Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 7, 1988Woodbury County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1988, 9:34 PM CDT for Woodbury County, Iowa. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1988, 9:34 PM CDT (02:34 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1988, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Woodbury County, IA

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 122 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1988-05-08Temperature 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1988-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
3512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
185 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 KSUX 080236
SVRSUX
IAC193-080330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
934 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY

   IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
      EASTERN WOODBURY

AT 925 PM CDT POLICE REPORTED HAIL THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS HAD
FALLEN IN SLOAN IOWA...22 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY IOWA.
THE STORM THAT PRODUCED THE HAIL WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR.
PERSONS IN THE CITIES OF HOLLY SPRINGS AND OWEGO SHOULD TAKE COVER
 NOW.
REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN
QUICKLY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM
TAKE SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.

ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORTS
OF YSEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
TANNER

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 7, 4:07 PM CDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
408 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

...TORNADO WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH DAKOTA...

THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED AT 1156 AM CDT IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. THE SEVERE THREAT HAS MOVED NORTH AND EAST
OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

HOWEVER...THE TORNADO WATCH STILL REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR
PARTS OF WESTERN MINNESOTA...EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...AND NORTHWEST IOWA.
THEOPHILUS
Special weather statement, May 7, 7:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
738 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS MOVING INTO THE SIOUXLAND AREA...

AT 735 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS LOCATED
FROM LINCOLN NEBRASKA TO 5 EAST OF STORM LAKE IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE ENTERING THE SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY NEAR BLENCOE IOWA 45
MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESES STORMS.

THESE RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSHOWERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL
HAIL, HEAVY RAIN...VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

TANNER
Special weather statement, May 7, 7:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
738 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS MOVING INTO THE SIOUXLAND AREA...

AT 735 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS LOCATED
FROM LINCOLN NEBRASKA TO 5 MILES EAST OF STORM LAKE IOWA. THE STRONGEST
STORMS. WERE ENTERING THE SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY NEAR BLENCOE
IOWA 45  MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESES STORMS.

THESE RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL
HAIL, HEAVY RAIN...VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

TANNER
Special weather statement, May 7, 8:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
815 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS MOVING INTO MONONA COUNTY...

AT 815 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSHOWERS LOCATED
FROM LINCOLN NEBRASKA TO NEAR FORT DODGE IOWA. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ENTERING THE SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY NEAR BLENCOE IOWA
45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF MONONA COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESES STORMS.

THESE RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL
HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

TANNER
Special weather statement, May 7, 9:04 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
9 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSHOWERS MOVING INTO SIOUXLAND AREA...

AT 9 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
THE SIOUXLAND AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO THE
NORTHWEST PART OF MONONA COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST PART OF WOODBURY COUNTY.
PERSONS IN THE TOWNS OF SALIX AND SLOAN SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THESES STRONG STORMS.

TH1ESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL
HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

TANNER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 12:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDO'Brien56 min
May 8, 12:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDSioux38 min
May 8, 12:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Osceola, Sioux53 min
May 8, 12:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDWoodbury46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.