Tornado and Hail in Iowa, May 28, 1998

Name: Tornado and Hail in Iowa, May 28, 1998
Start: 1998-05-28T14:40
End: 1998-05-28T16:53
Location: Iowa

May 28, 1998 · NWS DMX · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

A very unstable airmass as located over Iowa following an extended period of southerly winds. Surface dew point temperatures were in the 70 degree F.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $585,000
Crop damage: $115,000
Events: 6

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 very unstable airmass as located over Iowa following an extended period of southerly winds. Surface dew point temperatures were in the 70 degree F. range to the south of a weak cold front that was entering the state from the north. An east-west line of thunderstorms formed during the mid to late afternoon hours. The storms became severe very quickly with a tornado dropping out of one of the first storms to form. It touched down briefly northwest of Pocahontas in an open field. The rest of the storms that formed produced very high winds and large hail. Hail larger than baseball in size pelted the town of Iowa Falls in Hardin County, causing considerable damage in the town. Crops were also damaged by the hail. In addition to the hail, 80 MPH winds accompanied the storm as it moved through Iowa Falls. High winds were also reported elsewhere around the county and extended into Grundy County as well. The line of storms eventually weakened, but not before dropping golf ball size hail in Webster County at Badger.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pocahontas

When: May 28, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Pocahontas County, 6 mi NW of Pocahontas
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Crop damage: $100
Coordinates: 42.800, -94.750

Hail, Hardin

When: May 28, 3:59 PM CST
Where: Hardin County, Iowa Falls
Measured: 3 in hail
Property damage: $400,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 42.520, -93.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin

When: May 28, 3:59 PM CST
Where: Hardin County, Iowa Falls
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.520, -93.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin

When: May 28, 4:23 PM CST
Where: Hardin County, Radcliffe
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.320, -93.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Grundy

When: May 28, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Grundy County, 1 mi N of Grundy Center
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.380, -92.770

Hail, Webster

When: May 28, 4:53 PM CST
Where: Webster County, Badger
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.620, -94.150

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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 The tornado archive for Iowa, 1998 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: 5646931, 5646932, 5646933, 5646934, 5646935, 5646936.