Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Milwaukee, WI

July 21, 1991Dodge County, Washington County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this flash flood warning at Jul 21, 1991, 2:56 AM CDT for Dodge County, Washington County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 1991, 2:56 AM CDT (07:56 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1991, 6:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Dodge County, WI, Washington County, WI

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 124 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 1991-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2260 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, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1991-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 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
2260 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1092 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
319 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.2
Supercell composite
15.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 210802
FFWMKE
WIC027-131-212000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
256 AM CDT SUN JUL 21 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
 
   ...DODGE COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
FLOODING IS OCCURRING OVER NORTHERN DODGE COUNTY...WHERE BETWEEN 2 AND 3
INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN. ROADS IN THE TOWN OF LEROY...ABOUT 15 MILES
SOUTH OF FOND DU LAC...ARE COMPLETELY UNDER WATER AND FULL OF DEBRIS.
 
HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO FALL OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL DODGE AND
WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL AT LEAST 600 AM.
 
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.
 
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.
 
J LAST

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 20, 10:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
WIZ015-016-017-210400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1000 PM CDT SAT JUL 20 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 955 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN WISCONSIN LATE
THIS EVENING.  THE SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM NEAR LONE ROCK EAST NORTHEAST
TO SOUTHERN FOND DU LAC COUNTY...ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FOND DU LAC.

THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN DODGE COUNTY...
SOUTH OF BEAVER DAM WHICH IS 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE...AND ALSO
JUST NORTH OF MADISON IN SOUTHEAST COLUMBIA COUNTY.

BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE
TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
DAVIS
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 10:11 PM CDT, 4 hours 45 minutes before
WIZ011-015-018-019-210500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1010 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

AT 1005 PM CDT RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM 50 MILES WEST OF MADISON NEAR LONE ROCK TO 75 MILES
NORTHEAST OF MADISON NEAR SHEBOYGAN...MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MPH.
THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED TO THE NORTH OF MADISON
ACROSS NORTHERN DANE AND SOUTHERN COLUMBIA COUNTIES.

PERSONS IN DEFOREST...BRISTOL...ARLINGTON AND COLUMBUS CAN EXPECT
PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO.  OTHERS IN SOUTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN CAN EXPECT
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT.  ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL LEAD TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS TONIGHT.

NOAH
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 11:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
WIZ011-015-018-019-210600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1110 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

AT 1100 PM CDT RADAR DETECTED SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
VERY HEAVY RAINS...EXTENDING FROM MADISON TO 70 MILES NORTH OF MADISON
NEAR WAUTOMA...MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MPH.  THE STRONGEST OF THE STORMS
WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF THE MADISON AIRPORT OVER DE FOREST.  THIS
STORM WILL MOVE EAST TOWARD SUN PRARIE AND EAST BRISTOL.  PAST HISTORY
OF THESE STORMS INDICATED LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

THE REST OF SOUTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN WAS RELATIVELY QUITE WEATHER-WISE.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN TONIGHT.  WITH
ABUNDANT MOISTURE...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS ARE POSSIBLE.

NOAH
Special weather statement, Jul 21, 12:52 AM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
WIZ012-013-017-210630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1250 AM CDT SUN JUL 21 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER EAST-CENTRAL
WISCONSIN...

AT 1245 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.
THE STRONGEST STORMS...PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING...
WERE LOCATED OVER MUCH OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY.

ALTHOUGH THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR...
MORE STORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY AND MOVING OVER
ALREADY RAIN-SOAKED GROUND.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL EARLY THIS SUNDAY MORNING...BE PREPARED
FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO HEAVY RAIN AND SOME MINOR FLOODING OF
LOW-LYING ROADWAYS.  DO NOT CROSS A ROAD COVERED BY WATER OF UNKNOWN
DEPTH.  STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THESE STORMS.

J LAST
Special weather statement, Jul 21, 2:12 AM CDT, 44 minutes before
WIZ011-012-013-015-016-017-211000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
200 AM CDT SUN JUL 21 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUE TO POUND PARTS OF CENTRAL
AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

AT 155 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR STILL SHOWED A BAND OF
THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

THE STRONGEST STORMS...PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING...
WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF MARQUETTE...GREEN LAKE...AND
FOND DU LAC COUNTIES...AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF COLUMBIA AND DODGE
COUNTIES.  NEW STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS THIS SAME
GENERAL AREA OF ALREADY SATURATED GROUND...INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS.

THIS BAND OF STORMS APPEARS TO BE SAGGING VERY SLOWLY SOUTHWARD INTO
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.  THIS MEANS THE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL SHOULD
EXPAND FURTHER INTO COLUMBIA AND DODGE COUNTIES...AND PROBABLY
INTO WASHINGTON AND OZAUKEE COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL EARLY THIS MORNING...BE PREPARED
FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO HEAVY RAIN AND SOME FLOODING OF
ROADWAYS.  DO NOT CROSS A ROAD COVERED BY WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.
STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THESE STORMS.

JOHNSTON

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.