Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS La Crosse, WI

July 17, 1991La Crosse County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at Jul 17, 1991, 6:49 PM CDT for La Crosse County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 91 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 1991, 6:49 PM CDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1991, 8:20 PM CDT
In force
91 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Whole counties

County La Crosse County, WI

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 224 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1991-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2574 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1991-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
2574 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-125 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
983 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLSE 172349
FFWLSE
WIC063-180345-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
649 PM CDT WED JUL 17 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CDT
    FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
 
   ...SOUTHERN LA CROSSE COUNTY
 
AT 645 PM...PAMMEL CREEK HAD RISEN TO FLOOD STAGE IN LA CROSSE.
WHILE THE RAIN THAT HAS FALLEN SO FAR IS NOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE MAJOR
FLOODING PROBLEMS...HEAVY RAIN IS AGAIN MOVING INTO SOUTHERN PORTIONS
OF LA CROSSE COUNTY.  ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODING
IN SOUTHERN LA CROSSE COUNTY...PARTICULARLY ALONG PAMMEL CREEK.
 
PEOPLE IN LA CROSSE...AND SOUTHERN LA CROSSE COUNTY SHOULD BE PREPARED
TO TAKE QUICK ACTION...AND TO MOVE TO HIGH GROUND SHOULD WATER
BEGIN TO RISE.  ANYONE LIVING NEAR SMALL STREAMS SHOULD BE PREPARED
TO EVACUATE AT A MOMENTS NOTICE IF NECESSARY.
 
DOm 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.
 
BRUCE
NNNN

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, Jul 17, 1:34 PM CDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
WIZ010-014-172000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND AREA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
135 PM CDT WED JUL 17 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR BUFFALO COUNTY UNTIL 700 PM...

AT 130 PM...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.  MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS NORTHEAST OF A
LINE FROM VIROQUA...TO LA CROSSE...TO ALMA...OR 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF
LA CROSSE.  THE STRONGEST STORMS...PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...WERE
NEAR BLAIR...OR 35 MILES NORTH OF LA CROSSE...AND OVER EXTREME
NORTHWEST BUFFALO COUNTY JUST SOUTHEAST OF DURAND.

INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR...
BUT THE AREA OF PRECIPITATION IS MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES
AN HOUR.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON TO THE NORTH
AND EAST OF LA CROSSE.  HOWEVER...SUNSHINE...AND VERY WARM HUMID AIR
IS JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE CITY.  THIS MUGGY AIR WILL SPREAD INTO
THE IMMESDIATE LA CROSSE AREA BY MID-AFTERNOON...AND TEMPERATURES WILL
WARM RAPIDLY INTO THE 80S.

BRUCE
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 2:47 PM CDT, 4 hours 2 minutes before
WIZ010-014-172045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND AREA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
245 PM CDT WED JUL 17 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR BUFFALO COUNTY NORTHWEST OF
LA CROSSE UNTIL 700 PM...

AT 245 PM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED IN A 40 MILE WIDE
BAND ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN FROM 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
LA CROSSE NEAR HILLSBORO TO 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE NEAR
NELSON WISCONSIN AND WAS MOVING LITTLE.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...BUT
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN OCCURRING IN ADJACENT AREAS NORTH OF
LA CROSSE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON
MAINLY IN AREAS NORTH AND EA0ST OF LA CROSSE WHERE TEMPERATURES SHOULD
STAY IN THE 70S.  SUNSHINE ALONG WITH HOT AND HUMID AIR WILL BE IN
ADJACENT AREAS TO OUR SOUTH WHERE TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 90S.

THOMPSON
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 3:38 PM CDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
WIZ010-014-172145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND AREA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
335 PM CDT WED JUL 17 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR BUFFALO COUNTY NORTHWEST OF
LA CROSSE UNTIL 700 PM...

AT 335 PM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED IN A 40 MILE WIDE
BAND ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN FROM 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
LA CROSSE NEAR HILLSBORO TO 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE NEAR
MONDOVI WISCONSIN.  THE BAND OF RAIN HAS BEEN MOVING LITTLE.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE LA CROSSE AREA...BUT
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN OCCURRING.  MOTORISTS ARE ADIVSED TO USE
CAUTION AND EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN
AREAS AS SHOWERS AyND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING.

THOMPSON
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 4:49 PM CDT, 2 hours before
MNZ018-019-172230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
440 PM CDT WED JUL 17 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS CONTINUED ALONG
   THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...

AT 440 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
OCCURRING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM WABASHA
MINNESOTA TO LA CROSSE WISCONSIN.  THE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.  BOATERS...FISHERMEN...
CAMPERS...AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS IN THIS AREA
SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM ST. CLOUD AND
MILLE LACS LAKE AREA SOUTHEAST TO STILLEWATER...RED WING
...WABASHA...AND WINONA MINNESOTA.  THIS AREA EXTENDED
EAST INTO WISCONSIN TO LA CROSSE...TOMAH...WHITEHALL...
WHEELER...CUMBERLAND...AND SIREN.

THE AREA WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WERE INDICATED IN SOUTH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA NEAR MANKATO AND WASECA.

SCS

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Wisconsin, 1991Every flash flood warning in 1991

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.