Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 17, 1990Washington County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 17, 1990, 4:09 AM CDT for Washington County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 17, 1990, 4:09 AM CDT (09:09 UTC)
Expired
Jun 17, 1990, 7:15 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Washington 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

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 420 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1990-06-17Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1990-06-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 17, 2:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
IAZ002-003-006-007-010-011-013-014-015-170745-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
215 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH NUMBER 481.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE IN THESE AREAS...
BUT THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE.

...NORTH CENTRAL...
BUTLER          CERRO GORDO     FLOYD           FRANKLIN
HANCOCK         HUMBOLDT        MITCHELL        WINNEBAGO
WORTH           WRIGHT

...NORTHEAST...
ALLAMAKEE       BLACK HAWK      BREMER          BUCHANAN
CHICKASAW       FAYETTE         HOWARD          WINNESHIEK

...CENTRAL...
BOONE           DALLAS          GRUNDY          HAMILTON
HARDIN          JASPER          MARSHALL        POLK
STORY           WEBSTER

...SOUTH CENTRAL...
MADISON         MARION          WARREN

SOME CITIES CLEARED INCLUDE...

AMES            BOONE           CHARLES CITY    DECORAH
DES MOINES      FORT DODGE      I
NDEPENDENCE    INDIANOLA
IOWA FALLS      KNOXVILLE       MARSHALLTOWN    MASON CITY
NEWTON          OELWEIN         PERRY           WATERLOO
WAVERLY         WEBSTER CITY

SCHUMACHER
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 2:28 AM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
IA002-003-007-170600

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER UPDATE FOR NORTHEAST IOWA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
215 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

AT 210 AM CDT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER NORTHEAST
IOWA WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS OCCURRING IN DUBUQUE COUNTY. THESE
STORMS HAVE PRODUCED HEAVY RAINS...WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING. OTHER STORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER BREMER AND
FLOYD COUNTIES WITH HEAVY RAINS AND LIGHTNING BEING THE MAIN THREAT.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH. TEMPERATURES
WERE IN THE MIDDLE 60S AND THE WINDS WERE FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST AT
5 TO 10 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE PUSHED OUT OF NORTHEAST IOWA
BY 300 AM CDT WHILE OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL HOLD IN THE MIDDLE 60S WHILE
THE WINDS CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH AT 5 TO 10 MPH.

COLLAR
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 2:43 AM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
IAZALL-170830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
240 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF IOWA TONIGHT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN IOWA
UNTIL 4 AM...

AT 228 AM...ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM EAST CENTRAL
INTO SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE BETWEEN CEDAR RAPIDS AND
LAMONI NEAR NEW SHARON...OSKALOOSA...MELCHER/DALLAS...CHARITON AND
CORYDON.  EXCESSIVE RAINS...UP TO AN INCH IN AN HOURS TIME...AND STRONG
WINDS TO 50 MILES AN HOUR ARE OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.

ALSO...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED STORMS COVERED THE SOUTHEAST TWO-
THIRDS OF IOWA.

THE SHOWERS A*ND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
/
WHILE MOST OF IOWA IS ALREADY WATER SATURATED...A SERIOS FLOOD
PROBLEM CONTINUES.

KS
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 3:08 AM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
IAZALL-170900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
305 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF IOWA TONIGHT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN IOWA
UNTIL 4 AM...

AT 300 AM...ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE 10 TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF OTTUMWA
NEAR SIGOURNEY...WHAT CHEER AND KEOTA.  EXCESSIVE RAINS...UP TO AN INCH
IN AN HOURS TIME...WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND SMALL HAIL
WERE OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.

IN ADDITION...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED STORMS COVERED THE SOUTH-
EAST HALF OF THE STATE.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EASDT AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
/
WHILE MOST OF IOWA IS ALREADY WATER SATURATED...A SERIOUS FLOOD
PROBLEM CONTINUES.

KS
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 3:44 AM CDT, 25 minutes before
IAZALL-170930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
340 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF IOWA TONIGHT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN IOWA
UNTIL 4 AM...

AT 326 AM...ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER SOUTHEAST
IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE 10 TO 20 MILES NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH OF OTTUMWA
NEAR KEOTA...RICHLAND AND BLOOMFIELD.  EXCESSIVE RAINS...UP TO AN INCH
IN AN HOURS TIME...WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND SMALL HAIL
WERE OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.

IN ADDITION...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED STORMS COVERED THE SOUTH-
EAST HALF OF THE STATE.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
/
WHILE MOST OF IOWA IS ALREADY WATER SATURATED...A SERIOUS FLOOD
PROBLEM CONTINUES.

KS
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 4:04 AM CDT, 5 minutes before
IAZALL-171000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
405 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 400 AM...ISOLATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER THE
EXTREME SOUTHEAST AREAS OF THE STATE.  THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ALONG WITH FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND COULD
PRODUCE BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WIND.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN
A ABO;UT A 15 MILE WIDE BAND...EXTENDING FROM ABOUT 30 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA...TO 30 MILES SOUTHEAT OF CEDAR RAPIDS.

IN ADDITION...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED STORMS CONTINUED OVER
ABOUT THE EAST HALF OF THE STATE.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST  AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
.
WHILE MOST OF IOWA IS ALREADY WATER SATURATED...A SERIOUS FLOOD
PROBLEM CONTINUES.

WPM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 16, 7:17 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXLucas18 min
Jun 16, 7:33 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMonroe27 min
Jun 16, 9:03 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAppanoose27 min
Jun 16, 9:29 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXBuena Vista31 min
Jun 16, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClay, Palo Alto, Pocahontas42 min
Jun 16, 9:45 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAppanoose30 min
Jun 16, 9:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt, Kossuth40 min
Jun 16, 9:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXVan Buren33 min
Jun 16, 9:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMonroe33 min
Jun 16, 10:16 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAppanoose, Davis, Monroe, Wapello29 min
Jun 16, 10:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet28 min
Jun 16, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWebster, Wright45 min
Jun 16, 10:53 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXJones37 min
Jun 16, 10:53 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXJefferson, Van Buren37 min
Jun 16, 11:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHamilton49 min
Jun 16, 11:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXJefferson, Van Buren26 min
Jun 16, 11:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAudubon28 min
Jun 17, 3:14 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXCrawford3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.