Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Des Moines, IA

September 19, 1986Lucas County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 19, 1986, 8:06 AM CDT for Lucas County, Iowa. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 19, 1986, 8:06 AM CDT (13:06 UTC)
Expired
Sep 19, 1986, 12:00 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Lucas 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 12:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 257 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 12:00Z on 1986-09-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1986-09-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 211 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3642 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
211 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
291 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 191306
FFWDSM
IAC117-191700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
806 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1200 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...LUCAS

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMINENT OR IS OCCURRING.
TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.

THE CHARITON RIVER AT 8AM THIS MORNING WAS AROUND TWO FEET
ABOVE FLOOD STAGE.   FLOOD STAGE IS 16 FEET.  MANY SMALLER STREAMS
AND CREEKS IN THE CHARITION RIVER BASIN WERE OVERFLOWING THEIR BANKS.

PEOPLE LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND
AT ONCE.  ACT QUICKLY..AS FLOOD WATERS OFTEN RISE VERY QUICKLY.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING..DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOOD WATERS OF
UNKNOWN DEPTH.  IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS..ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY
AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.

MCQUIRTER

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, Sep 19, 2:43 AM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
2 45 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST HALF OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 2 30 AM...
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE OCCURRING IN SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTH
WEST...AND A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST IOWA JUST SOUTH OF OTTUMWA.  THE
HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING IN SOUTHWEST IOWA NEAR CORNING...AND
IN SOUTHEAST IOWA JUST SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE ALSO FALLING ON MOST OF THE SOUTHWEST
HALF OF IOWA...SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM SPIRIT LAKE TO DAVENPORT.

ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Sep 19, 3:47 AM CDT, 4 hours 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
3 45 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST HALF OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 3 30 AM...
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL IOWA JUST
NORTH OF THE OMAHA AREA...AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED
IN SOUTHWEST IOWA NEAR LEON...OR ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES
...AND IN SOUTHEAST IOWA NEAR FAIRFIELD AND KEOSAUQUA...ABOUT 20 MILES
EAST OF OTTUMWA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE ALSO FALLING ON BUT A SMALL PART OF
NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.

ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Sep 19, 4:48 AM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
4 45 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST HALF OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 4 30 AM...
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM WEST CENTRAL INTO CENTRAL
IOWA BETWEEN OMAHA AND PERRY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF IOWA...EXCEPT
FOR A SMALL PORTION OF NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.

ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE EAS!T AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Sep 19, 5:44 AM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
5 45 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST HALF OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 5 30 AM...
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL IOWA.
THE HEAVIEST RAINS WERE LOCATED ALONG A NARROW LINE...15 MILES WIDE AND
EXTENDING FROM SHENANDOAH...35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO
JUST SOUTH OF AMES.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVEREWD MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF IOWA...EXCEPT
FOR A SMALL PORTION OF NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.

ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Sep 19, 6:44 AM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
6 45 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST HALF OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 6 30 AM...
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WERE LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTH
WEST IOWA.  THE HEAVIEST RAINS WERE LOCATED NEAR CRESTON...ABOUT 50
MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF IOWA...EXCEPT
FOR A SMALL PORTION OF EXTREME EASTERN AND EXTREME WESTERN IOWA.

HEAVY SHOWERS AND AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN FALLING ON SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA MOST OF THE NIGHT.  PRELIMINARY RAINFALL REPORTS
INDICATED AMOUNTS RANGING FROM AROUND AN INCH TO OVER 4.5 INCHES.

ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCass20 min
Sep 18, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAdair48 min
Sep 19, 1:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXRinggold3 hr

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.