Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 24, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 1, 2012Lyon County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 2012, 8:09 PM CDT for Lyon County, Iowa. It was in force for 36 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 2012, 8:09 PM CDT (01:09 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2012, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.75 in
Wind
58.0 mph

County Lyon County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:12 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 1, 2:59 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 228 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 2012-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1502 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 2012-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 75 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1502 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1477 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
75 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
5.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

204 
WUUS53 KFSD 020109
SVRFSD
IAC119-020145-
/O.NEW.KFSD.SV.W.0024.120502T0109Z-120502T0145Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
809 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN LYON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA...

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT

* AT 810 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE
  HAIL.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR DOON...OR 7 MILES SOUTH OF ROCK
  RAPIDS...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ROCK RAPIDS AROUND 815 PM CDT...
  GEORGE AROUND 825 PM CDT...
  LITTLE ROCK AROUND 845 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

&&

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4326 9620 4350 9622 4350 9587 4326 9587
TIME...MOT...LOC 0110Z 237DEG 25KT 4334 9617
WIND...HAIL <58MPH 1.75IN

$$

CJ
2 follow-up statements
836 
WWUS53 KFSD 020129
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
829 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

IAC119-020145-
/O.CON.KFSD.SV.W.0024.000000T0000Z-120502T0145Z/
LYON IA-
829 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN LYON
COUNTY UNTIL 845 PM CDT...

AT 829 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 
THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GEORGE...OR 6 MILES EAST OF ROCK
RAPIDS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LITTLE ROCK AROUND 845 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. TORNADOES CAN
DEVELOP QUICKLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. ALTHOUGH NOT IMMEDIATELY
LIKELY...IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF
SAFETY INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL
INTERIOR ROOM.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

&&

LAT...LON 4326 9617 4350 9618 4350 9587 4326 9587
TIME...MOT...LOC 0129Z 237DEG 25KT 4341 9602
WIND...HAIL <58MPH 1.25IN

$$

CJ
518 
WWUS53 KFSD 020144
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
844 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

IAC119-020154-
/O.EXP.KFSD.SV.W.0024.000000T0000Z-120502T0145Z/
LYON IA-
844 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EASTERN LYON COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 845 PM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR
PROPERTY...HOWEVER SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH
THIS THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 4326 9617 4350 9618 4350 9587 4326 9587
TIME...MOT...LOC 0144Z 237DEG 25KT 4347 9590

$$

CJ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Sioux33 min
May 1, 7:27 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDLyon, Sioux33 min
May 1, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Sioux34 min
May 1, 7:57 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDLyon33 min
May 1, 8:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDLyon3 hr
May 1, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, O'Brien, Plymouth, Sioux30 min
May 1, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDickinson, Osceola38 min
May 1, 9:29 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDClay, O'Brien46 min
May 1, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, O'Brien, Osceola34 min
May 1, 9:44 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDClay31 min
May 1, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Clay, Dickinson17 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2012Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.