Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 280, NWS Des Moines, IA

August 3, 1998Marshall County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 3, 1998, 6:00 PM CDT for Marshall County, Iowa. It was in force for 35 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
Aug 3, 1998, 6:00 PM CDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 1998, 6:35 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Marshall County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:01 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 212 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1998-08-03Temperature 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1998-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 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
1272 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
191 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 KDSM 032300 RRA
SVRDSM
IAC127-032335-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
600 PM CDT MON AUG 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 635 PM CDT

* AT 558 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 33
  MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES OR 7 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
  HAVERHILL MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR...
   LA MOILLE          BY 600 PM CDT
   HAVERHILL          BY 610 PM CDT
   LAUREL             BY 615 PM CDT
   MARSHALLTOWN       BY 617 PM CDT
   FERGUSON           BY 623 PM CDT
|
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

DEROY

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 3, 5:35 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-041100-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
535 PM CDT MON AUG 3 1998

HAZARD -SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WEAK LANDSPOUT
TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...RAINFALL
RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...HAIL THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OR
LARGER AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 OR 50 MPH.

AREA OF CONCERN -THE THREAT OF LANDSPOUT TORNADOES IS CONFINED MAINLY
TO NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS EVENING.  SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA.

TIMING -THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING WITH
STRONG AND POSSIBLY A FEW SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH 9 OR 10 PM.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS -A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHEAST SOUTH
DAKOTA WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY SOUTHEAST.  SEVERAL FRONTAL BOUNDARIES
WERE IN PLACE OVER IOWA HELPING FOCUS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THUNDERSTORMS.  SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE
NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE COLD FRONT.
STRONG CIRCULATION IN THIS AREA HAS CAUSED A FEW OF THE STORMS TO
PRODUCE WEAK LANDSPOUTS.  THE AIRMASS OVER ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA
REMAINS UNSTABLE SO THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP.  MOST OF
THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...HOWEVER WITH PULSE TYPE
STORMS...A FEW COULD PRODUCE HAIL SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THREE QUARTERS
OF AN INCH AND STRONG WINDS.  AFTER SUNSET...SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTINUE BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL
DIMINISH AND THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BECOME HEAVY RAINFALL.

PRECAUTIONS -WIDESPREAD ACTIVATION OJF SPOTTERS IS NOT EXPECTED THIS
EVENING...HOWEVER EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
TO THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL THAT
COULD PRODUCE URBAN STREET FLOODING.

STARK
Special weather statement, Aug 3, 5:35 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-
092>097-041100-

CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
535 PM CDT MON AUG 3 1998

HAZARD -SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WEAK LANDSPOUT
TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...RAINFALL
RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...HAIL THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OR
LARGER AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 OR 50 MPH.

AREA OF CONCERN -THE THREAT OF LANDSPOUT TORNADOES IS CONFINED MAINLY
TO NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS EVENING.  SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA.

TIMING -THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING WITH
STRONG AND POSSIBLY A FEW SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH 9 OR 10 PM.

METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS -A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHEAST SOUTH
DAKOTA WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY SOUTHEAST.  SEVERAL FRONTAL BOUNDARIES
WERE IN PLACE OVER IOWA HELPING FOCUS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THUNDERSTORMS.  SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE
NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE COLD FRONT.
STRONG CIRCULATION IN THIS AREA HAS CAUSED A FEW OF THE STORMS TO
PRODUCE WEAK LANDSPOUTS.  THE AIRMASS OVER ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA
REMAINS UNSTABLE SO THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP.  MOST OF
THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...HOWEVER WITH PULSE TYPE
STORMS...A FEW COULD PRODUCE HAIL SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THREE QUARTERS
OF AN INCH AND STRONG WINDS.  AFTER SUNSET...SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTINUE BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL
DIMINISH AND THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BECOME HEAVY RAINFALL.

PRECAUTIONS -WIDESPREAD ACTIVATION OJF SPOTTERS IS NOT EXPECTED THIS
EVENING...HOWEVER EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
TO THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL THAT
COULD PRODUCE URBAN STREET FLOODING.

STARK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 3, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWapello35 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.