Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 296

May 6, 199838 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 6, 1998, 5:30 PM CDT for 38 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 6, 1998, 5:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 1998, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 38 counties

Barton County, MO, Bates County, MO, Benton County, MO, Callaway County, MO, Camden County, MO, Cass County, MO, Cedar County, MO, Cole County, MO, Cooper County, MO, Crawford County, MO, Dade County, MO, Dallas County, MO, Dent County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Greene County, MO, Henry County, MO, Hickory County, MO, Iron County, MO, Johnson County, MO, Laclede County, MO, Maries County, MO, Miller County, MO, Moniteau County, MO, Morgan County, MO, Osage County, MO, Pettis County, MO, Phelps County, MO, Polk County, MO, Pulaski County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, St. Clair County, MO, Texas County, MO, Vernon County, MO, Warren County, MO, Washington County, MO, Webster County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:33 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.

Warnings issued inside it

11 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 5:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCamden52 min
May 6, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDade50 min
May 6, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDallas48 min
May 6, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFWebster, Wright63 min
May 6, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFGreene63 min
May 6, 6:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede47 min
May 6, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDent, Phelps50 min
May 6, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFTexas65 min
May 6, 7:28 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFDent37 min
May 6, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXFranklin, Jefferson46 min
May 6, 9:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Charles50 min

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 253 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1998-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1998-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
688 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 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.

103 
WWUS9 KMKC 062221
SEL6  
MKC WW 062221
MOZ000-070400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 296
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
521 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI                           

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 530 PM UNTIL
1100 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 75 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 55 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KNOB NOSTER MISSOURI TO
65 MILES EAST OF VICHY MISSOURI.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 292...WW 293...WW
294...WW 295...

DISCUSSION...STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EWD INTO PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL
MO.  AIR MASS IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH LIS BETWEEN -5 AND -8. 
PRESENCE OF FAVORABLE VERTICAL SHEAR IN THE LOWEST 6KM INDICATES
THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27025.


...MCCARTHY

384,0942 385,0903 371,0903 371,0942

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBarry, Butler, Carter, Christian, Douglas, Dunklin and 20 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 1998Every tornado watch 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.