Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991
Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at May 31, 1991, 2:51 PM CDT for Iowa County, Johnson County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 31, 1991, 2:51 PM CDT (19:51 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 1991, 6:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Iowa County, IA, Johnson County, IA
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 380 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2211 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -140 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 739 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 339 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 312 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 9.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDSM 311952
FFWDSM
IAC157-095-103-312300-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
251 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
IN CENTRAL IOWA
...POWESHIEK COUNTY
IN EAST CENTRAL IOWA
...IOWA COUNTY...JOHNSON COUNTY
AT 250 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS IN AN
EAST-WEST LINE FROM ABOUT 30 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES...TO NEAR THE IOWA
CITY AREA.
THE STORMS IN THIS EAST-WEST LINE WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
THIS MOVEMENT IS CAUSING HEAVY RAINS TO PASS OVER THE SAME
AREA...PRODUCING A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN ARE LIKELY IN A VERY SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME...AND ISOLATED RAINS OF OVER 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT
A{TTEMPT 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.
TRUETTWhat 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 31, 12:32 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
IAZ002-003-007-311830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND AREA WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 1230 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 AT 1230 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A 50 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED FROM THE IOWA/MINNESOTA BORDER SOUTH OF LACROSS WISCONSIN TO TAMA...35 MILES SOUTH OF WATERLOO. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE PRODUCING SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE OUT OF NORTHEAST IOWA THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 2 PM CDT...HOWEVER CONDITIONS ARE SET UP FOR MORE RAINFALL DEVELOPMENT LATER THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES OVER NORTHEAST IOWA SHOULD CLIMaB INTO THE 80S WITH VARIABLE WINDS DUE TO THE SHOWER ACTIVITY OF 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 31, 12:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
IAZALL-311845- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1250 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR A SMALL PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 5 PM... AT 1235 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST TO ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SOME HAIL AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS AROUND THE DES MOINES METROPOLITAN AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FAST RISING WATERS...AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS LOW LYING AREAS THAT HAVE STANDING WATER. OTHER VERY STRONG STORMS WERE OCCURRING BETWEEN CEDAR RAPIDS AND WATERLOO...AS WE|LL AS IN THE FORT DODGE AREA. THESE STORMS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
IAZALL-311945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 145 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR A SMALL PART OF EASTERN IOWA UNTIL 5 PM... AT 132 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 25 MILES SOUTHWEST TO ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SOME HAIL AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS AROUND THE DES MOINES METROPOLITAN AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FAST RISING WATERS...AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS LOW LYING AREAS THAT HAVE STANDING WATER. OTHER VERY STRONG STORMS WERE OCCURRING BETWEEN CEDAR RAPIDS AND CENTRAL CITY...30 MILES NORTHEAST OF CEDAR RAPIDS. THESE STORMS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL. THESE STORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF IOWA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/RICHTER
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:19 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
IAZALL-312015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND IOWA WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 215 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 AT 205 PM...THERE WAS A 15 TO 30 MILE WIDE BAND OF NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES...NEAR WINTERSET NORTHEAST THROUGH CEDAR RAPIDS TO THE IOWA/ILLINOIS BORDER 10 MILES SOUTH OF DUBUQUE. SEVERAL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS AREA HAVE BEEN PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINS...ALONG WITH SPOTTY PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE LIVING NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS NEAR THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...PARTICULARLY ALONG >SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR...HOWEVER THE ENTIRE AREA OF PRECIPITATION WAS SAGGING SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:25 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
IAZ002-003-007-311830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND AREA WEATHER UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA 220 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 AT 220 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A 50 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED TO THE WEST OF HIGHWAY 150 AND ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE PRODUCING SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE OUT OF NORTHEAST IOWA IN THE NEXT HOUR. THE OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST IOWA FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON IS FOR SKIES TO REMAIN CLOUDY WITH A CONTINUING CHANCE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH POSSIBLE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE WINDS WILL BLOW OUT EOF THE SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR WHILE THE TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER NEAR 70 DEGREES.
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:45 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
IAZALL-312035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 245 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 1991 AT 230 PM...THERE WAS A 10 TO 15 MILE WIDE BAND OF NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES...NEAR INDIANOLA...NORTHEAST TO TOLEDO...OR 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES. ANOTHER AREA OF VERY STRONG STORMS WAS LOCATED 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE QUAD CITIES...AROUND TIPTON. SEVERAL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THSES AREAS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINS...ALONG WITH SPOTTY PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE LIVING NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS NEAR THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...PARTICULARLY ALONG SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR...HOWEVER THE ENTIRE AREA OF PRECIPITATION WAS SAGGING SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15m MILES AN HOUR. BARLOW/RICHTER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 5:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Hamilton, Hardin | 54 min |
| May 31, 5:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Franklin | 56 min |
| May 31, 8:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Bremer, Butler | 68 min |
| May 31, 9:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Buchanan | 67 min |
| May 31, 10:59 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Marshall | 31 min |
| May 31, 12:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Polk | 39 min |
| May 31, 12:50 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Benton, Linn | 3 hr |
| May 31, 2:51 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Poweshiek | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 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.