Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 84, NWS Des Moines, IA

July 24, 1993Wayne County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 24, 1993, 12:33 AM CDT for Wayne County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 24, 1993, 12:33 AM CDT (05:33 UTC)
Expired: Jul 24, 1993, 3:30 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Whole counties

County Wayne County, IA

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 263 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: 465 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 966 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 131 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDSM 240533
FFWDSM
IAC185-240830-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1233 AM CDT SAT JUL 24 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION(S)...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
 
   ...WAYNE COUNTY
 
AT 1225 AM CDT...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE SPREADING OVER WAYNE
COUNTY...WHICH IS ABOUT 70 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES. THESE STORMS WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ON THE ORDER OF 2 INCHES IN A SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME. SOME SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.
 
CREEKS AFFECTED INCLUDE NINEMILE...GALEB...MEDICINE...JACKSON...AND
LOCUST CREEKS.
 
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.

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 23, 9:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before

IAZ060-240345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
9 44 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 9 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
SOUTHEAST IOWA...MOSTLY EAST OF A MARSHALLTOWN TO OTTUMWA LINE.
ALSO...ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA SOUTH OF A MALVERN/CRESTON/MELCHER LINE.
MALVERN IS 20 MILES SOUTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...CRESTON IS 50 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES...AND MELCHER IS 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES
MOINES.

ALL OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO
SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS EXPERIENCE FLOODING.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before

IAZ060-240345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
9 44 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 9 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
SOUTHEAST IOWA...MOSTLY EAST OF A MARSHALLTOWN TO OTTUMWA LINE.
ALSO...ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA SOUTH OF A MALVERN/CRESTON/MELCHER LINE.
MALVERN IS 20 MILES SOUTH OF COUNCIL BLUFFS...CRESTON IS 50 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES...AND MELCHER IS 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DES
MOINES.

ALL OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO
SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS EXPERIENCE FLOODING.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 10:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before

IAZ060-240445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
10 45 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTH HALF OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 10 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 50
MILES SOUTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS ALONG THE MISSOURI BORDER SOUTH OF
CLRAINDA AND 50 TO 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR DIAGONAL AND
MOUNT AYR.  OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE LOCATED 40 TO 70 MILES WEST OF
DAVENPORT .

ALL OF THESE STORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN
IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD
MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND
SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS BECOME INUNDATED.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 10:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before

IAZ060-240445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
10 45 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTH HALF OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 10 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 50
MILES SOUTHEAST OF COUNCIL BLUFFS ALONG THE MISSOURI BORDER SOUTH OF
CLRAINDA AND 50 TO 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DES MOINES NEAR DIAGONAL AND
MOUNT AYR.  OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE LOCATED 40 TO 70 MILES WEST OF
DAVENPORT .

ALL OF THESE STORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN
IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD
MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND
SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS BECOME INUNDATED.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 11:45 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

IAZ060-240445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
11 45 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTH HALF OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 11 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED VERY STRONG AND INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE LOCATED 50 TO 65 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES...OR FROM NEAR MOUNT
AYR TO 5 MILES SOUTH OF OSCEOLA.  AT 11 30 PM...PEA SIZED HAIL WAS
REPORTED AT KELLERTON...10 MILES EAST OF MOUNT AYR IN EASTERN RINGOLD
COUNTY.  ALSO...OTHER STRONG STORMS EXTENDED FROM 50 MILES EAST OF
DES MOINES TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF BURLINGTON.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN AND WERE MOVING
SLOWLY.  THIS COMBINATION CAN PRODUCE FLOODING OF ROADS AND LOW LYING
AREAS AND STREAMS.  PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE URGED TO
SEEK HIGHER GROUND.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 11:45 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

IAZ060-240445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
11 45 PM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTH HALF OF IOWA FOR LATE
   TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 11 30 PM CDT...SCATTERED VERY STRONG AND INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE LOCATED 50 TO 65 MILES SOUTH OF DES MOINES...OR FROM NEAR MOUNT
AYR TO 5 MILES SOUTH OF OSCEOLA.  AT 11 30 PM...PEA SIZED HAIL WAS
REPORTED AT KELLERTON...10 MILES EAST OF MOUNT AYR IN EASTERN RINGOLD
COUNTY.  ALSO...OTHER STRONG STORMS EXTENDED FROM 50 MILES EAST OF
DES MOINES TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF BURLINGTON.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN AND WERE MOVING
SLOWLY.  THIS COMBINATION CAN PRODUCE FLOODING OF ROADS AND LOW LYING
AREAS AND STREAMS.  PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE URGED TO
SEEK HIGHER GROUND.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

MILLER

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 23, 11:16 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Ringgold	3 hr
Jul 23, 11:43 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Decatur	3 hr
Jul 24, 1:56 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DMX	Keokuk, Washington	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 1993 Every 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.