Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2013

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 140, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 18, 2013Davis County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 18, 2013, 4:03 PM CDT for Davis County, Iowa. It was in force for 42 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 18, 2013, 4:03 PM CDT (21:03 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 2013, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
50.0 mph

County Davis County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 155 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:06 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 nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 329 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2013-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 976 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2013-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 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
976 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
873 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 18, 12:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 12:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1250 PM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

.UPDATE...
ISSUED AT 945 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

HAVE SENT OUT AN UPDATE TO REFINE POPS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST AND
SOUTHWEST. HAVE INCREASED POPS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST TO A SLIVER OF
LIKELIES GIVEN THE COVERAGE OF LINGERING ACTIVITY...AND REDUCED
POPS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST TO SLIGHT CHANCE GIVEN THE SMALL AREAL
COVERAGE AND LIKELIHOOD THAT THE MAJORITY OF ACTIVITY WILL SKIRT
BY THE CWA JUST TO THE EAST. SOUNDINGS STILL INDICATE SOME
INSTABILITY BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS IN THE WATERLOO/MASON CITY
AREA. THEREFORE HAVE LEFT A SMALL AREA OF SLIGHT CHANCE
POPS...HOWEVER MAIN FORCING WILL SLIDE OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST WITH
THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE SO DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD CHANCES.

ALSO LOWERED MAX TEMPS A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST IN
VICINITY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS/CLOUD COVER...OTHERWISE REMAINDER OF
FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK.

&&

.SHORT TERM.../TODAY/...
ISSUED AT 328 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

COMBINATION OF INVERTED TROUGH EXTENDING FROM CENTRAL IL INTO SWRN
MN INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY...COMBINED WITH RATHER STRONG S/WV
ROTATING SOUTHEAST INTO SRN MN AND SPEED MAX MOVING INTO NWRN IA HAS
RESULTED IN VIGOROUS CONVECTION IN SOUTHWEST MN...ALBEIT ONE MAIN
CELL.  THOUGH PARAMETERS ARE WEAK...BEING ISOLATED IT HAS BEEN ABLE
TO MAINTAIN ITSELF.  EXPECT TO SEE SCATTERED CONVECTION DEVELOP IN
THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT AS S/WV ROTATES THROUGH TODAY.  THE BEST
CHANCE IS IN THE MORNING BEFORE THE S/WV PASSES THE AREA.  FEEL THE
NAMDNG5/ECMWF AND TO A DECENT AMOUNT THE GFS HAS A PRETTY GOOD
HANDLE ON THE PRECIP AREA. INITIALLY DISCOUNTED THE NAM12/HRRR
AND SOME OF THE OTHER HIRES MODELS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OVER WRN
IA...HOWEVER SOME DEVELOPMENT HAS OCCURRED IN RESPONSE TO THE
PASSAGE OF THE SPEED MAX PUTTING SWRN IA IN THE RIGHT INFLOW REGION.
TEMPS TODAY WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY WITH INCREASE
CLOUDS AND AND SOME CAA AT H8. GENERALLY MID 70S TO AROUND 80...A
FEW DEGREES WARMER IN HEAT ISLAND AREAS.

.LONG TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
ISSUED AT 328 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

WEAK RIDGE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL PLAINS FOR THE
BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD. SHORTWAVE TO PUSH EAST ACROSS RIDGE WILL
BRING PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER TIMING IS STILL
A BIT UNCERTAIN...WITH MODELS IN POOR AGREEMENT ON TIMING OF WAVE.
HAVE KEPT TIMING NEAR GOING. MODELS DO INDICATE A SLIGHTLY FURTHER
SOUTH SOLUTION...WITH BEST PRECIPITATION CHANCES ACROSS SOUTHERN
IOWA/NORTHERN MISSOURI...AND HAVE BEGUN TO TREND POPS THAT WAY FOR
LATE WEDNESDAY AND EARLY THURSDAY. DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS FOR
SEVERE WEATHER LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH CAPE VALUES
1000-2000 J/KG INDICATED...AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CAP. WEAK CAP
MAY BE ENOUGH TO HOLD OFF CONVECTION WITH LITTLE FORCING. HAIL/WIND
WOULD BE THE MAIN THREATS FROM ANY SEVERE STORMS. TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM STEADILY THROUGH THE PERIOD UNDER THE RIDGE...WITH
PRIMARILY SOUTHERLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE.

UPPER LEVEL LOW PUSHING EAST ACROSS CANADA WILL DROP A FRONTAL
BOUNDARY ACROSS NORTHERN PLAINS FOR THURSDAY/FRIDAY. MODELS HAVE
SPED UP TIMING A BIT ON THIS SYSTEM...AND HAVE THERE FORE CUT BACK
ON POPS ACROSS THE SOUTH FOR LATE FRIDAY. LARGE UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM EXPECTED TO PUSH ONSHORE IN PAC NW FOR END OF WEEK
WILL INFLUENCE WEATHER ACROSS IOWA FOR MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF
THE PERIOD. AS THIS IS STILL OFF THE SHORE AND POORLY SAMPLED...DO
NOT HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TIMING...THOUGH MODELS ARE IN DECENT
AGREEMENT. AS LOW DIGS ACROSS THE ROCKIES...RIDGE LIFTS ACROSS
IOWA...WITH SHORTWAVES LIFTING THROUGH RIDGE.
HOWEVER...TIMING/LOCATION AGAIN PROBLEMATIC. LATEST MODEL RUNS
KEEP TRACKS WEST AND NORTH OF IOWA...AND HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS THIS
SOLUTION FOR THE WEEKEND KEEPING POPS OUT OF THE SOUTH.

&&

.AVIATION...18/18Z
ISSUED AT 1245 PM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH
POSSIBILITY FOR VSBYS TO DROP TO MVFR IN SOME LIGHT FOG LATE
TONIGHT. SOME INSTABILITY AROUND THIS AFTERNOON SUGGESTING
POTENTIAL FOR AN ISOLATED TSRA NEAR KMCW...KALO...AND KOTM.
HOWEVER UNCERTAINTY IS HIGH AS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS EXITING
THE AREA...THIS LEFT OUT ANY MENTION OF THUNDER IN THE TAFS AT
THIS TIME. WINDS TO SHIFT AROUND TO THE EAST/SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE
PERIOD...WITH MOISTURE INCREASING ALOFT LATE TONIGHT. THEREFORE
EXPECT SOME LOW/MID VFR CIGS BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE
WESTERN TAF SITES.

&&

.DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

UPDATE...BEERENDS
SHORT TERM...MS JUN 13
LONG TERM...AWB
AVIATION...BEERENDS
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 18, 5:03 AM CDT, 11 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
503 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-191100-
EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-
POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN-
WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-
BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-
POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION-
CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE-APPANOOSE-
DAVIS-
503 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED NON SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA IN
THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY
THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WEST OF
INTERSTATE 35 ON WEDNESDAY...AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 ON
THURSDAY...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN THREATS.
IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AT TIMES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

AWB

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2013Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2013

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.