Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS La Crosse, WI

September 16, 1992Vernon County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 16, 1992, 11:33 AM CDT for Vernon County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 117 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 16, 1992, 11:33 AM CDT (16:33 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 1992, 1:30 PM CDT
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Vernon County, WI

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 261 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 1992-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1874 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 1992-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1874 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-169 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
710 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 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 KLSE 161633
FFWLSE
WIC123-161830-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1133 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  215 PM CDT
    FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN
 
   ...VERNON COUNTY
 
RAIN WAS DIMINISHING OVER VERNON COIUNTY LATE THIS MORNING.
HOWEVER...RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING THROUGH
EARLY AFTERNOON...AND THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENDED.
 
ROUGHLY 4.00 INCHES OF RAIN FELL THIS MORING OVER VERNON COUNTY
ON GROUND THAT WAS ALREADY SATURATED.  MANY ROADS REMAIN CLOSED.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  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 RIS0ING WATER MOVE UP 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, Sep 16, 7:06 AM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
MNZ019-161300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
707 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS EXPIRED FOR SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...

AT 650AM CDT...THE ROCHESTER COLOR WEATHER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
WIDESPREAD STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WERE OCCURRING EARLIER IN THE
MORNING...HAVE BECOME LESS INTENSE AND FEWER IN NUMBER. FOR THAT REASON
THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE FOUND RIGHT OF A LINE FROM AUSTIN TO
LAKE CITY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS DIMINISHED...BUT SOME MINOR FLOODING
PROBLEMS MAY STILL OCCUR.
CALLS TO THE COUNTY SHERIFFS AROUND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA REVEALED
NO MAJOR FLOODING WAS OCCURRING THIS MORNING...HOWEVER SOME
MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS MAY BE STILL BE FOUND.

LOW-LYING ROADS...ESPECIALLY THOSE IN WABASHA AND GOODHUE COUNTIES
COUMLD STILL BE COVERED WITH WATER FROM THE HEAVY RAINS. IF YOU
ENCOUNTER ONE OF THESE WATER COVERED ROADS...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
IT. IT MAY WELL BE HIDING A DANGEROUS WASHOUT.

FOX
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 7:25 AM CDT, 4 hours 8 minutes before
WIZ010-014-161400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
725 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR BUFFALO...TREMPEALEAU...AND JACKSON
COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 AM...

...URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR LA CROSSE AND MONROE
COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 AM...

AT 720 AM...RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS PARTS
OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA.
THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE PRECIPITAION EXTENDED FROM ALMA...TO
ROCHESTER...TO MASON CITY IOWA.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT
30 MILES AN HOUR...BUT THERE HAD BEEN SOME DECREASE IN INTENSITY.

IT NOW APPEARS THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE IN THE LA CROSSE AREA THROUGH
MID MORN~ING.  MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION AS MANY ROADWAYS ARE
COVERED WITH STANDING WATER.

BRUCE
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 8:06 AM CDT, 3 hours 27 minutes before
MNZ019-161400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
807 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...A FEW LINGERING THUNDERSTORMS WERE TRACKING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA...

AT 750AM CDT...THE ROCHESTER COLOR WEATHER RADAR INDICATED THAT MOST THE
OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAD CEASED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...HOWEVER
SOME THUDERSTORMS REMAINED. SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE
LOCATED SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM WABASHA TO ROCHESTER TO AUSTIN.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. AT THIS PACE THE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL EXIT THE ROCHESTER AREA BEFORE 900AM CDT.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING...HEAVY RAINS...WIND GUSTS UP TO 35
MILES AN HOUR...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. SINCE 720AM THIS MORNING
...THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT PICKED UP AN ADDITIONAL HALF INCH OF RAIN
/.52/. THIS BRINGS THE OVERNIGHT RAINFALL TOTAL JUST OVER ONE AND A HALF
INCHES /1.52/.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE URGED TO HEAD INDOORS AND
REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS PASS BY.

FOX
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 8:32 AM CDT, 3 hours 1 minute before
WIZ010-014-161500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
730 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR BUFFALO...TREMPEALEAU...AND JACKSON
COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 AM...

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR VERNON COUNTY UNTIL 1200 NOON...

...URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR LA CROSSE AND MONROE
COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 AM...

AT 725 AM...RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS PARTS
OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA.
THE STORMS HAVE DECREASED IN INTENSITY...BUT THERE FORWARD SPEED
HAD SLOWED TO AROUND 10 MILES AN HOUR.

AS A RESULT...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE LA CROSSE AREA
FOR MUCH OF THE MORNING.

BRUCE
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 9:09 AM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
MNZ019-161500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
900 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...THUNDERSTORMS LINGER IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...

AT 855 AM RADAR SHOWED A 70 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
LOCATED EAST OF LINE FROM WABASHA TO AUSTIN. THEY EXTENDED SOUTHWEST
INTO NORTHCENTRAL IOWA AT FOREST CITY AND NORTHEAST INTO WEST CENTRAL
WISCONSIN NEAR DURAND.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL WERE
BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SPRING VALLEY. THE LINE OF SHOWERS WERE SLOWING
MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH...WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORM CELLS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE TO FOUNTAIN...
LANESBORO...AND PRESTON BY 930 AM. THE OTHER SHOWERS SHOULD END IN
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

LATER THIS AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN
REDEVELOP IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA ALONG AN INCOMMING COLD
FRONT BY MID-AFTERNOON AND SPREAD INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA LATER
THIS AFTERNOON.

KRUSE
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 11:23 AM CDT, 10 minutes before
WIZ010-014-161800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1125 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...THE RAIN IS FINALLY DIMINISHING...

RAIN WAS ENDING OVER LA CROSSE...JACKSON...AND TREMPEALEAU
COUNTIES.  SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL END OVER MONROE
AND VERNON COUNTIES BY AROUND 100 PM...AND OVER CRAWFORD COUNTY
BY MID-AFTERNOON.

MANY AREA ROADS REMAIN CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER...BUT CONDITIONS
WILL BE IMPROVING AS THE RAIN ENDS.

A COOL FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING THE AREA THIS EVENING...AND MAY
TOUCH OFF ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS.  IF THEY DO OCCUR...MORE HEAVY
RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE.

BRUCE

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 16, 5:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXBuffalo, Trempealeau4 hr
Sep 16, 5:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXJackson4 hr
Sep 16, 8:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXVernon4 hr
Sep 16, 9:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXJackson, Trempealeau4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Wisconsin, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

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.