Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2023

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 13, 2023Pocahontas County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at May 13, 2023, 5:22 PM CDT for Pocahontas County, Iowa. It was in force for 23 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 13, 2023, 5:22 PM CDT (22:22 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 2023, 5:45 PM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Pocahontas County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:20 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 13, 12:54 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 197 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 984 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

429 
WFUS53 KDMX 132222
TORDMX
IAC151-132245-
/O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0021.230513T2222Z-230513T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
522 PM CDT Sat May 13 2023

The National Weather Service in Des Moines  has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Pocahontas County in northwestern Iowa...

* Until 545 PM CDT.
    
* At 522 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a 
  tornado was located 3 miles east of Fonda, or 11 miles southwest 
  of Pocahontas, moving north at 10 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  southwestern Pocahontas County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4257 9472 4257 9480 4269 9483 4269 9466
TIME...MOT...LOC 2222Z 178DEG 8KT 4259 9476 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

Martin

2 follow-up statements

338 
WWUS53 KDMX 132233
SVSDMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
533 PM CDT Sat May 13 2023

IAC151-132245-
/O.CON.KDMX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-230513T2245Z/
Pocahontas IA-
533 PM CDT Sat May 13 2023

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN POCAHONTAS COUNTY...
    
At 532 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located 3 miles northeast of Fonda, or 9 miles southwest of 
Pocahontas, moving north at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
southwestern Pocahontas County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4257 9472 4257 9480 4269 9483 4269 9466
TIME...MOT...LOC 2232Z 178DEG 8KT 4261 9476 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

$$

Martin

405 
WWUS53 KDMX 132241
SVSDMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
541 PM CDT Sat May 13 2023

IAC151-132250-
/O.EXP.KDMX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-230513T2245Z/
Pocahontas IA-
541 PM CDT Sat May 13 2023

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN POCAHONTAS COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 545 PM CDT...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 700 PM CDT for northwestern
Iowa.

LAT...LON 4257 9472 4257 9480 4269 9483 4269 9466
TIME...MOT...LOC 2240Z 178DEG 8KT 4263 9476 

$$

Martin

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 13, 12:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Dallas, Madison, Polk, Warren	43 min
May 13, 12:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Marion, Polk, Warren	48 min
May 13, 1:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Marion, Warren	43 min
May 13, 1:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Marion	48 min
May 13, 2:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Marion	50 min
May 13, 3:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Mahaska, Marion	39 min
May 13, 3:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Marion	37 min
May 13, 3:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Mahaska, Marion	30 min
May 13, 4:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac	29 min
May 13, 4:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac	16 min
May 13, 5:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Pocahontas	32 min
May 13, 6:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Marion, Warren	36 min
May 13, 6:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Calhoun, Pocahontas	37 min
May 13, 6:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Marion	21 min
May 13, 6:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Pocahontas	34 min
May 13, 6:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Pocahontas	25 min
May 13, 6:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Marion	24 min
May 13, 6:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DMX	Pocahontas	20 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2023 Every tornado warning in 2023 Tornadoes in 2023

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.