Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 22, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 22, 1998
Start: 1998-05-22T01:20
End: 1998-05-22T03:15
Location: Iowa

May 22, 1998 · NWS DMX · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

A second round of thunderstorms moved into Iowa during the early morning hours. A mesoscale convective system developed in Nebraska north of a stationary frontal boundary and raced east into Iowa.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $651,000
Crop damage: $68,000
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

A second round of thunderstorms moved into Iowa during the early morning hours. A mesoscale convective system developed in Nebraska north of a stationary frontal boundary and raced east into Iowa. The storms weakened as the moved to the east, but were able to drop one inch diameter hail in Adair County at Greenfield and produced winds around 80 MPH in Taylor County at Lenox, and 73 MPH winds at Greenfield in Adair County. The winds in Lenox caused about $150,000 damage to a farm supply building there. A 30 square foot section of the roof was damaged and a large entrance door on the building was torn off. The storms moved east during the night and produced high winds in Ringgold and Decatur Counties. Damage was reported over many sections of the county ranging from blown over trees to structural damage such as occurred around the Van Wert, Tingley, and Ellston areas.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Adair

When: May 22, 1:20 AM CST
Where: Adair County, Greenfield
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.300, -94.470

Hail, Adair

When: May 22, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Adair County, Greenfield
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.300, -94.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: May 22, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Taylor County, Lenox
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $200,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.880, -94.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Ringgold

When: May 22, 2:15 AM CST
Where: Ringgold County, Tingley
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.850, -94.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Ringgold

When: May 22, 2:25 AM CST
Where: Ringgold County, Ellston
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.830, -94.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Decatur

When: May 22, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Decatur County, Van Wert
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.870, -93.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Decatur

When: May 22, 3:10 AM CST
Where: Decatur County, Leon
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 40.730, -93.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Decatur

When: May 22, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Decatur County, 3 mi NE of Van Wert
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.900, -93.750

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, May 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5646814, 5646810, 5646811, 5646816, 5646915, 5646812, 5646813, 5646815.