Alert archive / Missouri / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS St. Louis, MO

April 15, 1998Madison County, Missouri

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 15, 1998, 8:30 PM CDT for Madison County, Missouri. It was in force for 50 min. 2 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
Apr 15, 1998, 8:30 PM CDT (01:30 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1998, 9:20 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Madison County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:31 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
Apr 15, 8:39 PM CDTTornado F1Saco, MO
Apr 15, 9:10 PM CDTHail 0.75Roselle, MOCounty sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail near Roselle.

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
Apr 15, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 297 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1219 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
1219 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
868 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

566 
WUUS1 KSTL 160132 RRA
SVRSTL
MOC123-160220-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
830 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MADISON COUNTY MISSOURI IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI

* UNTIL 920 PM CDT

* AT 825 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR SACO... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED...
  SACO
  MARCUAND

THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS DAMAGING HAIL. LARGE HAIL CAN
CAUSE EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE AN SERIOUS INJURY TO PEOPLE CAUGHT
OUTDOORS. MOVE INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE
WARNING.

METZE/GLASS

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, Apr 15, 2:55 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
MOZ049-059-062-065-072>074-084-099-152155-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
255 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 214 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI
REMAINS IN EFFECT.  ONLY ONE WARNING IS IN EFFECT...FOR SOUTHEAST
COLE AND SOUTHERN OSAGE COUNTY...HOWEVER CONDITIONS REMAIN VERY
FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ACROSS THE AREA.

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA IS FORECASTING A
HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF SOUTHERN
MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

THOUGH THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...THE
POTENTIAL REMAINS VERY HIGH...KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST STATEMENTS
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS
LATER ON...

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.  REVIEW SEVERE
WEATHER SAFETY RULES...AND LISTEN TO RADIO...TV...OR NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS.

PEDIGO
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 2:55 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
MOZ049-059-062-065-072>074-084-099-152155-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
255 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 214 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI
REMAINS IN EFFECT.  ONLY ONE WARNING IS IN EFFECT...FOR SOUTHEAST
COLE AND SOUTHERN OSAGE COUNTY...HOWEVER CONDITIONS REMAIN VERY
FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ACROSS THE AREA.

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA IS FORECASTING A
HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF SOUTHERN
MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

THOUGH THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...THE
POTENTIAL REMAINS VERY HIGH...KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST STATEMENTS
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS
LATER ON...

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.  REVIEW SEVERE
WEATHER SAFETY RULES...AND LISTEN TO RADIO...TV...OR NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS.

PEDIGO
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
MOZ041-047>051-059>065-072>074-084-099-160100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
658 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF
CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNTIL 11PM. THIS WATCH
REPLACES WATCH 214 THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7PM.

AMS
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
MOZ041-047>051-059>065-072>074-084-099-160100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
658 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF
CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNTIL 11PM. THIS WATCH
REPLACES WATCH 214 THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7PM.

AMS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 15, 8:39 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMadison51 min
Apr 15, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXIron46 min
Apr 15, 9:19 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMadison46 min
Apr 15, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSainte Genevieve, Saint Francois63 min
Apr 15, 11:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Charles48 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.