Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993
Flash Flood Warning 73, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 17, 1993, 9:20 AM CDT for Polk County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 17, 1993, 9:20 AM CDT (14:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 17, 1993, 12:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, IA
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 236 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1223 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -106 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1195 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 159 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 124 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 171420 FFWDSM IAC153-171715- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 920 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION(S)... IN CENTRAL IOWA ...SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY AT 915 AM CDT...OFFICIALS WITH THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT THE LEVEE ON THE DES MOINES RIVER HAD BROKEN AT SOUTHEAST 8TH STREET ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RIVER. WATER WAS MOVING THROUGH THE LEVEE AT A RAPID RATE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. PEOPLE IN THE AREA AROUND THE EAST PART OF DOWNTOWN ON EAST SHOULD LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATLY. 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. &
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 17, 7:42 AM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
IAZALL-171340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 742 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993 AT 730 AM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL... CONTINUED OVER THE NORTH HALF OF IOWA. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A 70 MILE WIDE AREA THAT WAS CENTERED FROM 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY NEAR IDA GROVE...TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO NEAR TAMA AND TOLEDO. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST TWO-THIRDS IOWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO AMES...TO THE IOWA/MISSOURI BORDER 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. KALLMAN
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 7:42 AM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
IAZALL-171340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 742 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993 AT 730 AM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL... CONTINUED OVER THE NORTH HALF OF IOWA. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A 70 MILE WIDE AREA THAT WAS CENTERED FROM 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY NEAR IDA GROVE...TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WATERLOO NEAR TAMA AND TOLEDO. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST TWO-THIRDS IOWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS...TO AMES...TO THE IOWA/MISSOURI BORDER 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTUMWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. KALLMAN
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 8:42 AM CDT, 38 minutes before
IAZALL-171440- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 842 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993 AT 827 AM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL... CONTINUED OVER THE NORTH HALF OF IOWA. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A 70 MILE WIDE AREA THAT WAS CENTERED FROM 70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY NEAR FORT DODGE...TO 35 MILES WEST OF CEDAR RAPIDS...NEAR BROOKLYN. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST TWO-THIRDS IOWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY... TO 35 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES...TO 25 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES...TO BURLINGTON. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. WPM
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 8:42 AM CDT, 38 minutes before
IAZALL-171440- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 842 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993 AT 827 AM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL... CONTINUED OVER THE NORTH HALF OF IOWA. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A 70 MILE WIDE AREA THAT WAS CENTERED FROM 70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MASON CITY NEAR FORT DODGE...TO 35 MILES WEST OF CEDAR RAPIDS...NEAR BROOKLYN. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST TWO-THIRDS IOWA. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY... TO 35 MILES NORTH OF DES MOINES...TO 25 MILES EAST OF DES MOINES...TO BURLINGTON. THE STORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. WPM
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 9:00 AM CDT, 20 minutes before
IAZ006-007-008-009-010-011-016-017-018-019-026-027-028-029-038-
039-040-141620-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
900 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993
...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING ACROSS NORTHEAST AND
NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
SLOW MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING THIS MORNING
THROUGHOUT NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINS
WERE FALLING WITH THESE STORMS HOWEVER WITH THE SLOW MOVEMENT COMBINED
WITH ALREADY SATURATED GROUND...FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. RAINS OF
OVER 5 INCHES HAVE FALLEN IN WRIGHT COUNTY OF CENTRAL IOWA OVERNIGHT.
THOSE PERSONS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD
FLASH FLOODING TAKE PLACE. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
...LINDENBERG...
WWUS41KWBC ,HSpecial weather statement, Jul 17, 9:08 AM CDT, 12 minutes before
IAZ006-007-008-009-010-011-016-017-018-019-026-027-028-029-038-
039-040-141620-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WATERLOO IA
900 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 1993
...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING ACROSS NORTHEAST AND
NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
SLOW MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING THIS MORNING
THROUGHOUT NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINS
WERE FALLING WITH THESE STORMS HOWEVER WITH THE SLOW MOVEMENT COMBINED
WITH ALREADY SATURATED GROUND...FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. RAINS OF
OVER 5 INCHES HAVE FALLEN IN WRIGHT COUNTY OF CENTRAL IOWA OVERNIGHT.
THOSE PERSONS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD
FLASH FLOODING TAKE PLACE. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
...LINDENBERG...The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 5:44 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Story | 3 hr |
| Jul 17, 6:35 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Hardin, Marshall | 3 hr |
| Jul 17, 2:00 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Marshall | 4 hr |
| Jul 17, 3:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Benton | 33 min |
| Jul 17, 5:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Linn | 30 min |
| Jul 17, 6:03 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Buchanan | 3 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.