4, 6:03 PM CDT | TORNADO | 5 N Goldfield, IA | STRONGLY ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH A CIRCULATION ON THE GROUND. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 9 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 217 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1101 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
408 WFUS53 KDMX 042240 TORDMX IAC081-091-109-197-042315- /O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0009.120504T2240Z-120504T2315Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 540 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTHWESTERN HANCOCK COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... NORTHERN HUMBOLDT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... SOUTHEASTERN KOSSUTH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... NORTHWESTERN WRIGHT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA... * UNTIL 615 PM CDT * AT 539 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 9 MILES NORTH OF HUMBOLDT...OR 15 MILES SOUTH OF ALGONA...AND MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... LIVERMORE...LU VERNE...HARDY...RENWICK...CORWITH AND KANAWHA. 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. HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT TO SEE THE TORNADO OR HEAR IT COMING...IT WILL BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE. && LAT...LON 4304 9369 4279 9379 4275 9444 4298 9427 TIME...MOT...LOC 2240Z 263DEG 41KT 4286 9421 $$
2 follow-up statements
306 WWUS53 KDMX 042250 SVSDMX SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 550 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012 IAC081-091-109-197-042315- /O.CON.KDMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120504T2315Z/ KOSSUTH IA-HUMBOLDT IA-HANCOCK IA-WRIGHT IA- 550 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN WRIGHT... SOUTHWESTERN HANCOCK...NORTHERN HUMBOLDT AND SOUTHEASTERN KOSSUTH COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM CDT... AT 549 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF DAKOTA CITY...OR 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ALGONA...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... RENWICK...CORWITH AND KANAWHA. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IMMEDIATELY SEEK SHELTER IN A BASEMENT... OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A REINFORCED BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE...IN A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...FIND THE LOWEST SPOT AVAILABLE AND COVER YOUR HEAD. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER HIGHWAY OVERPASSES. AS A LAST RESORT... EITHER PARK YOUR VEHICLE AND STAY PUT...OR ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE AND SEEK THE LOWEST SPOT AVAILABLE...AND COVER YOUR HEAD. && LAT...LON 4304 9369 4279 9379 4275 9444 4298 9427 TIME...MOT...LOC 2251Z 263DEG 41KT 4287 9404 $$
013 WWUS53 KDMX 042309 SVSDMX SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 609 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012 IAC081-091-109-197-042320- /O.EXP.KDMX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120504T2315Z/ KOSSUTH IA-HUMBOLDT IA-HANCOCK IA-WRIGHT IA- 609 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN WRIGHT...SOUTHWESTERN HANCOCK...NORTHERN HUMBOLDT AND SOUTHEASTERN KOSSUTH COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM CDT... THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES. LAT...LON 4304 9369 4279 9379 4275 9444 4298 9427 TIME...MOT...LOC 2310Z 265DEG 39KT 4286 9375 $$
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 7:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Humboldt | 28 min |
| May 3, 11:32 PM CDT | Flash Flood Watch | DMX | Adams, Appanoose, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Lucas and 8 more | 9 hr |
| May 4, 2:09 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Adams, Union | 51 min |
| May 4, 2:13 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Ringgold, Taylor | 32 min |
| May 4, 2:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Ringgold, Taylor | 45 min |
| May 4, 2:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Adams | 51 min |
| May 4, 3:27 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Taylor | 48 min |
| May 4, 5:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Lucas, Marion, Monroe | 42 min |
| May 4, 5:44 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Mahaska, Poweshiek | 4 hr |
| May 4, 4:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Emmet, Kossuth | 55 min |
| May 4, 4:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Emmet, Palo Alto | 38 min |
| May 4, 4:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 50 min |
| May 4, 4:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Palo Alto | 29 min |
| May 4, 4:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto | 46 min |
| May 4, 5:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hancock, Winnebago | 49 min |
| May 4, 5:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 17 min |
| May 4, 5:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 15 min |
| May 4, 6:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth | 60 min |
| May 4, 6:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hamilton, Webster, Wright | 23 min |
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.