Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 28, 1998, 4:25 PM CDT for Wright County, Iowa. It was in force for 20 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 28, 1998, 4:25 PM CDT (21:25 UTC)
- Expired
- May 28, 1998, 4:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 20 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Wright County, IA
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 28, 3:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
| May 28, 4:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 236 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
- 339 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -204 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1573 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 81 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 94 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
225 WUUS1 KDSM 282127 RRA SVRDSM IAC197-282145- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 425 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN WRIGHT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA * UNTIL 445 PM CDT * AT 424 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY OR 5 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF ROWAN MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. * THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR... DOWS BY 428 PM CDT BELMOND BY 426 PM CDT GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. BSS/JJ
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 28, 10:28 AM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-291100- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1028 AM CDT THU MAY 28 1998 HAZARD--SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING UP TO ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL. ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVING UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN. AREAS OF CONCERN AND TIMING DETAILS--SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 3...OR FROM WAVERLY TO POCAHONTAS THROUGH 400 PM. A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 3...OR FROM WAVERLY TO POCAHONTAS...AND INTERSTATE 80 FROM 400 PM TO MIDNIGHT. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR ROCHESTER MINNESOTA TO SPENCER IOWA INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE VERY SLOWLY SOUTHEAST INTO THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. BY MID-AFTERNOON...THE FRONT SHOULD EXTEND FROM MASON CITY TO STORM LAKE AND BY EARLY EVENING THE FRONT SHOULD EXTEND FROM NEAR CHARLES CITY TO DENISON. ABUNDANT MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE TRANSPORTED NORTHWARD INTO THE STATE WHILE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ARE ALLOWING SURFACE TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE RAPIDLY. WITH THE INCREASING SURFACE TEMPERATURES...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME VERY UNSTABLE BY THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. HOWEVER...SOME SLIGHT WARMING CONTINUES AT MID-LEVELS WHICH WILL INHIBIT WIDESPREAD DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY LITTLE TURNING OF WINDS AND RELATIVELY LOW WIND SPEEDS WILL BE OCCURRING THROUGH THE DEPTH OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THUS... SUPERCELLULAR STORMS AREN/T EXPECTED. WITH THE LIGHT WINDS ALOFT... THE STORMS WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH...POSSIBLY LEADING TO ISOLATED ONE TO TWO INCH RAIN AMOUNTS. SINCE THE FRONT...WHICH IS THE FOCUSING MECHANISM...IS MOVING SO SLOWLY...THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OVER THE SOUTHERN THREE-QUARTERS OF IOWA. PRECAUTIONS--EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LARGE HAIL. ADDITIONALLY...THESE GROUPS MAY NEED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND FLOODING CONDITIONS IN THOSE ISOLATED AREAS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAINFALL. SEARCY
Special weather statement, May 28, 10:28 AM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-291100- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1028 AM CDT THU MAY 28 1998 HAZARD--SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING UP TO ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL. ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVING UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN. AREAS OF CONCERN AND TIMING DETAILS--SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 3...OR FROM WAVERLY TO POCAHONTAS THROUGH 400 PM. A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 3...OR FROM WAVERLY TO POCAHONTAS...AND INTERSTATE 80 FROM 400 PM TO MIDNIGHT. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR ROCHESTER MINNESOTA TO SPENCER IOWA INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE VERY SLOWLY SOUTHEAST INTO THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. BY MID-AFTERNOON...THE FRONT SHOULD EXTEND FROM MASON CITY TO STORM LAKE AND BY EARLY EVENING THE FRONT SHOULD EXTEND FROM NEAR CHARLES CITY TO DENISON. ABUNDANT MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE TRANSPORTED NORTHWARD INTO THE STATE WHILE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ARE ALLOWING SURFACE TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE RAPIDLY. WITH THE INCREASING SURFACE TEMPERATURES...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME VERY UNSTABLE BY THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. HOWEVER...SOME SLIGHT WARMING CONTINUES AT MID-LEVELS WHICH WILL INHIBIT WIDESPREAD DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY LITTLE TURNING OF WINDS AND RELATIVELY LOW WIND SPEEDS WILL BE OCCURRING THROUGH THE DEPTH OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THUS... SUPERCELLULAR STORMS AREN/T EXPECTED. WITH THE LIGHT WINDS ALOFT... THE STORMS WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH...POSSIBLY LEADING TO ISOLATED ONE TO TWO INCH RAIN AMOUNTS. SINCE THE FRONT...WHICH IS THE FOCUSING MECHANISM...IS MOVING SO SLOWLY...THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OVER THE SOUTHERN THREE-QUARTERS OF IOWA. PRECAUTIONS--EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LARGE HAIL. ADDITIONALLY...THESE GROUPS MAY NEED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND FLOODING CONDITIONS IN THOSE ISOLATED AREAS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAINFALL. SEARCY
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 3:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Pocahontas | 36 min |
| May 28, 3:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Palo Alto | 34 min |
| May 28, 3:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Pocahontas | 31 min |
| May 28, 4:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Webster | 37 min |
| May 28, 4:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Humboldt | 30 min |
| May 28, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hamilton | 32 min |
| May 28, 4:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Wright | 21 min |
| May 28, 4:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hardin | 31 min |
| May 28, 5:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hardin | 34 min |
| May 28, 5:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Humboldt, Webster | 34 min |
| May 28, 6:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Grundy | 34 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Iowa, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.