Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1998, 9:28 AM CDT for Cass County, Iowa. It was in force for 37 min. 3 reports 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
- May 15, 1998, 9:28 AM CDT (14:28 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1998, 10:05 AM CDT
- In force
- 37 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cass County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 9:40 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 57 | Atlantic, IA | |
| May 15, 9:41 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 65 | Griswold, IA | |
| May 15, 9:47 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 72 | Lewis, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 7:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 4 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 120 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
- 1194 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -370 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1627 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -76 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 26 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
416 WUUS1 KDSM 151429 RRA SVRDSM IAC029-151505- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 928 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA * UNTIL 1005 AM CDT * AT 928 AM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 43 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA OR 8 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF GRISWOLD MOVING NORTH AT 70 MPH. * THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR... LEWIS BY 933 AM CDT ATLANTIC BY 939 AM CDT WIOTA BY 940 AM CDT MARNE BY 941 AM CDT THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF DAMAGING WIND. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS JOHNSON
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 15, 5:32 AM CDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
IAZ004>006-015-016-023>025-033>036-044>047-057>059-070>072-081>083- 092>094-151700- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 532 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998 HAZARD NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH AND HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER IN DIAMETER. AREA OF CONCERN ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA WILL BE AFFECTED. THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE THAT AREA EAST OF A MASON CITY TO OTTUMWA LINE. TIMING DETAILS WESTERN IOWA WILL BEGIN TO BE AFFECTED BY 900 AM THIS MORNING WITH THE STORMS SPREADING EAST DURING THE DAY. THEY SHOULD REACH THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY SHORTLY AFTER NOON AND EASTERN IOWA BY 400 PM. THE STORMS WILL END BY LATE AFTERNOON OVER WESTERN INTO CENTRAL IOWA...AND BY MID EVENING OVER EASTERN SECTIONS. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE OVER IOWA. THE AIRMASS HAS BEEN CAPPED OVERNIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES AT 700 MB /AROUND 10000 FEET/ ABOVE 12 DEGREES C. THIS CAP IS EXPECTED TO ERODE DURING THE DAY TODAY AS COOLER AIR MOVES IN ALOFT. SEVERAL FACTORS WILL COME TOGETHER TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY. A COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL NEBRASKA WILL ADVANCE EAST TODAY AND BE IN WESTERN IOWA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...CENTRAL SECTIONS BY SUNSET...AND EASTERN IOWA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. IN ADDITION AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM LOCATED OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS MORNING WILL LIFT NORTHEAST RAPIDLY INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA BY THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CLOUDINESS AROUND TODAY...ENOUGH SUNSHINE WILL GET THROUGH TO PUSH TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S IN MOST AREAS. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES HAD REACHED THE LOW 70S OVER SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA...WITH MID 60S FARTHER EAST. SINCE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE RELATIVELY EARLY OVER WESTERN IOWA...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE REDUCED. OPTIMUM TIMING FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE EAST MAKES THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER HIGHER THERE. PRECAUTIONS--STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT. THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1100 AM THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:32 AM CDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
IAZ004>006-015-016-023>025-033>036-044>047-057>059-070>072-081>083- 092>094-151700- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 532 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998 HAZARD NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH AND HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER IN DIAMETER. AREA OF CONCERN ALL OF CENTRAL IOWA WILL BE AFFECTED. THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE THAT AREA EAST OF A MASON CITY TO OTTUMWA LINE. TIMING DETAILS WESTERN IOWA WILL BEGIN TO BE AFFECTED BY 900 AM THIS MORNING WITH THE STORMS SPREADING EAST DURING THE DAY. THEY SHOULD REACH THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY SHORTLY AFTER NOON AND EASTERN IOWA BY 400 PM. THE STORMS WILL END BY LATE AFTERNOON OVER WESTERN INTO CENTRAL IOWA...AND BY MID EVENING OVER EASTERN SECTIONS. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE OVER IOWA. THE AIRMASS HAS BEEN CAPPED OVERNIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES AT 700 MB /AROUND 10000 FEET/ ABOVE 12 DEGREES C. THIS CAP IS EXPECTED TO ERODE DURING THE DAY TODAY AS COOLER AIR MOVES IN ALOFT. SEVERAL FACTORS WILL COME TOGETHER TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY. A COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL NEBRASKA WILL ADVANCE EAST TODAY AND BE IN WESTERN IOWA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...CENTRAL SECTIONS BY SUNSET...AND EASTERN IOWA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. IN ADDITION AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM LOCATED OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS MORNING WILL LIFT NORTHEAST RAPIDLY INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA BY THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CLOUDINESS AROUND TODAY...ENOUGH SUNSHINE WILL GET THROUGH TO PUSH TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S IN MOST AREAS. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES HAD REACHED THE LOW 70S OVER SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA...WITH MID 60S FARTHER EAST. SINCE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE RELATIVELY EARLY OVER WESTERN IOWA...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE REDUCED. OPTIMUM TIMING FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE EAST MAKES THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER HIGHER THERE. PRECAUTIONS--STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT. THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1100 AM THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 8:32 AM CDT, 56 minutes before
IAZ044>047-057>060-070>074-081>085-092>096-151632- CENTRAL IOWA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 832 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998 HAZARD--STRAIGHT-LINE DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH. HAIL TO 3/4 INCH OR LARGER IS ALSO POSSIBLE. TIMIMG DETAILS AND AREA OF CONCERN-- AREAS SOUTHWEST OF ATLANTIC TO MOUNT AYR FROM 900 TO 1030 AM AREAS FURTHER NORTHEAST AFTER 1030 AM. METEOROLOGICAL COMMENTS--A DAMAGING SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE RACING NORTHEAST AT 65 MPH FROM SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI THIS MORNING. THIS LINE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF DAMAGING WINDS BACK INTO KANSAS. PRECAUTIONS--SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SHOULD BEGIN ACTIVATING OVER TAYLOR...ADAMS...CASS AND RINGGOLD COUNTIES SOON. THEY WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED BY 900-1000 AM. COUNTIES FURTHER NORTHEAST MAY ALSO BE NEEDED BETWEEN 1000 AND NOON. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH DAMAGING WINDS LIKELY. KULA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 9:18 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Taylor | 32 min |
| May 15, 9:46 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Audubon | 34 min |
| May 15, 9:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Crawford | 36 min |
| May 15, 10:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Carroll | 35 min |
| May 15, 10:11 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Crawford | 34 min |
| May 15, 10:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Sac | 34 min |
| May 15, 10:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Calhoun | 36 min |
| May 15, 12:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Carroll | 34 min |
| May 15, 1:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Calhoun, Sac | 31 min |
| May 15, 1:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Calhoun | 36 min |
| May 15, 1:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Humboldt | 34 min |
| May 15, 1:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 34 min |
| May 15, 1:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 32 min |
| May 15, 1:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Pocahontas | 33 min |
| May 15, 1:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cass | 17 min |
| May 15, 1:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Audubon | 34 min |
| May 15, 2:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 35 min |
| May 15, 2:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Kossuth | 22 min |
| May 15, 3:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Boone, Greene | 32 min |
| May 15, 3:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Webster | 33 min |
| May 15, 3:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hamilton | 31 min |
| May 15, 3:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Wright | 33 min |
| May 15, 3:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Story | 33 min |
| May 15, 3:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Wapello | 34 min |
| May 15, 3:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Sac | 36 min |
| May 15, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Franklin, Hardin | 46 min |
| May 15, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cerro Gordo, Hancock | 46 min |
| May 15, 4:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Davis | 36 min |
| May 15, 4:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Wapello | 32 min |
| May 15, 4:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Calhoun, Pocahontas | 36 min |
| May 15, 4:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Humboldt | 35 min |
| May 15, 4:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Tama | 35 min |
| May 15, 4:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Kossuth, Palo Alto | 47 min |
| May 15, 4:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Butler, Grundy | 31 min |
| May 15, 5:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Black Hawk | 35 min |
| May 15, 5:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Bremer | 33 min |
| May 15, 5:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Bremer | 35 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.