Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 3, 1991Story County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 3, 1991, 10:59 PM CDT for Story County, Iowa. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 3, 1991, 10:59 PM CDT (03:59 UTC)
Expired
Jun 4, 1991, 3:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

County Story County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOVN), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 254 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1991-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 465 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1991-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 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
465 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1606 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 040358
FFWDSM
IAC169-040800-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1058 PM CDT MON JUN 3 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL IOWA
 
   ...STORY COUNTY
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF STORY COUNTY. PERISTENT
THUNDERSTORM CONTINUE TO DUMP COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN OVER THE AREA.
ESTIMATE RAINFALL TOTALS SO FAR RANGED FROM TWO TO FOUR INCHES SINCE 5
PM.
 
LITTLE MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM HAS OCCURRED DURING EVENING.  THE
THUNDERSTORM WAS DEVELOPING WESTWARD INTO THE AMES AREA.
 
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STREET AND SECONDARY ROADS WERE FLOODED.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
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.
 
MCQUIRTER

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, Jun 3, 8:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
IAZALL-040130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
740 PM CDT MON JUN 3 1991

AT 730 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE WEST
HALF OF IOWA...INCLUDING A NUMBER OF AREAS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS.  THE
RAIN WAS MOSTLY WEST OF A LINE FROM OTTUMWA TO ESTERVILLE.  VERY HEAVY
RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL MAY BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE
OF THESE STORMS.{{}
THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN NEVADA AND ELDORA...OR
25 TO 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES.  RAINS IN THIS AREA HAVE
PERSISTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS...WITH SOME FLOODING REPORTED IN THE AREA.

VERY HEAVY RAINS WERE ALSO REPORTED IN THE ESTERVILLE AREA OF NORTHWEST
IOWA.  THE RAINS WERE ALSO ACOMPANIED WITH PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL...AND
MINOR STREET FLOODING WAS REPORTED.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS...AMD STRONG GUSTY WINDS WERE REPORTED
NEAR MANNING.  A BARN WAS ALSO REPORTED DESTROYED BY CARROLL COUNTY
SHERIFF.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 8:54 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
IAZALL-040230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
840 PM CDT MON JUN 3 1991

AT 830 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN MUCH OF
NORTHWEST IOWA...AND PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA.  SCATTERED
AREAS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE INCLUDED IN THESE AREAS.  IN NORTHWEST
IOWA...THE STORMS WERE MOSTLY WEST OF A LINE FROM COON RAPIDS...60 MILES
WEST OF DES MOINES...TO ESTERVILLE...AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM COON
RAPIDS TO 25 MILES SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN ROCKWELL CITY AND SAC
CITY...ABOUT 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

IN CENTRAL IOWA...THE RAINS WERE IN AN AREA ABOUT 60 MILES IN DIAMETER
...AND WITHIN A 35 MILE  RADIUS OF STORY CITY.  THE RAIN HAVE CONTINUED
FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN THIS AREA...WITH FLOODING REPORTED IN THE AREA.

A FEW ISOLATED AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WERE ALSO LOCATED IN SOUTHCENTRAL IOWA
IN THE OTTUMWA AREA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 9:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
IAZALL-040230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
940 PM CDT MON JUN 3 1991

AT 930 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN MUCH OF
NORTHWEST IOWA...AND PARTS OF CENTRAL IOWA.  VERY HEAVY RAINFALLS HAVE
BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS...CAUSING URBAN FLOODING IN ESTERVILLE
AND IN THE STORY CITY AND ELDORA AREAS.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN ROCKWELL CITY AND
CARROLL...ABOUT 50 TO 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES...AND IN THE
STORY CITY AND NEVADA AREAS...35 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES.

THE RAINS IN CENTRAL IOWA HAVE CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL HOURS...AND RAIN
FALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THESE AREAS.

THE STORMS IN NORTHWEST IOWA WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR
WHILE THE STORMS IN CENTRAL IOWA WERE DRIFTING EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 10:49 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
IAZALL-040430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1040PM CDT MON JUN 3 1991

AT 1030PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN MUCH OF
NORTHWEST IOWA...AND PARTS OF CENTRAL IOWA.  VERY HEAVY RAINFALLS HAVE
BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS...CAUSING URBAN AND SMALL STREAM
FLOODING IN MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST IOWA.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL IOWA NEAR NEVADA...
ABOUT 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF DES MOINES...AND ALSO NEAR JEFFERSON AND
LAKE CITY...35 TO 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF DES MOINES.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING
FROM JUST EAST OF ESTERVILLE TO ROCKWELL CITY.

T4HE STORMS IN NORTHWEST IOWA WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR
WHILE THE STORMS IN CENTRAL IOWA WERE DRIFTING EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

SCOTT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 3, 8:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXEmmet3 hr
Jun 4, 2:21 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXCarroll4 hr
Jun 4, 3:52 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXWebster4 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.