Alert archive / South Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Aberdeen, SD

June 24, 1988Roberts County, South Dakota

NWS Aberdeen, SD issued this tornado warning at Jun 24, 1988, 8:51 PM CDT for Roberts County, South Dakota. It was in force for 39 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 24, 1988, 8:51 PM CDT (01:51 UTC)
Expired
Jun 24, 1988, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Aberdeen, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Roberts County, SD

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 24, 8:58 PM CDTTornado F0Roberts, SD

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KHON), launched 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 140 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 1988-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1618 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 1988-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1618 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-98 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3380 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KABR 250151
TORABR
SDC109-250230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
851 PM CDT FRI JUN 24 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF SOUTH DAKOTA
      NORTHERN ROBERTS

SOME OF THE CITIES INCLUDED IN THIS WARNING ARE CLAIRE CITY...
NEW EFFINGTON.

AT 845 PM CDT  A TORNADO WAS REPORTED JUST EAST OF CLAIRE CITY...
75 MILES NORTHEAST OF ABERDEEN.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...YOU SHOULD GO TO A BASEMENT
SHELTER IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR
A REINFORCED BUILDING.

KEEFE

What forecasters said that day

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 24, 5:37 PM CDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
530 PM CDT FRI JUN 24 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS FORMING IN NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...

AT 525 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN HAD FORMED IN WESTERN MCPHERSON COUNTY JUST EAST OF EUREKA...50
MILES NORTHWEST OF ABERDEEN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS STORM FORMED RAPIDLY AND AT THIS TIME CAN BE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE
SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WIND AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

IF YOU LIVE BETWEEN ABERDEEN AND EUREKA BE AWARE OF THIS STORM AND
BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER.

KEEFE
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 7:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
710 PM CDT FRI JUN 24 1988

AT 705 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN IN CENTRAL BROWN COUNTY NEAR COLUMBIA...10 MILES NORTH OF ABERDEEN.
THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

AT 705 PM CDT THE VISIBILTY IN ABERDEEN WAS REDUCED TO 21/2 MILES IN
BLOWING DUST CAUSED BY GUSTS TO 47 MPH IN THIS STORM.

IF YOU LIVE IN BROWN COUNTY YOU SHOU%LD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER
IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.

KEEFE
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 7:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
740 PM CDT FRI JUN 24 1988

AT 735 PM CDT THERE WAS AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
IN NORTHERN BROWN COUNTY NEAR FREDRICK...30 MILES NORTH OF ABERDEEN.
THERE WAS ANOTHER STORM NEAR GROTON...20 MILES EAST OF ABERDEEN. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

BOTH OF THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED GUSTY SURFACE WIND OF AROUND 45 MPH.
AT 725 PM CDT THE STATE PATROL REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL NORTH OF
GROTON. VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED IN BLOWING DUST.

AS THESE STORMS MOVE EAST INTO MARSHALL AND DAY COUNTY RESIDENTS SHOULD
BE AWARE OF THE WEATHER AND ESPECIALLY BE PREPARED FOR HIGH WIND.
CAMPERS AND DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFRILE VEHICHLES SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY
CAREFUL.

KEEFE

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Dakota, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.