Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 1988

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS San Diego, CA

August 24, 1988Imperial County, California

NWS San Diego, CA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 24, 1988, 2:25 AM PDT for Imperial County, California. It was in force for 50 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 24, 1988, 2:25 AM PDT (09:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 24, 1988, 3:15 AM PDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS San Diego, CA
Area
Whole counties

County Imperial County, CA

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

San Diego, CA (KNKX), launched 00:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, San Diego, CA at 00:00Z on 1988-08-24Temperature 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, San Diego, CA at 00:00Z on 1988-08-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 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 KLAX 240926 COR
FFWLAX
CAC065-025-071-241000-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES CA
225 AM PDT WED AUG 24 1988  ...HEADER CORRECTION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A ASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL
315 AM THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

CENTRAL AND EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY
CENTRAL AND EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY
CENTRAL SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

RADAR...SATELLITE...AND LIGHTNING DETECTION INSTRUMENTS INDICATE
THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...ESPECIALLY FROM EAST OF PALM SPRINGS TO THE MORONGO VALLEY...TO
THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS.

THE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST AND MAY EXTEND ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS INTO THE BANNING...BEAUOMONT AREA.

TRAVEL ON STATE HIGHWAY 62 TO THE MORONGO VALLEY...AND INTERSTATE 10
FROM PALM SPRINGS TO THE BEAUMONT AREA MAY BE EFFECTED FOR THE NEXT8
TWO HOURS.

ALSO...FLOODING IS STILL OCCURRING IN EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY FROM
EARLIER HEAVY RAIN...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN EXISTS IN CENTRAL
AND EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY.

GREBE

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, Aug 23, 10:15 PM PDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATION SAN DIEGO CA
10:15 PM TUE AUG 23 1988

.....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN
     ISSUED FOR EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY UNTIL 1AM.....
.....FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF IMPERIAL COUNTY
     UNTIL 3AM.....

A NEW SURGE OF SUBTROPICAL UNSTABLE AIR MASS HAS MOVED INTO EASTERN
IMPERIAL COUNTY WITH HEAVY RAINS FROM WESTERN ARIZONA AND NORTHERN
MEXICO. THE THUNDERSTORMS CAN HAVE HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

...SOME FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY TO OCCUR IN THE WARNING AREA.

WIND GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH WITH ZERO VISIBILITIES CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT STATE ROUTE 95 ... THE
EXTREME EASTERN PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 10 AND STATE ROUTE 62.

PEOPLE ARE REMINDED NEVER TO ATTEMPT CROSSING ROADWAYS COVERED WITH
WATER. IF YOY ARE OUTSIDE AND SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER
INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

HA3STRUP
Special weather statement, Aug 23, 11:46 PM PDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATION SAN DIEGO CA
11:45 PM TUE AUG 23 1988

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES
FOR FOR EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY UNTIL 1AM AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
CONTINUES FOR ALL OF IMPERIAL COUNTY UNTIL 3AM.

PALMDALE RADAR REPORTS HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN IMPERIAL
COUNTY AND IS MOVING ACROSS STATE 78 AND S34 AND THE CHOCOLATE
MOUNTAINS. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST 15 TO 20 MILES
AN HOUR.  IMPERIAL COUNTY OES HAS RECEIVED REPORTS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
DURING THE PAST HOUR JUST NORTH OF HIGHWAY 78 NEAR GLAMIS.

REMEMBER WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

PEOPLE ARE REMINDED NEVER TO ATTEMPT CROSSING ROADWAYS COVERED WITH
WATER. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE AND SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER
INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.
.
HASTRUP
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 12:33 AM PDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATION SAN DIEGO CA
12:35 AM WED AUG 24 1988

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES
FOR FOR EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY UNTIL 1AM AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
CONTINUES FOR ALL OF IMPERIAL COUNTY UNTIL 3AM.

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE IN EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY. DURING THE
PAST 15 MINUTES IMPERIAL COUNTY OES REPORTS THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CITY. THE WINDS ARE PICKING UP AND ARE
VERY STRONG.

REMEMBER WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

PEOPLE ARE REMINDED NEVER TO ATTEMPT CROSSING ROADWAYS COVERED WITH
WATER. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE AND SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER
INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

HASTRUP
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 1:29 AM PDT, 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATION SAN DIEGO CA
1:30 AM WED AUG 24 1988

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR EASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY HAS BEEN EXTENDED
TO 3:15 AM...THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3AM FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE COUNTY.

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTUNUE TO POUND IMPERIAL COUNTY...MAINLY STRONG
WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING NORTH AND EAST OF EL CENTRO.

THE STORMS ATE MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AND SOME OF THEM MAY EXTEND TO
THE MOUNTAINS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND BEYOND.

REMEMBER WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

PEOPLE ARE REMINDED NEVER TO ATTEMPT CROSSING ROADWAYS COVERED WITH
WATER. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE AND SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER
INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.
.
HASTRUP

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Diego, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 10:00 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningSGXImperial3 hr
Aug 23, 10:00 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGXImperial3 hr
Aug 24, 2:25 AM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGXImperial50 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 1988Every flash flood warning in 1988

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.