Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 331

May 11, 199825 counties in Iowa; Atchison County, Holt County, Nodaway County, Missouri; 26 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 11, 1998, 8:00 PM CDT for 25 counties in Iowa; Atchison County, Holt County, Nodaway County, Missouri; 26 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 11, 1998, 8:00 PM CDT (01:00 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1998, 2:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 54 counties

Adair County, IA, Adams County, IA, Audubon County, IA, Buena Vista County, IA, Calhoun County, IA, Carroll County, IA, Cass County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Crawford County, IA, Fremont County, IA, Greene County, IA, Guthrie County, IA, Harrison County, IA, Ida County, IA, Mills County, IA, Monona County, IA, Montgomery County, IA, Page County, IA, Plymouth County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Pottawattamie County, IA, Sac County, IA, Shelby County, IA, Taylor County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Atchison County, MO, Holt County, MO, Nodaway County, MO, Burt County, NE, Butler County, NE, Cass County, NE, Cedar County, NE, Colfax County, NE, Cuming County, NE, Dakota County, NE, Dixon County, NE, Dodge County, NE, Douglas County, NE, Gage County, NE, Jefferson County, NE, Johnson County, NE, Lancaster County, NE, Nemaha County, NE, Otoe County, NE, Pawnee County, NE, Richardson County, NE, Saline County, NE, Sarpy County, NE, Saunders County, NE, Seward County, NE, Stanton County, NE, Thurston County, NE, Washington County, NE, Wayne County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:01 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 11, 8:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXStanton64 min
May 11, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXJefferson, Saline60 min
May 11, 9:09 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXJefferson61 min
May 11, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXBurt, Cuming33 min
May 11, 9:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXLancaster47 min
May 11, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXJefferson48 min
May 11, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPlymouth, Woodbury32 min
May 11, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXMonona35 min
May 11, 10:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCherokee, Ida46 min
May 11, 10:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXGage48 min
May 11, 10:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXMills, Pottawattamie48 min
May 11, 10:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXJefferson34 min

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 21 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1998-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 294 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1998-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
294 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-65 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1842 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

307 
WWUS9 KMKC 120031
SEL1  
MKC WW 120031
NEZ000-IAZ000-MOZ000-120700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 331
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
731 PM CDT MON MAY 11 1998

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

   EASTERN NEBRASKA                           
   WESTERN IOWA                               
   EXTREME NORTHWESTERN MISSOURI                           

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 800 PM UNTIL
200 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES WEST OF FALLS CITY NEBRASKA TO 40 MILES
NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY IOWA.

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 329...WW 330...

DISCUSSION...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...WITH A HISTORY OF TORNADOES
AND LARGE HAIL...WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO WATCH AREA ALONG SURFACE
FRONT. CAPES FROM 1500 TO 2500 J/KG AND MID LEVEL FLOW INCREASING
AHEAD OF UPPER SHORT WAVE INDICATE A CONTINUED THREAT OF A FEW
TORNADIC SUPERCELLS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...ROGASH

400,0972 424,0972 424,0941 400,0942

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Winneshiek6 hr
May 12, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAppanoose, Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Des Moines and 16 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 1998Tornado Watches in Iowa, 1998Tornado 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.