Alert archive / Missouri / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 159, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 23, 1998Cole County, Osage County, Missouri

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 23, 1998, 4:10 PM CDT for Cole County, Osage County, Missouri. It was in force for 50 min. 4 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 23, 1998, 4:10 PM CDT (21:10 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1998, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cole County, MO, Osage County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:12 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
May 23, 4:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Jefferson City, MO
May 23, 4:35 PM CDTHail 0.88Wardsville, MO
May 23, 4:35 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Wardsville, MO
May 23, 4:37 PM CDTHail 1Brazito, MO

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
May 23, 3:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 233 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1998-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1719 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1998-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1719 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-204 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1570 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
214 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

151 
WUUS1 KSTL 232111 RRA
SVRSTL
MOC051-151-232200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
410 PM CDT SAT MAY 23 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  COLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MISSOURI
  OSAGE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MISSOURI

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 405 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES  EAST OF OSAGE BEACH...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH..

* LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED...
  ST. THOMAS
  META
  WESTPHALIA
  BRAZITO


THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS DAMAGING WINDS. MOVE QUICKLY
TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.

PEDIGO

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 23, 10:40 AM CDT, 5 hours 30 minutes before
MOZ042-041-050-010-048-072-062-059-084-018-019-052-085-027-047-
051-034-049-036-035-099-061-075-074-063-064-009-026-060-073-ILZ095-
064-096-098-069-065-058-099-059-100-070-102-060-097-079-101-074-
MOZ065-232300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1040 AM CDT SAT MAY 23 1998

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NWS OFFICE
IN ST. LOUIS. AREAS INCLUDED ARE PARTS OF CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THERE IS ALSO A THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT WILL REMAIN DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL THIRD OF
MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THIS FRONT...COMBINED WITH VERY
UNSTABLE AIR THAT BLANKETS THE CENTRAL U.S....WILL RESULT IN
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  GIVEN THE HIGH
DEGREE OF INSTABILITY...SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE
WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD KEEP ADVISED OF THE
LATEST FORECASTS...AND MONITOR LATER WEATHER INFORMATION FOR POSSIBLE
SKYWARN ACTION.

GLASS
Special weather statement, May 23, 10:40 AM CDT, 5 hours 30 minutes before
MOZ042-041-050-010-048-072-062-059-084-018-019-052-085-027-047-
051-034-049-036-035-099-061-075-074-063-064-009-026-060-073-ILZ095-
064-096-098-069-065-058-099-059-100-070-102-060-097-079-101-074-
MOZ065-232300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1040 AM CDT SAT MAY 23 1998

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NWS OFFICE
IN ST. LOUIS. AREAS INCLUDED ARE PARTS OF CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THERE IS ALSO A THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT WILL REMAIN DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL THIRD OF
MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THIS FRONT...COMBINED WITH VERY
UNSTABLE AIR THAT BLANKETS THE CENTRAL U.S....WILL RESULT IN
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  GIVEN THE HIGH
DEGREE OF INSTABILITY...SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE
WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD KEEP ADVISED OF THE
LATEST FORECASTS...AND MONITOR LATER WEATHER INFORMATION FOR POSSIBLE
SKYWARN ACTION.

GLASS

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCallaway46 min
May 23, 5:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCallaway33 min
May 23, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson45 min
May 23, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXAudrain, Montgomery46 min
May 23, 5:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXAudrain, Boone48 min
May 23, 5:59 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXSaint Charles, Saint Louis51 min
May 23, 6:20 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXPike50 min
May 23, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMonroe51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Missouri, 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.