Alert archive / Delaware / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 29, 1990New Castle County, Delaware

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this flash flood warning at May 29, 1990, 1:25 PM EDT for New Castle County, Delaware. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 29, 1990, 1:25 PM EDT (17:25 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1990, 5:00 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, 5.4 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 1990-05-29Temperature 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, Atlantic City In, NJ at 12:00Z on 1990-05-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 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
555 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
272 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 KILG 291739 COR
FFWILG
DEC003-292100-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
135 PM EDT TUE MAY 29 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM EDT
FOR NORTHERN DELAWARE. ALL RIVERS ARE INCLUDE EXCEPT THE BRANDYWINE
RIVER.

THE CURRENT READING AT COOCHS BRIDGE ON THE CHRISTINA RIVER IS AT 9.94
FT. WATER LEVELS ARE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT THIS TIME.
FLOODING REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN WILMINGTON FROM THE NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SERVICES REPORTING THE
CHRISTINA RIVER IS WELL OVER ITS BANKS.
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING.
MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

LOMBARDY

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, May 29, 9:00 AM EDT, 4 hours 25 minutes before
NCZ001-002-003-017-DDHHMM-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
850 AM EDT TUE MAY 29 1990

...SPECIAL MARINE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
   PAMLICO SOUND AND THE COASTAL WATERS BETWEEN OCRACOKE INLET AND
   DUCK UNTIL 945 AM EDT...

RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINS MOVING INTO CHOWAN AND PERQUIMANS
COUNTIES. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN
HOUR. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE IN WEATHER CONDITIONS.

ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCUPIED AN AREA 30 MILES WIDE
AND STRETCHED FROM SUFFOLK COUNTY IN VIRGINIA...SOUTHWARD TO CRAVEN
COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS ALSO NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

OVER THE COASTAL AREAS OF NORTH CAROLINA...THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS
COVERED THE OUTER BANKS...COASTAL WATERS AND SOUNDS BETWEEN DUCK AND
FRISCO. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

DCH
Special weather statement, May 29, 9:01 AM EDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
NCZ001-002-003-017-291340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
850 AM EDT TUE MAY 29 1990

...SPECIAL MARINE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
   PAMLICO SOUND AND THE COASTAL WATERS BETWEEN OCRACOKE INLET AND
   DUCK UNTIL 945 AM EDT...

RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINS MOVING INTO CHOWAN AND PERQUIMANS
COUNTIES. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN
HOUR. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE IN WEATHER CONDITIONS.

ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCUPIED AN AREA 30 MILES WIDE
AND STRETCHED FROM SUFFOLK COUNTY IN VIRGINIA...SOUTHWARD TO CRAVEN
COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS ALSO NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

OVER THE COASTAL AREAS OF NORTH CAROLINA...THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS
COVERED THE OUTER BANKS...COASTAL WATERS AND SOUNDS BETWEEN DUCK AND
FRISCO. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

DCH

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Delaware, 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.