Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 19, NWS Omaha, NE
NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1998, 8:47 PM CDT for Pottawattamie County, Iowa. It was in force for 33 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
- May 21, 1998, 8:47 PM CDT (01:47 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 1998, 9:20 PM CDT
- In force
- 33 min
- Issued by
- NWS Omaha, NE
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pottawattamie County, IA
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 69 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
- 66 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -295 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 905 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 300 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 484 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 7.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
442 WFUS1 KOMA 220149 RRA TOROMA IAC155-220220- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 847 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EXTREME NORTHEASTERN POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN IOWA * UNTIL 920 PM CDT * AT 845 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 34 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN OMAHA OR 2 MILES WEST OF WALNUT MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED IN WALNUT IOWA AREA AT 845 PM CDT. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... WALNUT NOW PERSONS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A BASEMENT IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED. MILLER
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 21, 5:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093- IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-221200- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 505 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA... SPOTTER ACTION... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT IN EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. DISCUSSION... THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NELIGH TO TEKAMAH AND HARLAN IOWA WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS MORE UNSTABLE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. > A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM SOUTHERN MISSOURI TO NORTHERN KANSAS AND EASTERN WYOMING. VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR SOUTH OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIFTED NORTH ACROSS NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA...WHILE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES TRACK OVER THE AREA. MILLER
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093- IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-221200- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 505 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA... SPOTTER ACTION... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT IN EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. DISCUSSION... THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NELIGH TO TEKAMAH AND HARLAN IOWA WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS MORE UNSTABLE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. > A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM SOUTHERN MISSOURI TO NORTHERN KANSAS AND EASTERN WYOMING. VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR SOUTH OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIFTED NORTH ACROSS NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA...WHILE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES TRACK OVER THE AREA. MILLER
Local storm report, May 21, 8:28 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
828 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0535 PM 1 S NORFOLK NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 MADISON WINDOWS BROKEN
0550 PM NORFOLK NE 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 MADISON
0558 PM STANTON NE 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREE LIMBS DOWN
0600 PM 2 W STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON
0600 PM 10 SW STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN
0600 PM 2 S STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREES DOWN
0605 PM 2 SE STANTON NE .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 STANTON
0615 PM 5 E STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREE DAMAGE TO HOUSE AND
CAR
0715 PM CRAIG NE WIND DAMAGE
05/21/98 BURT
0754 PM 2 S BLENCOE IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 MONONA
0801 PM 2 S MAGNOLIA IA TORNADO
05/21/98 HARRISON
0806 PM WOODBINE IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 HARRISON
0810 PM 4 NE LOGAN IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 HARRISON
0810 PM WOODBINE IA 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 HARRISON TREE LIMBS DOWN ALL OVER
TOWN
ZAPOTOCNYLocal storm report, May 21, 8:28 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
828 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0535 PM 1 S NORFOLK NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 MADISON WINDOWS BROKEN
0550 PM NORFOLK NE 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 MADISON
0558 PM STANTON NE 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREE LIMBS DOWN
0600 PM 2 W STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON
0600 PM 10 SW STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN
0600 PM 2 S STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREES DOWN
0605 PM 2 SE STANTON NE .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 STANTON
0615 PM 5 E STANTON NE 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 STANTON TREE DAMAGE TO HOUSE AND
CAR
0715 PM CRAIG NE WIND DAMAGE
05/21/98 BURT
0754 PM 2 S BLENCOE IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 MONONA
0801 PM 2 S MAGNOLIA IA TORNADO
05/21/98 HARRISON
0806 PM WOODBINE IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 HARRISON
0810 PM 4 NE LOGAN IA .75 INCH HAIL
05/21/98 HARRISON
0810 PM WOODBINE IA 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/21/98 HARRISON TREE LIMBS DOWN ALL OVER
TOWN
ZAPOTOCNYThe office that day
Everything else NWS Omaha, NE issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 7:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Harrison, Monona | 61 min |
| May 21, 7:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OAX | Harrison, Monona | 50 min |
| May 22, 2:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Page | 64 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.