Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1217

July 9, 202121 counties in Iowa

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 9, 2021, 5:40 PM CDT for 21 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 95 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 9, 2021, 5:40 PM CDT (22:40 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 2021, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
95 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 21 counties

Benton County, IA, Black Hawk County, IA, Bremer County, IA, Buchanan County, IA, Butler County, IA, Cedar County, IA, Delaware County, IA, Fayette County, IA, Grundy County, IA, Henry County, IA, Iowa County, IA, Jefferson County, IA, Johnson County, IA, Jones County, IA, Keokuk County, IA, Linn County, IA, Louisa County, IA, Muscatine County, IA, Poweshiek County, IA, Tama County, IA, Washington County, IA

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:43 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 125 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2021-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2021-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1131 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

525 
ACUS11 KWNS 092241
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 092240 
ILZ000-IAZ000-100015-

Mesoscale Discussion 1217
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0540 PM CDT Fri Jul 09 2021

Areas affected...portions of eastern Iowa

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 092240Z - 100015Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Some severe hail may accompany the stronger, elevated
updrafts over the next few hours. How widespread the severe hail
threat will be is uncertain given lack of stronger, deep-layer lift.
Conditions will continue to be monitored for the need of a WW
issuance should more robust updrafts become relatively widespread.

DISCUSSION...Multicellular thunderstorms, rooted at/above 850 mb
(per latest RAP forecast soundings) have been intensifying along an
elevated moist-frontal boundary in the 850-700 mb layer given the
passage of a small, embedded impulse at 700 mb. Latest mesoanalysis
suggests that 1000-2000 J/kg MUCAPE parcels are advecting into this
region, supporting updraft intensification and subsequent severe
hail potential. While 40+ kts of effective bulk shear suggest that
some storm organization is possible over the next few hours, the
storms will likely quickly propagate into a relatively more stable
elevated airmass, suggesting that the severe hail threat may also be
short-lived. Given the potentially limited spatial/temporal coverage
of the severe hail threat, the need for a WW issuance is uncertain.
Nonetheless, conditions will continue to be monitored should more
widespread, robust updraft development becomes more prevalent.

..Squitieri/Thompson.. 07/09/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...DVN...ARX...DMX...

LAT...LON   41049208 41719261 42259315 42679333 42929299 43049229
            42979184 42669144 42159100 41679087 41259089 40979108
            40759161 41049208

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 8, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Ida, Lyon, O'Brien and 3 more5 hr
Jul 9, 2:41 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Ida, Lyon and 6 more34 min
Jul 9, 1:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Dallas, Lucas, Polk, Warren2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.