Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 162, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 14, 1998Adams County, Taylor County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 14, 1998, 1:10 AM CDT for Adams County, Taylor County, Iowa. It was in force for 35 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 14, 1998, 1:10 AM CDT (06:10 UTC)
Expired
Jun 14, 1998, 1:45 AM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adams County, IA, Taylor County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:09 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 14, 1:43 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61New Market, 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 13, 8:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 148 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 1998-06-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 382 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1998-06-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
382 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-388 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1731 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

765 
WUUS1 KDSM 140609 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC003-173-140645-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
110 AM CDT SUN JUN 14 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ADAMS COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA
  TAYLOR COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA

* UNTIL 145 AM CDT

* AT 108 AM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORMS 45 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA OR 15 MILES WEST OF
  NODAWAY MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR...
   NEW MARKET         BY 117 AM CDT
   NODAWAY            BY 117 AM CDT
   GRAVITY            BY 127 AM CDT
   CORNING            BY 127 AM CDT
   BEDFORD            BY 127 AM CDT
   LENOX              BY 140 AM 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.

SMITH

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, Jun 13, 9:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-140900-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
930 PM CDT SAT JUN 13 1998

HAZARD--THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL AND
HEAVY RAINFALL.

AREA OF CONCERN--THE SOUTHWEST THIRD OF IOWA...SOUTHWEST OF A CARROLL
TO CRESTON TO LAMONI LINE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  HEAVY RAIN
POTENTIAL SOUTHWEST OF A STORM LAKE TO FORT DODGE TO MARSHALLTOWN.

TIMING DETAILS--THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA AT 930 PM.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHEAST TONIGHT REACHING DES MOINES BY
11 PM.  THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH NORTHERN IOWA AFTER MIDNIGHT.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER
NORTHERN KANSAS AT 9 PM. IT IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO
SOUTHWEST IOWA BY MORNING.  THE AIRMASS OVER IOWA WILL BECOME
UNSTABLE TONIGHT AS LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES INTO THE STATE. THE MOST
UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE FOUND OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA.  THUNDERSTORMS IN
THIS AREA MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS BEFORE 2 AM WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT
BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY
PRODUCE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF AN INCH IN SOUTHWEST HALF OF IOWA WITH
LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO TWO INCHES.

PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT ACROSS
SOUTHWEST.  IN ADDITION...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE
SOUTHWEST HALF OF IOWA SO PEOPLE SHOULD AVOID FLOOD PRONE AREAS.

JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 9:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-140900-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
930 PM CDT SAT JUN 13 1998

HAZARD--THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL AND
HEAVY RAINFALL.

AREA OF CONCERN--THE SOUTHWEST THIRD OF IOWA...SOUTHWEST OF A CARROLL
TO CRESTON TO LAMONI LINE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  HEAVY RAIN
POTENTIAL SOUTHWEST OF A STORM LAKE TO FORT DODGE TO MARSHALLTOWN.

TIMING DETAILS--THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA AT 930 PM.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHEAST TONIGHT REACHING DES MOINES BY
11 PM.  THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH NORTHERN IOWA AFTER MIDNIGHT.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER
NORTHERN KANSAS AT 9 PM. IT IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO
SOUTHWEST IOWA BY MORNING.  THE AIRMASS OVER IOWA WILL BECOME
UNSTABLE TONIGHT AS LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES INTO THE STATE. THE MOST
UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE FOUND OVER SOUTHWEST IOWA.  THUNDERSTORMS IN
THIS AREA MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS BEFORE 2 AM WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT
BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY
PRODUCE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF AN INCH IN SOUTHWEST HALF OF IOWA WITH
LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO TWO INCHES.

PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT ACROSS
SOUTHWEST.  IN ADDITION...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE
SOUTHWEST HALF OF IOWA SO PEOPLE SHOULD AVOID FLOOD PRONE AREAS.

JOHNSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 14, 1:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdams, Taylor33 min
Jun 14, 2:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold, Union49 min
Jun 14, 8:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXCass3 hr
Jun 14, 2:35 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDavis45 min
Jun 14, 6:32 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXAudubon, Cass11 hr

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.