Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986
Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 30, 1986, 3:45 AM CDT for Polk County, Iowa. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 30, 1986, 3:45 AM CDT (08:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 30, 1986, 9:45 AM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, IA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 236 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3623 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 119 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 262 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 300846 FFWDSM IAC153-301445- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 345 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF CENTRAL IOWA...POLK A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR IS OCCURRING. TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY. THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONCERNS FOUR MILE CREEK IN THE DES MOINES AREA. HEAVY RAINS OF LAST NIGHT HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT RISES ON FOUR MILE CREEK. AT 345 AM CDT THE STAGE WAS 11 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 12 FEET. THE CREEK SHOULD CONTINUE TO RISE AND BE AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH EARLY MORNING HOURS... OR UNTIL 8 OR 9 AM CDT. PEOPLE LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND AT ONCE. ACT QUICKLY..AS FLOOD WATERS OFTEN RISE VERY QUICKLY. ELLINGSON
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 12:17 AM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1215 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 5 AM MONDAY MORNING...
AT 1210 AM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER EAST CENTRAL..CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. ONE GROUP OF STORMS WERE NEAR IOWA CITY.
OTHER STORMS WERE NEAR NEWTON..OSCEOLA AND ALSO WEST OF LAMONI
NEAR MT AYR.
VERY HEAVY RAINS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 45 AND
50 MILES AN HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
AROUND OTHER PARTS OF IOWA..NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDER-
STORMS EXTENDED FROM EAST CENTRAL INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA.
THE SHOWERS AND STORmMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
{{}SIECZYNSKISpecial weather statement, Jun 30, 12:52 AM CDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1250 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL IOWA UNTIL 5 AM MONDAY MORNING... AT 1235 AM...A NARROW BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE BAND WAS 10 MILES MILES WIDE AND STRETCHED FROM NEAR MARSHALLTOWN THROUGH PELLA AND KNOXVILLE TO JUST EAST OF LAMONI. OTHER STORNG STORMS WERE NEAR BELLE PLAINE AND MARENGO..ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF CEDAR RAPIDS. VERY HEAVY RAINS..FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR WILL BE EXPERIENCED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS. AROUND OTtHER PARTS OF IOWA..NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDER- STORMS WERE OVER ALL BUT THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. SIECZYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 1:55 AM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
<PQ< SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 150 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL..SOUTH CENTRAL..AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. THE HEAVIER STORMS HAVE MOVED ON TO THE EAST OF THAT AREA AND SEVERE WEATHER NO LONGER APPEARS LIKELY. THE CLEARED COUNTIES ARE... ...NORTH CENTRAL... BUTLER ...NORTHEAST... BLACK HAWK BREMER BUCHANAN FAYETTE ...CENTRAL... BOONE DALLAS GRUNDY JASPER MARSHALL POLK STORY ...SOUTHWEST... ADAMS FREMONT MONTGOMERY PAGE TAYLOR ...SOUTH CENTRAL... CLARKE DECATUR LUCAS MADISON MARION RINGGOLD UNION WARREN WAYNE SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE CLEARED AREA ARE... AMES BOONE CRESTON DES MOINES INDEPENDENCE INDIANOLA KNOXVILLE MARSHALLTOWN NEWTON OELWEIN PERRY RED OAK SHENANDOAH WATERLOO WAVERLY HOWEVER....THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 5 AM. PEOPLE IN THAT AREA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALSO CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL IOWA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. ELLINGSON
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 2:19 AM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 215 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 5 AM THIS MORNING... NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA BETWEEN 130-215 AM. AT 210 AM..STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH- EAST IOWA NEAR BRIGHTON AND WASHINGTON..35 MILES NORTHWEST OF OF BURLINGTON. IN ADDITION TO VERY HEAVY RAINS..BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ELSEWHERE..NUMEROUS SHOWERS ANS SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OVER ALL BUT THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF THER STATE. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE IN INTENSITY SINCE 130 AM. SIECZYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 2:36 AM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 235 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 5 AM THIS MORNING... NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA BETWEEN 130-235 AM. AT 225 AM..ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LINGERED IN EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA. ONE STORM WAS JUST WEST OF MORNING SUN..45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE QUAD CITIES. ANOTHER STORM WAS BETWEEN FORT MADISON AND FARMINGTON..20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURLINGTON. IN ADDITION TO VERY HEAVY RAINS..BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ELSEWHERE..NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OVER ALL BUT THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE STATE. THE RAINFALL WAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS THROUGH DES MOINES TO WATERLOO. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR WITH A CONTINUED DECREASE IN INTENSITY. SIECZYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 3:45 AM CDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 335 AM CDT MON JUN 30 1986 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA UNTIL 5 AM THIS MORNING... NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN IOWA BETWEEN 230-335 AM. AT 325 AM..AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED OVER EAST CENTRAL IOWA 15 MILES SOUTHEAS OF CEDAR RAPIDS..BETWEEN IOWA CITY AND TIPTON. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN THIRD AND OVER THE EAST CENTRAL SECTION OF THE STATE. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS TO DES MOINES TO WATERLOO. ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. FERRY
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Calhoun | 45 min |
| Jun 29, 8:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Greene | 49 min |
| Jun 29, 9:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Emmet | 45 min |
| Jun 29, 10:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Guthrie | 40 min |
| Jun 29, 10:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Cass | 42 min |
| Jun 29, 10:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Dallas, Polk | 6 hr |
| Jun 29, 11:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Polk | 25 min |
| Jun 30, 1:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Iowa, Poweshiek | 48 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 1986Every flash flood warning in 1986
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.