Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS La Crosse, WI
NWS La Crosse, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 30, 1998, 2:50 PM CST for Clayton County, Iowa; Grant County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 60 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
- Mar 30, 1998, 2:50 PM CST (20:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 30, 1998, 3:50 PM CST
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS La Crosse, WI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Clayton County, IA, Grant County, WI
The radar
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:49 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 3:20 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Lancaster, WI |
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.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 144 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1173 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -43 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 828 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 268 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 302 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.8
- Supercell composite
- 8.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
769
WUUS1 KLSE 302052 RRA
SVRLSE
IAC043-WIC043-302150-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
250 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
GRANT COUNTY - SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN
SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY - NORTHEASTERN IOWA
* UNTIL 350 PM CST
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
OSTERDOCK
CASSVILLE
BEETOWN
LANCASTER
* AT 247 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES WEST OF DUBUQUE...NEAR
PETERSBURG.. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55.
* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR BEETOWN BY 305 PM.
THIS STORM WILL CONTAIN LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. DO NOT GO
OUTDOORS.
RLB/DB/TSWhat 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.
NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 30, 1:43 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 1:43 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISSCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 143 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998 FORECAST CONCERN FOR TONIGHT IS HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL WITH FRONT STRETCHED ACROSS AREA AND INCREASING DYNAMICS TO DEAL WITH. RAIN THREAT OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS CERTAINLY A CONCERN AND MAY BRING MORE PROBLEMS TO AREA RIVERS. AS MENTIONED...SURFACE FRONT AT 18Z EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL WISCONSIN INTO NORTHEAST IOWA. GOOD CONVERGENCE ALONG FRONT AS -SHRA CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE...ESPECIALLY UPSTREAM. STRONGER CELLS NOW POPPING OVER EASTERN IOWA STILL IN LINE FOR POSSIBLE EVENING SEVERE WEATHER INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. UPPER LEVEL POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH ALREADY EJECTING OUT OF SOUTH- WEST AND AS IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL PLAINS TONIGHT...FLOW TO BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THIS AND MAY LEAD TO FRONT ACTUALLY PUSHING BACK NORTH GRADUALLY. IN ANY EVENT...FORCING WILL INCREASE ALONG BAROCLINIC ZONE. CATEGORICAL POPS IN ORDER WITH WIDESPREAD CONVECTION EXPECTED AND TEMPERATURES REMAINING FAIRLY STEADY. HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FLOOD WATCH WITH PAST RAINFALL ADDED TO EXPECTED RAIN. PERHAPS OUTLOOKS MAY BE BEST TO STRESS THREAT. SHE^A
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 11:15 AM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-311200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1115 AM CST MON MAR 30 1998 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AND A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST IOWA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE RISK AREA IS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A WISCONSIN RAPIDS TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN TO OELWEIN LINE. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHED ACROSS THIS AREA MAY CONTINUE TO BE THE TRIGGER FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AS WARM AND MOIST AIR PUSHES UP FROM THE SOUTH. ABUNDANT CLOUDS AND CURRENT SHOWER ACTIVITY MAY LIMIT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN OUR AREA THOUGH. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS APPEARS TO BE LARGE HAIL. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN OR A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST IOWA. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES. SHEA
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 11:15 AM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-311200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1115 AM CST MON MAR 30 1998 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AND A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST IOWA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE RISK AREA IS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A WISCONSIN RAPIDS TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN TO OELWEIN LINE. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHED ACROSS THIS AREA MAY CONTINUE TO BE THE TRIGGER FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AS WARM AND MOIST AIR PUSHES UP FROM THE SOUTH. ABUNDANT CLOUDS AND CURRENT SHOWER ACTIVITY MAY LIMIT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN OUR AREA THOUGH. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS APPEARS TO BE LARGE HAIL. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN OR A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST IOWA. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES. SHEA
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 1:44 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
IAZ029-030-WIZ054-055-061-302050- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 144 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO GROW THIS AFTERNOON... THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN IOWA AND ARE QUICKLY MOVING NORTHEAST INTO NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HAIL...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE LARGE AT TIMES. IF YOU LIVE IN FAYETTE OR CLAYTON COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST IOWA... OR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...REMAIN ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. SHEA
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 1:44 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
IAZ029-030-WIZ054-055-061-302050- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 144 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO GROW THIS AFTERNOON... THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN IOWA AND ARE QUICKLY MOVING NORTHEAST INTO NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HAIL...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE LARGE AT TIMES. IF YOU LIVE IN FAYETTE OR CLAYTON COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST IOWA... OR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...REMAIN ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. SHEA
The office that day
Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 6:05 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Taylor | 55 min |
| Mar 29, 6:31 PM CST | Tornado Warning | ARX | Buffalo | 29 min |
| Mar 29, 7:11 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Clark, Taylor | 64 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 1998Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.