Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 12, 19934 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 12, 1993, 5:47 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 12, 1993, 5:47 PM CDT (22:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1993, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Emmet County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 209 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 1993-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1993-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 46 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 122249
FFWDSM
IAC109-063-147-151-130245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
547 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
 
   ...KOSSUTH COUNTY
 
IN NORTHWEST IOWA
 
   ...EMMET COUNTY...PALO-ALTO COUNTY
   ...NORTHERN POCAHONTAS COUNTY
 
AT 540 PM CDT...DES MOINES RADAR DETECTED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
ACROSS BUENA VISTA...CLAY...AND WESTERN PALO ALTO COUNTIES. THE
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT
NOTED TO THE SOUTHWEST. THESE AREAS WILL LIKELY SEE ADDITIONAL HEAVY
RAINS AS THE NEW STORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA.
 
SOME OF THE TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE
SPENCER...EMMETSBURG...ALGONA...ESTHERVILLE. RIVERS THAT WILL
BE AFFECTED INCLUDE TRIBUTARIES ALONG THE MAIN STEM OF THE DES MOINES
RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES ALONG THE EAST FORK OF THE DES MOINES RIVER.
 
IN ADDITION...RURAL ROADWAYS AS WELL AS COUNTY ROADS WILL BE FLOODED
AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS NORTHWEST IOWA DURING THE NEXT
HOUR.
 
DO NOT DRIVEh 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.
 
SMITH

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

Local storm report, Jun 12, 5:18 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
518 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

TIME               EVENT                   LOCATION -CITY AND COUNTY

...EVENT OCCURRED ON JUN 12 1993...

430 PM CDT        GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL       30 SW 3SE OR 8 SW REMBRANDT
                                           IN N BUENA VISTA COUNTY

...FOLLOWED BY TORRENTIAL RAIN...

BURKE
Local storm report, Jun 12, 5:18 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
518 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

TIME               EVENT                   LOCATION -CITY AND COUNTY

...EVENT OCCURRED ON JUN 12 199"3...

430 PM CDT        GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL       30 SW 3SE OR 8 SW REMBRANDT
                                           IN N BUENA VISTA COUNTY

...FOLLOWED BY TORRENTIAL RAIN...

BURKE
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:24 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
IAC021-041-122330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
524 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA LATE
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 522 PM CDT...DES MOINES RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTHWEST IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE CONTINUING OVER BUENA VIS
AND CLAY COUNTIES. UNOFFICIAL RAINFALL REPORTS RECEIVED AS OF 5PM
INCLUDE:

5 INCHES OF RAIN IN ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF 7 MILES NORTH OF ALTA IN
WESTERN BUENA VISTA COUNTY.

2.6 INCHES RECORDED AT PETERSON...IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST CLAY COUNTY.

2.34 INCHES IN A 45 MINUTE PERIOD 5 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF REMBRANDT
IN NORTH CENTRAL BUENA VISTA COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS BUENA VISTA AND CLAY COUNTIES
DURING THE NEXT HOUR WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. IF YOU
LIVE NEAR A FLOOD PRONE AREA...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFETY IF FLOODING
IS OBSERVED IN YOUR AREA.

SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:25 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
IAC021-041-122330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
524 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA LATE
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 522 PM CDT...DES MOINES RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTHWEST IOWA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE CONTINUING OVER BUENA VIS
AND CLAY COUNTIES. UNOFFICIAL RAINFALL REPORTS RECEIVED AS OF 5PM
INCLUDE:

5 INCHES OF RAIN IN ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF 7 MILES NORTH OF ALTA IN
WESTERN BUENA VISTA COUNTY.

2.6 INCHES RECORDED AT PETERSON...IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST CLAY COUNTY.

2.34 INCHES IN A 45 MINUTE PERIOD 5 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF REMBRANDT
IN NORTH CENTRAL BUENA VISTA COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS BUENA VISTA AND CLAY COUNTIES
DURING THE NEXT HOUR WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. IF YOU
LIVE NEAR A FLOOD PRONE AREA...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFETY IF FLOODING
IS OBSERVED IN YOUR .AREA.

SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:43 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
IAZALL-122340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
545 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

AT 525 PM CDT...A SMALL AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
NORTHWEST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
SPENCER...NEAR LAURENS.  THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.

THESE STRONG STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS
OVER THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF IOWA.  THE RAIN WAS NORTHWEST OF A LINE THAT
EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES EAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS TO 20 MILES WEST OF MASON
CITY.

SOME RAINFALL AMOUNTS WHICH HAVE COME FROM THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
AFRE SIOUX RAPIDS 2.16... DICKEN 2.50... GREENVILLE 4.75 PETERSON 5.50
AND ALTA 6.00.  THESE AMOUNTS ALL CAME IN 90 MINUTES OR LESS.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

FILLBACH
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:45 PM CDT, 2 minutes before
IAZALL-122340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
545 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 1993

AT 525 PM CDT...A SMALL AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
NORTHWEST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
SPENCER...NEAR LAURENS.  THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.

THESE STRONG STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS
OVER THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF IOWA.  THE RAIN WAS NORTHWEST OF A LINE THAT
EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES EAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS TO 20 MILES WEST OF MASON
CITY.

SOME RAINFALL AMOUNTS WHICH HAVE COME FROM THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
ARE SIOUX RAPIDS 2.16... DICKEN 2.50... GREENVILLE 4.75 PETERSON 5.50
AND ALTA 6.00.  THESE AMOUNTS ALL CAME IN 90 MINUTES OR LESS.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

FILLBACH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 12, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBuena Vista45 min
Jun 12, 5:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXBuena Vista, Clay, Sac3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 1993Every flash flood warning in 1993

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.