Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2017

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 248, NWS Omaha, NE

September 16, 2017Pottawattamie County, Iowa

NWS Omaha, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 16, 2017, 8:58 PM CDT for Pottawattamie County, Iowa. It was in force for 32 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
Sep 16, 2017, 8:58 PM CDT (01:58 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 2017, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
50.0 mph

County Pottawattamie County, IA

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:00 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

Topeka, KS (KFOE), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 260 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2017-09-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1943 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2017-09-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 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
1943 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1257 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
228 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
6.2

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 16, 6:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 16, 6:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
600 PM CDT Sat Sep 16 2017

.SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Tuesday)
Issued at 242 PM CDT Sat Sep 16 2017

A potent shortwave trough will eject east-northeast across the
Dakotas and the ND-MN Red River Valley this afternoon into tonight
with the southern fringe of mid-level height falls glancing the
forecast area. At the same time, a cold front will steadily
advance south through the remainder of southeast NE and southwest
IA, ushering a cooler and drier air mass into the region.

Pre-frontal showers and thunderstorms have limited the degree
of destabilization within warm sector so far today. However,
pockets of stronger heating will yield a moderately unstable and
weakly capped environment by mid to late afternoon when surface-
based storms will become increasingly likely. Latest convection-
allowing model guidance suggests that this scenario is most likely
to unfold across far southeast NE into southwest IA after 4 PM
with additional storms forming nearer to the 850-mb front along
and south of I-80 this evening. The most intense storms are
expected to be those forming along the surface front where
instability will be greater. Large hail and damaging wind gusts
will be the primary hazards. A strong storm or two is also
possible later this evening with the elevated activity mentioned
above, and some hail cannot be ruled out.

Precipitation will end from north to south tonight and the
majority of Sunday looks to remain dry as high pressure builds
through the area.

On Sunday night into Monday, low-level warm advection will
strengthen ahead of a low-amplitude shortwave trough tracking from
the Rockies into northern and central Plains. This process in
conjunction with deeper-layer forcing attendant to the approaching
mid-level wave will support a good chance of showers and
thunderstorms across much of the area. Locally heavy rainfall is
possible, especially nearer to the NE-KS border. Both
precipitation and clouds should diminish during the afternoon on
Monday as the mid-level impulse shifts east of the region.

Monday night into Tuesday, another powerful jet streak and
associated shortwave trough will migrate from the Interior West
into the northern High Plains. This will drive the deepening of a
lee cyclone and the eastward advance of a cold front through the
High Plains. This large-scale pattern evolution will support
afternoon temperatures warming well into the 80s and perhaps lower
90s with breezy to windy conditions.

.LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Saturday)
Issued at 242 PM CDT Sat Sep 16 2017

The above-mentioned shortwave trough will traverse the northern
Plains and upper-MS Valley Tuesday night into Wednesday with the
associated surface cold front weakening as it moves into the mid-
MO Valley. Thereafter, medium-range guidance is suggestive that a
longer-wavelength trough will become established over western
North America by late week before edging east toward the Great
Plains next weekend. Ahead of this trough, we will likely see near
to above-normal temperatures with increasing precipitation chances
by the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Sunday evening)
Issued at 559 PM CDT Sat Sep 16 2017

The surface cold front continues south through far southeast NE
and southwest IA as of early evening with a trailing band of MVFR
stratus across much of the area. Radar data indicate a gradual
deepening of convection to the north of the surface boundary from
KTQE to near KLNK. Latest model guidance suggests that some of
this activity will further evolve into thunderstorms over the next
couple of hours. As such, have mentioned VCTS at KOMA and KLNK
through 03z. Otherwise, expect the MVFR ceiling to erode from
northwest to southeast with surface winds diminishing and veering
to northeast.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...None.
IA...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...Mead
LONG TERM...Mead
AVIATION...Mead
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 16, 7:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 16, 8:08 PM CDT, 50 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 16, 8:36 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
836 PM CDT SAT SEP 16 2017

IAZ079-090-NEZ067-068-170200-
Mills IA-Fremont IA-Cass NE-Otoe NE-
836 PM CDT SAT SEP 16 2017

...Significant Weather Advisory for NORTHWESTERN FREMONT...
SOUTHWESTERN MILLS...NORTHEASTERN OTOE AND EASTERN CASS COUNTIES
UNTIL 900 PM CDT...

At 836 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 4
miles east of Murray, or 25 miles south of Omaha, moving northeast at
30 mph.

Hail up to around dime size and winds in excess of 30 mph will be
possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Plattsmouth, Glenwood, Malvern, Pacific Junction, Murray, Union,
Tabor and Hastings.

LAT...LON 4078 9590 4095 9603 4114 9575 4098 9539
TIME...MOT...LOC 0136Z 233DEG 28KT 4091 9585

MILLER
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 8:46 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
846 PM CDT SAT SEP 16 2017

IAZ069-170230-
Pottawattamie IA-
846 PM CDT SAT SEP 16 2017

...Significant Weather Advisory for EASTERN POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
UNTIL 930 PM CDT...

At 846 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Treynor, or 22 miles east of Omaha, moving northeast at 25 mph.

Dime size hail and winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with
this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Oakland, Treynor, Carson, Macedonia, Hancock, Botna Bend Park and Old
Town Park.

This includes Highway 59 in Iowa between mile markers 41 and 61.

LAT...LON 4116 9566 4123 9572 4146 9533 4117 9533
TIME...MOT...LOC 0146Z 234DEG 21KT 4120 9558

MILLER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Omaha, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 16, 8:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXSaunders37 min
Sep 16, 9:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXJohnson32 min
Sep 16, 10:51 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXJefferson39 min
Sep 16, 10:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXJefferson31 min
Sep 16, 8:36 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXMills24 min
Sep 16, 8:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXPottawattamie44 min
Sep 16, 9:16 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXShelby44 min
Sep 16, 10:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOAXPottawattamie45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 2017Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2017

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.