Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

August 21, 1988Sioux County, Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 1988, 11:56 PM CDT for Sioux County, Iowa. It was in force for 64 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
Aug 21, 1988, 11:56 PM CDT (04:56 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 1988, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Sioux County, IA

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
Aug 22, 12:15 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Sioux, IA

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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 4.9 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1988-08-22Temperature 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 1988-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3596 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Aug 21, 10:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 10:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 10:56 PM CDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1100 PM CDT SUN AUG 21 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 409 HAS EXPIRED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 409 WHICH ORIGINALLY COVERED
PARTS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND NORTHWEST
IOWA EXPIRED AT 1100 PM CDT. THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT OF SEVERE
WEATHER IN THIS AREA.

ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY
TONIGHT ACROSS THE LOCAL TRI STATE AREA SURROUNDING SIOUX FALLS.
BRIEF HEAVY RAINS WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY RESULT IN SOME
TEMPORARY URBAN STREET FLOODING DUE TO THE INTENSITY OF THE TROPICAL
DOWNPOURS.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE SIOUX FALLS AREA RANGE FROM 1.50 TO 3.00 INCHES
...AND THERE MAY BE SOME HEAVIER AMOUNTS IN THE LOCAL TRI STATE AREA.
IF YOU HAVE A RELIABLE RAINGAGE...THEN RELAY YOUR RAINFALL TOTAL TO
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE AT SIOUX FALLS.
KAPELA
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 11:11 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
1107 PM CDT SUN AUG 21 1988

 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST IOWA HAS EXPIRED....

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST
IOWA HAS EXPIRED. ALTHOUGH THE WATCH HAS EXPIRED..AT 1055 PM RADAR
INDICATED THAT AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD REDEVLOPED IN
SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. THE STORMS ARE LOCATED FROM YANKTON SOUTH
DAKOTA...55 MILES NORTHWEST OF SIOUX CITY TO HAWARDEN IOWA...
37 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY. HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTING AND
45 TO 50 MPH WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE EAST
AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

TANNER
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 11:39 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
1140 PM CDT SUN AUG 21 1988

AT 1130 PM CDT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS
SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH DAKOTA WERE SOUTH AND EAST
OF A LINE FROM BROOKINGS TO MITCHELL TO YANKTON.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA HAVE VARIED FROM
1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS AND HAVE CAUSED SOME STREET
FLOODING IN THE SIOUX FALLS AREA.

ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HEAVY RAIN...ARE
LIKELY LATER TONIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKO6TA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.

FLOODING OF STREETS AND ROADSIDE DITCHES IS LIKELY LATER TONIGHT...
ALONG WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND PEA SIZE HAIL.
STOREY
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 11:48 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
1145 PM CDT SUN AUG 21 1988

 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST
SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA...

AT 1140 PM CDT A 30 MILE WIDE BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR BERESFORD SOUTH
DAKOTA IN NORTHWEST UNION COUNTY...ABOUT 44 MILES NORTHWEST OF SIOUX
CITY TO ABOUT 30 MILES NORTH OF SIOUX CITY NEAR HAWARDEN IOWA TO
CHEROKEE IOWA WHICH IS ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH AND WERE PASSING OVER
AREAS THAT ALREADY RECIEVED HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT.

FLOODING OF STREETS AND ROADSIDE DITC,HES IS LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS
AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

PHILLIPS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLincoln, Turner58 min
Aug 22, 12:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay29 min
Aug 22, 12:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDUnion65 min
Aug 22, 12:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCherokee, O'Brien, Plymouth64 min
Aug 22, 2:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDWoodbury56 min
Aug 22, 2:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDMonona62 min
Aug 22, 3:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDIda, Woodbury68 min
Aug 21, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLincoln, Lyon55 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.