Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Milwaukee, WI

March 13, 1990Dodge County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this flash flood warning at Mar 13, 1990, 7:18 PM CST for Dodge County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 13, 1990, 7:18 PM CST (01:18 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 1990, 10:00 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Dodge County, WI

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

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 128 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, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1990-03-14Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1990-03-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 284 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
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
284 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
293 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 140121
FFWMKE
WIC027-140615-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
718 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WHAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
          ...DODGE
 
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STREET AND BASEMENT FLOODING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED
FROM MUCH OF DODGE COUNTY SINCE 710 PM. RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW
MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS HEADED FOR DODGE COUNTY FROM THE SOUTH
CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE.
 
 
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH 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.

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, Mar 13, 1:33 PM CST, 5 hours 45 minutes before
WIZ016-017-019-020-132200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
125 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 120 PM..RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NEAR HARVARD
IN NORTHERN MCHENRY COUNTY ILLINOIS.  THIS IS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF
DELAVAN IN WALWORTH COUNTY.  THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN WALWORTH
COUNTY BEFORE 2 PM...WITH THE STRONGEST STORM PASSING NEAR LAKE GENEVA.
THEY WILL THEN CONTINUE ON INTO RACINE AND KENOSHA COUNTY.

SMALL HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.  GUSTY WINDS
AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.  RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN THE
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF WISCONSIN SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER.

JOHNSTON
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 2:14 PM CST, 5 hours 4 minutes before
WIZ012-013-016-017-019-020-132200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
210 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS SPREADING NORTHWARD ACROSS SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 200 PM...RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO JANESVILLE.  THESE
STORMS CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHWARD NEAR 30 MPH.

HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME OF THESE
STORMS.  GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.  RESIDENTS AND
TRAVELERS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER.

JOHNSTON
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 2:25 PM CST, 4 hours 53 minutes before
WIZ010-011-014-015-018-019-140000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
220 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 220 PM..RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST
ROCK COUNTY. PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY THE ROCK COUNTY SHERIFF JUST
EAST OF THE CITY OF BELOIT. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE AND TRAVELERS IN  SOUTHERN WISCONSIN NEAR THE WISCONSIN..ILLINOIS
BORDER SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER.

PRZEKURAT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 6:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWashington56 min
Mar 13, 6:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge62 min
Mar 13, 7:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWashington51 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Wisconsin, 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.