Alert archive / Delaware / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Wilmington, NC

July 16, 1989New Castle County, Delaware

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 16, 1989, 4:18 PM EDT for New Castle County, Delaware. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1989, 4:18 PM EDT (20:18 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1989, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

County New Castle County, DE

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

Atlantic City In, NJ (KACY), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 99 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, Atlantic City In, NJ at 12:00Z on 1989-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 164 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Atlantic City In, NJ at 12:00Z on 1989-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
164 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1006 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KILG 162020
FFWILG
DEC003-170015-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
418 PM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  8 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH DELAWARE
          ...NEW CASTLE
 
THE CHRISTINA RIVER AT COOCHS BRIDGE APPEARS TO BE LEVELING OFF NEAR
11 1/2 FEET...2 1/2 FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THE WHITE CLAY CREEK HAS
CRESTED DURING THE PAST HOUR AT 15.2 FEET AND IS NOW FALLING SLOWLY.
MANY ROADS ARE STILL FLOODED IN THE USUAL NUISANCE AREAS. SINCE
FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE CHRISTINA...WHITE CLAY AND PIKE
CREEKS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES...INTO THIS EVENING...THE FLOOD WARNING
FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY IS EXTENDED UNTIL 8PM TONIGHT.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH qFLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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, Jul 16, 10:19 AM EDT, 5 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1015 AM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

FROM 850 TO 910 THIS SUNDAY MORNING A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS
WAS MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA.
WIND GUSTS WERE CLOCKED AT 33 KNOTS OR 38 MILES AN HOUR AT
910 AT NEW HANOVER COUNTY AIRPORT.   CAROLINA BEACH AND SOUTHPORT
HAD WIND GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS AROUND 9 OCLOCK.

BOATERS AND MARINE IN SOUTH COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON
TO CAPE LOOKOUT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING CONDITIONS
AND TAKE COVER OR EVASIVE ACTION AS THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND
POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE UP THE COAST THIS
MORNING.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 10:40 AM EDT, 5 hours 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1015 AM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

FROM 950 TO 1010 THIS SUNDAY MORNING A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS
WAS MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA.
WIND GUSTS WERE CLOCKED AT 33 KNOTS OR 38 MILES AN HOUR AT
1010 AT NEW HANOVER COUNTY AIRPORT.   CAROLINA BEACH AND SOUTHPORT
HAD WIND GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS AROUND 9 OCLOCK.

BOATERS AND MARINE IN SOUTH COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON
TO CAPE LOOKOUT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING CONDITIONS
AND TAKE COVER OR EVASIVE ACTION AS THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND
POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE UP THE COAST THIS
MORNING.

CORRECTED...TIMES IN TEXT
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 11:49 AM EDT, 4 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1148 AM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

AT 1130 THIS FORENOON...THE LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS THAT PASSED THROUGH
THE CAPE FEAR REGION AROUND 10 OCLOCK THIS MORNING WAS LOCATED NORTH AND
SOUTH JUST WEST OF CAPE LOOKOUT AND EAST OF NEW BERN.  MARINE INTERESTS
AROUND CARTERET COUNTY ON THE OCEAN FRONT AND PAMLICO SOUND SHOULD
STILL BE ALERT FOR LOCALLY STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH THIS LINE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WAS MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
TAKE REFUGE OR EVASIVE ACTIONS WHEN THREATENING CONDITIONS ARISE.

RAIN PATCHES AND SHOWERS COVERED PARTS OF EASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND MUCH
OF EASTERN NORTH CAROL@INA INTO SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA WITH HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS
NEAR PAMLICO SOUND.  THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXTENDED ALONG THE ATLANTIC GULF
STREAM SOUTHEAT OF THE CAROLINA COASTLINES.  THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:04 PM EDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
 200 PM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HIGH WINDS ARE OVER
PARTS OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...MAINLY BETWEEN EDENTON
AND MOREHEAD CITY.

A THUNDERSTORM...WITH WIND GUST TO 50 MILES AN HOUR WAS
REPORTED AT THE ALLIGATOR RIVER BRIDGE ALONG WITH HEAVY
RAIN.

BOATERS AND MARINE INTEREST SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE
STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

TP

.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:49 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
 245 PM EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

...A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT PORTIONS OF THE
   PAMLICO SOUND UNTIL 315 PM...

AT 235 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANINED BY VERY HEAVY
RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
EXTENDED ALONG THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA FROM COROLLA SOUTH TO
THE PAMLICO SOUND JUST WEST OF BUXTON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY
ALSO PRODUCE WATERSPOUTS OVER THE SOUNDS AND COASTAL WATERS. MARINERS
SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND PREPARE THEIR VESSESLS
FOR ROUGH WEATHER CONDITIONS. RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO THE OUTER
BANKS SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT...READY TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE ALSO DETECTED OVER THE NORTHERN COASTAL AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA. SHOWERS WERE OVER GATES HERTFORD AND
BERTIE COUNTIES. SHOWERS WERE ALSO DETECETD OVER WESTERN HYDE COUNTY
IN THE CENTRAL COASTAL AREA.

OVER THE COASTAL AND OFFSHORE WATERS...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS...EXTENDED MORE THAN 125 MILES EAST
OF CAPE HATTERAS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...TV...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JONES

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Delaware, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.