Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 19, 1990Washington County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 19, 1990, 8:05 PM CDT for Washington County, Iowa. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 19, 1990, 8:05 PM CDT (01:05 UTC)
Expired
Jun 20, 1990, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
4 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 388 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 00:00Z on 1990-06-20Temperature 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 00:00Z on 1990-06-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -66 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
3628 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 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 19, 6:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
IAZALL-200000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
615 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST HALF OF IOWA UNTIL
10 PM CDT THIS TUESDAY EVENING...
...A FLASH FLOOD/FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTH IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 610 PM CDT...ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED
SOUTHWEST THROUGH NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ADEL...OR ABOUT 15 MILES WEST
OF DES MOINES.  THIS STORM SHOULD ENTER THE DES MOINES METRO AREA
BETWEEN 630 AM 7PM.

THERE WERE ALSO RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORMS SOUTHWEST THROUGH SOUTH
OF DES MOINES...IN ABOUT A 10 MILE WIDE AREA...FROM JUST NORTHEAST
OF GREENFIELD...TO JUST WEST OF INDIANOLA.
.
THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL...
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND COULD PRODUCE BRIEF STRONG
GUSTY WIND.

ALL THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN
HOUR.

WPM/CAB
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 6:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SDZ018-200000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
625 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF OF IOWA
   UNTIL 10 PM...

ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO FORM DURING THE AFTERNOON AND
EARLY EVENING...WEATHER PARAMETERS CONTINUE TO POINT TO THE POTENTIAL
FOR RAPID SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA.

PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN HALF OF IOWA SHOULD CONTINUE TO CAREFULLY
MONITOR THE WEATHER DURING THE EVENING.

HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST COUNTIES HAVE ESCAPED THE
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...AND LYON AND SIOUX COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN
THE WATCH.

TRUETT
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 6:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
IAZALL-200030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
640 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST HALF OF IOWA UNTIL
10 PM CDT THIS TUESDAY EVENING...
...A FLASH FLOOD/FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTH IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 631 PM CDT...AN INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF
WINTERSET...OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF WINTERSET.  THIS STORM
WAS PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND COULD ALSO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WIND.

SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH...PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD
BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

OVER THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL IOWA AND SOUTHEAST IOWA...SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP...IN A 35 MILE WIDE AREA...
CENTERED FROM 25 MILES NORTH OF OTTUMWA...TO 40 MILES WEST OF
DES MOINES.

THE STORMS WERE ALL MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

WPM/CAB
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 6:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
IAZALL-200030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...COR FIRST PARA...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
640 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST HALF OF IOWA UNTIL
10 PM CDT THIS TUESDAY EVENING...
...A FLASH FLOOD/FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTH IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 631 PM CDT...AN INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF
WINTERSET...OR ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES.  THIS STORM
WAS PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND COULD ALSO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WIND.

SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH...PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD
BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

OVER THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL IOWA AND SOUTHEAST IOWA...SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP...IN A 35 MILE WIDE AREA...
CENTERED FROM 25 MILES NORTH OF OTTUMWA...TO 40 MILES WEST OF
DES MOINES.

THE STORMS WERE ALL MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

WPM/CAB
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 7:19 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
IAZALL-200100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
720 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST HALF OF IOWA UNTIL
10 PM CDT THIS TUESDAY EVENING...
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST ONE QUARTER OF IOWA...
...A FLASH FLOOD/FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTH IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 700 PM CDT...SCATTERED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN
A 15 MILE WIDE AREA...FROM 25 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES
TO 15 MILES NORTH OF OTTUMWA.  THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE
LOCATED FROM JUST NORTH OF WINTERSET TO JUST NORTH OF INDIANOLA
...AND JUST NORTHEAST OF OSKALOOSA.

ANOTHER INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
DES MOINES.
.
SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH...PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE
STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING EXCESSIVE RAINFALL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND COULD PR:ODUCE BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WIND.

ALL THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

WPM
Special weather statement, Jun 19, 7:40 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
IAZALL-200130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IOWA
740 PM CDT TUE JUN 19 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST HALF OF IOWA UNTIL
10 PM CDT THIS TUESDAY EVENING...
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST ONE QUARTER OF IOWA...
...A FLASH FLOOD/FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTH IOWA TONIGHT...

AT 730 PM CDT...SCATTERED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN
A 25 MILE WIDE AREA...FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES
TO 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.  THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE
LOCATED FROM JUST NORTHWEST OF WINTERSET TO JUST NORTH OF INDIANOLA
...AND JUST NORTH OF OTTUMWA.

SEVERAL INTENSE STORMS WERE LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
DES MOINES...BETWEEN DES MOINES AND NEWTON.
.
SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH...PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE
STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING EXCESSIVE RWAINFALL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND COULD PRODUCE BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WIND.

ALL THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

GGF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 19, 7:04 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMarion, Warren5 hr
Jun 19, 7:04 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMadison5 hr
Jun 19, 8:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXKeokuk, Mahaska4 hr
Jun 19, 8:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXJones49 min
Jun 19, 8:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska49 min
Jun 19, 8:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXAppanoose, Davis, Monroe, Wapello7 hr
Jun 19, 8:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXJefferson, Van Buren7 hr
Jun 19, 8:45 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMarion30 min
Jun 19, 8:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWinneshiek42 min
Jun 19, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Union45 min
Jun 19, 9:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur, Ringgold48 min
Jun 19, 9:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKeokuk, Mahaska62 min
Jun 19, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAllamakee30 min
Jun 19, 9:19 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXClarke, Decatur, Lucas, Wayne5 hr
Jun 19, 9:19 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXRinggold, Union5 hr
Jun 19, 9:42 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDecatur, Ringgold48 min
Jun 19, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren46 min
Jun 19, 10:23 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDecatur37 min
Jun 19, 10:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne33 min
Jun 19, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAppanoose29 min
Jun 19, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXKeokuk, Washington6 hr
Jun 19, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMahaska6 hr
Jun 19, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMarion4 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.