Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 28, 1998

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 28, 1998
Start: 1998-05-28T19:56
End: 1998-05-28T22:15
Location: Iowa

May 28, 1998 · NWS DMX · 11 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: $42,000
Crop damage: $122,000
Events: 11

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 but died down during the late afternoon hours. The break was fairly short as the atmosphere was able to recharge during the early evening hours. The low level jet increased and fed the new storms. Initially, the storms became tornadic with brief tornado touchdowns. No serious damage was reported with the tornadoes however. The main severe weather with the storms was hail during much of the evening. Hail up to golf ball in size was reported in many locations, resulting in fairly widespread crop damage and some property damage.

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Calhoun

When: May 28, 7:56 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County, 4 mi E of Lake City
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Crop damage: $200
Coordinates: 42.270, -94.650

Hail, Calhoun

When: May 28, 7:56 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County, Lake City
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.270, -94.730

Tornado, Crawford

When: May 28, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 1 mi N of Charter Oak
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 42.080, -95.600

Hail, Webster

When: May 28, 8:26 PM CST
Where: Webster County, 1 mi N of Lanyon
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.250, -94.180

Hail, Crawford

When: May 28, 8:40 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 2 mi N of Schleswig
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.200, -95.430

Hail, Crawford

When: May 28, 8:51 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 5 mi NW of Denison
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.070, -95.420

Hail, Crawford

When: May 28, 9:12 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 3 mi SE of Deloit
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.070, -95.280

Hail, Crawford

When: May 28, 9:18 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Vail
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 42.070, -95.200

Tornado, Carroll

When: May 28, 9:36 PM CST
Where: Carroll County, Arcadia to 2 mi SE of Arcadia
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Crop damage: $100
Coordinates: 42.070, -95.080

Hail, Carroll

When: May 28, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Carroll County, 10 mi SW of Carroll
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.970, -95.020

Hail, Crawford

When: May 28, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Manilla
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.880, -95.250

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.

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: 5646937, 5646938, 5646939, 5646940, 5646941, 5646942, 5646943, 5646944, 5646945, 5646946, 5646947.