Alert archive / Kentucky / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Louisville, KY

December 30, 1990Adair County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this flash flood warning at Dec 30, 1990, 4:42 PM CST for Adair County, Kentucky. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 30, 1990, 4:42 PM CST (22:42 UTC)
Expired
Dec 30, 1990, 8:45 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Adair County, KY

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 160 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1990-12-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 165 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1990-12-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 327 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
165 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
566 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
327 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
360 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSDF 302240
FFWSDF
KYC001-310245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
542 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
 
   ...ADAIR COUNTY
 
AT 530 PM EST...THE ADAIR COUNTY DISPATCHER REPORTED WATER RISING
RAPIDLY IN THE RUSSELL CREEK...WITH 2.50 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE 1130
AM.  STATE ROADS 2971 AND 551 WERE FLOODED AND HAVE BEEN CLOSED AND
GREEN HILLS ROAD WILL LIKELY BE CLOSED.
 
 
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FL<ASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
SHANKLIN

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, Dec 30, 10:59 AM CST, 5 hours 43 minutes before
KYZ007-301900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KY
1200 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY...
...STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST...

A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY. WEATHER
SERVICE RADAR INDICATES THE LEADING EDGE OF A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAIN NOW ENTERING FLEMING...BATH...MONGOMERY...POWELL...ESTILL
...MADISON AND GARRARD COUNTY. THE RAIN IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
AT 11 AM THE TEMPERATURE AT THE WEATHER SERVICE IN LEXINGTON WAS 66
DEGREES WITHIN 8 MINUTES IT HAD DROPPED TO 49 DEGREES. ALSO DURING THE
PAST ONE HOUR .61 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN. THE RAIN...HEAVY AT TIMES
WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...WATCH WATER LEVELS CLOSELY.
IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE
FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATERS BEGIN
TO RISE. 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. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

SZAPPANOS
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 1:02 PM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
KYZ007-302100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KY
200 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY...

A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY. WEATHER
SERVICE RADAR INDICATES MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ACROSS ALL OF EAST CENTRAL
KENTUCKY. THE FLOOD WARNING ALONG THE LICKING RIVER BASIN IS CONTINUED
FOR THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE FOR THE REMAINDER
OF THE AFTERNOON.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...WATCH WATER LEVELS CLOSELY.
IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE
FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATERS BEGIN
TO RISE. DO NOT DRIVE ]YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
ADDITIONAL WARNINGS.

SZAPPANOS
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 3:13 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
KYZ002-004-005-310000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
415 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT THIS EVENING FOR
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY.

SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE STATE HAS FALLEN
IN THE FORM OF RAIN. PRECIPITATION IN WESTERN KENTUCKY HAS CHANGED TO
FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET...BUT THE PRECIPITATION IS LIGHT AND WILL END
THIS EVENING. PRECIPITATION IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY WILL
CHANGE TO LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...THE
PRECIPITATION WILL END BY AROUND MID EVENING.

AS A RESULT...NO MAJOR DRIVING PROBLEMS ARE ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...EVEN
A SMALL AMOUNT OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET CAN CAUSE LOCALLY SLIPPERY
CONDITIONS. THUS CAUTION IS STILL ADVISED WHEN DRIVING AND WALKING THIS
EVENING.
FUNK
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 3:46 PM CST, 56 minutes before
KYZ007-302300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KY
445 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WARNING FOR LICKING RIVER BASIN THIS EVENING...
...FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS EVENING...

A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY THROUGH
THIS EVENING. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS EAST CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AT 430 PM EST...AND WAS MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF LEXINGTON.
ALL RAIN WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THE AREAS OF HEAVIER RAIN WILL
TAPPER OFF TO LIGHT RAIN EARLY THIS EVENING. THE FLOOD WARNING FOR THE
LICKING RIVER BASIN CONTINUES THIS EVENING.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...WATCH WATER LEVELS CLOSELY. IF
FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE
FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATERS BEGIN
TO RISE. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Louisville, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 30, 3:34 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLMKRockcastle4 hr
Dec 30, 4:17 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLMKPulaski4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kentucky, 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.