Alert archive / Missouri / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 17, 1991Reynolds County, Missouri

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 1991, 9:47 PM CDT for Reynolds County, Missouri. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 17, 1991, 9:47 PM CDT (02:47 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 1991, 12:45 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS St. Louis, MO
Area: Whole counties

County Reynolds County, MO

The nearest sounding before it

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 204 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1491 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -208 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1263 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 192 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSTL 180257 COR
FFWSTL
MOC179-180545-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTED TIME 1ST PARAGRAPH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
947 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

   ...REYNOLDS COUNTY

AT 943 PM...RADAR INDICATED A NEARLY STATIONARY CLUSTER OF
THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINS OVER REYNOLDS COUNTY. THESE
STORMS HAVE BEEN OVER REYNOLDS COUNTY SINCE 930 PM. THE FLOODING OF
STEAMS AND SMALL CREEKS WILL OCCUR IN THIS AREA.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER PARTS OF REYNOLDS COUNTY HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED AT 2
TO 3 INCHES.  MORE RAIN WILL OCCUR AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE SLOWLY
TO THE SOUTHEAST DURING  THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.


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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT.  IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR
CREEKS WH9ICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS.  CAMPERS SHOULD
AVOID CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.

FERRY

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, May 17, 3:57 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before

MOZ001>003-005>007-172200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
355 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
   MISSOURI TILL 9 PM...

AT 345 PM...THUNDERSTERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER NORTH CENTRAL
MISSOURI. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS NORTHEAST OF TRENTON.  THE STORM
WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THIS PART OF MISSOURI
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL
REACH SEVERE LIMITS AND MAY ALSO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

IF YOU ARE IN NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI...OR ARE PLANNING
TO TRAVEL INTO THIS AREA...MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS CLOSELY BY
LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL RADIO AND T.V. STATIONS. BE
PREPARED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER
DEVELOPES.

FERRY

Special weather statement, May 17, 5:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before

MOZ012-018-172300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
500 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...

AT 500 PM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF MONTAUK
STATE PARK IN SOUTHWEST DENT COUNTY.  THIS IS ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF
ROLLA.

SOME PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED FROM THIS STORM AT MONTAUK STATE
PARK JUST BEFORE 5 PM.  IN ADDITION TO THE HAIL...EXTREMELY HEAVY
RAINS WILL ALSO OCCUR WITH THIS STORM.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH OR NEAR THE TOWNS OF GLADDEN AND SALEM BY 6 PM.

PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVEt TO SAFETY IN THE EVENT THIS STORM INTENSIFIES.

FERRY

Special weather statement, May 17, 6:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before

MOZ018-180045-

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
649 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DECREASED IN INTENSITY OVER ST GENEVIEVE COUNTY
   MISSOURI AND RANDOLPH COUNTY ILLINOIS...

THE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR ST GENEVIEVE COUNTY MISSOURI AND RANDOLPH
COUNTY MISSOURI EXPIRED AT 645 PM.  THE INTENSITIES OF THE STORMS IN
THIS AREA HAS DECREASED...NO ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN
REPORTED.  RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR WEATHER
CONDITIONS SINCE ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED TO THE
SOUTHWEST OF THIS AREA AND THESE STORMS COULD INTENSIFY.

FERRY

Special weather statement, May 17, 7:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before

MOZ007-180130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
740 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WEAKENED OVER LEWIS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST
   MISSOURI...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTOM WARNING FOR LEWIS COUNTY EXPIRED AT 730 PM...NO
OTHER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT.

AT 730 PM...RADAR STILL INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER LEWIS COUNTY...
BUT THESE STORMS HAVE DECREASED IN INTENSITY.  HEAVY RAINS AND SOME
SMALL HAIL ARE STILL POSSIBLE FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY MOVE
EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH-
EAST MISSOURI...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR NORTHEAST MISSOURI
TONIGHT.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSZTORMS MAY REDEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING.
RESIDENTS IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI ARE URGED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE LOCAL
WEATHER CONDITIONS.

FERRY

Special weather statement, May 17, 8:09 PM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before

MOZ007-012-180500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
800 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...A TORNADO IS IN EFFECT FOR MADISON AND JERSEY COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST
   ILLINOIS...
...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHEAST MISSOURI CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL
9 PM...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 363 IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL ILLINIOS AND
INCLUDES THE METRO EAST COUNTIES OF MADISON AND JERSEY.  THE WATCH
IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE VERY UNSTABLE AIR AND MOVE
THROUGH WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA TONIGHT...SO STAY TUNED
TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEATHER RADIO OR TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR
TELEVISION STATION FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
TUCKER

Local storm report, May 17, 9:06 PM CDT, 41 minutes before

MOZALL-170230-

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
830 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...PRELIMINARY REPORTS FOR THE EVENING OF MAY 17 1991...

415 PM CDT....SCHULYER COUNTY...MARBLE TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL FROM
              LIVONIA IN PUTNMAY COUNTY TO JUST WEST OF GLENWOOD IN
              SCHUYLER COUNTY.

428 PM CDT....SCHUYLER COUNTY...LARGE HAIL. FROM COUNTY SHERIF

524 PM CDT....NORTHERN ST GENEVIEVE COUNTY MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND
              TREES DOWN.  FROM COUNTY SHERIFF.

545 PM CDT....CLARK COUNTY...3/4 INCH HAIL JUST NORTH OF MEMPHIS.
                             TORNADO TOUCHED BRIEFLY JUST NORTH OF
                             MEMPHIS
              FROM RADIO STATION KMEM IN MEMPHIS.

605 PM CDT....CLARK COUNTY...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT GRANGER...MARBLE
              SIZE HAIL AT LURAY.  FROM COUNTY SHERIFF.

610 PM CDT....ST GENEVIEVE COUNTY MISSOURI...TREE DAMAGE AND POWER
              OUTAGES NEAR ST MARYS. FROM COUNTY SHERIFF.

610 PM CDT....CLARK COUNTY....BARN AND SHED DESTROYED BY WIND NORTH OF
                              MEMPHIS.
              CLARK COUNTY....3/4 INCH HAIL AT WYANCONDA.
              SCOTLAND COUNTY...UPTO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN ARBELIA.
              REPORTED RADIO STATION KMEM IN MEMPHIS.

615 PM CDT....CLARK COUNTY...BUILDINGS DAMAGED BY WINDS NEAR ANSON...
              21/2 MILES SOUTH OF IOWA BORDER. FROM COUNTY SHERIFF.

615 PM CDT....RANDOLPH COUNTY IL...3/4 INCH HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 60
              MPH.  FROM COUNTY SHERIFF.

718 PM CDT....CLARK COUNTY...MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT KAHOKA...FROM COUNTY
              SHERIFF.

825 PM CDT....MONTAUC STATE PARK SOUTHERN DENT COUNTY...3.5 INCHES
              OF RAIN...PIDGEON CREEK FLOODED...CAMPERS BEING
              EVACUATED.

FERRY

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 10:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Lincoln, Warren	56 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Missouri, 1991 Every 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.