Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 30, 1990Davis County, Van Buren County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 30, 1990, 1:05 PM CDT for Davis County, Van Buren County, Iowa. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 30, 1990, 1:05 PM CDT (18:05 UTC)
Expired
Jun 30, 1990, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Davis County, IA, Van Buren 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, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 357 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 1990-06-30Temperature 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 1990-06-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
3663 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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 301807
FFWDSM
IAC177-051-302200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
105 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF IOWA
      SOUTHWEST HALF OF VAN BUREN...ALL OF DAVIS

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

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REPEATEDLY MOVED OVER SOUTHEAST DAVIS AND
SOUTHERN VAN BUREN COUNTIES SINCE ABOUT 9 OR 10 AM SATURDAY
MORNING.  RADAR ESTIMATES OF RAINFALL NOW INDICATE THAT SOME
ISOLATED AREAS MAY HAVE RECEIVED OVER 4 INCHES OF RAIN.

IT APPEARS THAT THE GREATEST FLOODING THREAT AT THIS TIME WILL
BE FROM NEAR PULASKI...THROUGH THE CANTRILL AND MILTON AREAS...
TO NEAR MOUNT STERLING.  THESE AREAS ARE SOME 20 TO 40 MILES
SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.

RADAR ALSO INDICATES ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORMING OVER
DAVIS COUNTY...AND THESE WILL BE MOVING OVER THE AREAS THAT HAVE
ALREADY RECEIVED THE GREATEST RAINS.

PEOPLE IN FLOOD PRONE OR LOW LYING AREAS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND AT ONCE.  ACT QUICKLY...AS FLOOD WATERS OFTEN RISE RAPIDLY.
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.

TRUETT/WEINBRECHT

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 30, 10:48 AM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
IAZALL-301630-

SPECIAL STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1048 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 1035 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG THE IOWA/MISSOURI
BORDER OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA. THE STORMS WERE OCCURRING SOUTH OF
A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA...NEAR KEOSAUQUA EAST TO
BURLINGTON. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR DONNELLSON OR 20
MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURLINGTON.

LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WINDS COULD
OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS.

FLOODING IS LIKELY PARTICULARLY IN LOW LYING AREAS AND AROUND SMALL
RIVERS AND STREAMS...AS SEVERAL STORMS HAVE MOVED OVER THIS AREA IN
THE PAST TWO HOURS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS
 WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 11:48 AM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
IAZALL-301730-

SPECIAL STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1148 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 1135 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS PERSISTED ALONG THE IOWA/MISSOURI
BORDER OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORM IN IOWA WAS
LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST VAN BUREN COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF CANTRIL...OR
35 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.

THIS STORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...FRQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING AND
POSSIBLY SOME SMmALL HAIL.

A THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL IOWA AND WAS LOCATED ABOUT
30 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES NEAR NEVADA.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 11:53 AM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
IAZALL-301730-

SPECIAL STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTED TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1148 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 1135 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS PERSISTED ALONG THE IOWA/MISSOURI
BORDER OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORM IN IOWA WAS
LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST VAN BUREN COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF CANTRIL...OR
35 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING }AND
POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.

A THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL IOWA AND WAS LOCATED ABOUT
30 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES NEAR NEVADA.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 12:29 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
IAZALL-302000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1230 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

...DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY LEVELS OVER IOWA...

A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY IS BUILDING
OVER IOWA THIS AFTERNOON.  WHILE THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE ALSO BEEN HOT
AND HUMID...CONDITIONS WILL BE FAR WORSE IN MOST AREAS THIS AFTERNOON.

ALREADY AT 12 NOON...TEMPERATURES IN THE STATE WERE HOVERING AROUND
THE 90 DEGREE MARK...WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MIDDLE 70S.  THE HEAT INDEX..
WHICH IS A MEASURE OF THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY...
WAS ALREADY AROUND THE 100 DEGREE MARK IN MANY AREAS.

AN ADDED STRESS IS BEING CAUSED BY A LACK OF WIND...AS SPEEDS THROUGHOUT
THE STATE WERE UNDER 10 MILES AN HOUR.

CONDITIONS WILL ONLY WORSEN DURING THE AFTERNOON...AS TEMPERATURES
CLIMB SLOWLY.

REMEMBER...IN THIS WEATHER YOU SHOULD SLOW DOWN AND TAKE IT EASY.
STRENOUS ACTIVITY CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS...ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE
NOT IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION.  IF WORKING OUTDOORS...TAKE FREQUENT
BREAKS...DRINK PLENTY OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES...AND TRY TO STAY OUT
OF THE DIRECT SUN.  IF POSSIBLE...TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AIR CONDITIONING.

THE LEAST SEVERE CONDITIONS WILL BE OVER THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES...AS
HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL BE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE.
HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES IN THE NORTHWEST WILL STILL BE WELL INTO THE 90S.

TRUETT
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 12:33 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
IAZALL-301800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1230 AM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

TO USERS OF IAWAS...

STATE RADIO CALLED AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WITH IAWAS IS BEING
WORKED ON BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG THEY IT WILL BE. PLEASE
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WIRES IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
OR TORNADO WATCHES ARE ISSUED FROM THE NATIOMAL WEATHER SERVICE
AT OMAHA...DES MOINES...WATERLOO...MOLINE...DUBUQUE OR SIOUX CITY.

WEINBRECHT
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 12:50 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
IAZALL-301830-

SPECIAL STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1249 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 1235 PM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS PERSISTED ALONG THE IOWA/MISSOURI
BORDER OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORM IN IOWA WAS
LOCATED IN DAVIS COUNTY ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF BLOOMFIELD OR ABOUT 20
MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA.

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING AND
POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN SOUTHWEST IOWA SOME 70 TO 85
MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES...JUST WEST OF VILLISCA AND 5 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF SHENANDOAH.

THE THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL IOWA NORTH OF DES MOINES HAD DISSIPATED.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BARLOW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 29, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWright40 min
Jun 30, 8:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 9:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren36 min
Jun 30, 10:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXVan Buren25 min
Jun 30, 1:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDavis, Van Buren45 min
Jun 30, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren37 min
Jun 30, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMadison37 min
Jun 30, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Lucas37 min
Jun 30, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren30 min
Jun 30, 3:42 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMadison, Warren33 min
Jun 30, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Union44 min
Jun 30, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur, Wayne41 min
Jun 30, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur54 min
Jun 30, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska51 min
Jun 30, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold, Union48 min
Jun 30, 4:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDecatur33 min
Jun 30, 5:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMahaska4 hr
Jun 30, 5:03 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAdams, Union27 min

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.