Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 28, NWS Lincoln, IL

July 18, 1993DeKalb County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 18, 1993, 9:55 PM CDT for DeKalb County, Illinois. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1993, 9:55 PM CDT (02:55 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 1993, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County DeKalb County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 293 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 1993-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1993-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -25 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
547 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 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 KRFD 190255
FFWRFD
ILC037-190600-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCKFORD IL
955 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      DEKALB

AT 9 50 PM...SERIOUS FLOODING WAS STILL OCCURRING ACROSS MUCH OF
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL DE KALB COUNTY. FLOODING OF HIGHWAYS AND
CITY STREETS WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS
ACROSS THE COUNTY INTO EALRY MONDAY MORNING. SOME HOMES ALONG
STREAMS...CREEK AND RIVERS WILL ALSO BE AT RISK FOR MORE FLOODING.

SOME COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN OR NEAR THE FLASH FLOOD AREA...
DE KALB...MALTA...SYCAMORE...GENOA.

IF YOU ARE IN LOW LYING...FLOOD PRONE AREA...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND!
IF CAMPING...WATCH FOR RAPIDLY RISING WATER THAT MAY ENDANGER YOUR
CAMPSITE!  DO NOT CROSS HIGHWAYS THAT ARE COVERED BY WATER...IT MAY
BE MUCH DEEPER THAN YOU THINK!  REMEMBER...FLASH FLOODS HAPPEN VERY
RAPIDLY...BE ALERT!

SANDERS

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 18, 6:55 PM CDT, 3 hours before
ILZ005>007-190100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
655 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MCLEAN COUNTY...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 655 PM CDT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED MAINLY ALONG AND EAST
OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WAS OCCURRING OVER WESTERN
MASON COUNTY...NEAR HAVANNA...35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PEORIA. MOVEMENT
CONTINUED TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

SOME AREAS RECIEVED LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IN THOSE AREAS COULD CAUSE FLOODING. PERSONS SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. DO NOT TRY TO CROSS WATER
COVERED ROADWAYS. STAY CLEAR OF SWOLLEN STREAMS AND RIVERS. STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
BREESER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 7:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
ILZ005>007-190100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
655 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MCLEAN COUNTY...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 655 PM CDT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED MAINLY ALONG AND EAST
OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WAS OCCURRING OVER WESTERN
MASON COUNTY...NEAR HAVANNA...35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PEORIA. MOVEMENT
CONTINUED TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

SOME AREAS RECIEVED LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IN THOSE AREAS COULD CAUSE FLOODING. PERSONS SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. DO NOT TRY TO CROSS WATER
COVERED ROADWAYS. STAY CLEAR OF SWOLLEN STREAMS AND RIVERS. STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
BREESER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:02 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
ILZ009-190130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
802 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM HAS BEEN
CANCELLED.  COUNTIES IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS THAT HAVE BEEN DROPPED ARE
SANGAMON...MACON...AND DEWITT.

AUTEN
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:03 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
ILZ005>007-190230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
805 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS COUNTIES...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CANCELLED FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 800 PM CDT... THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD ENDED FOR MCLEAN COUNTY.
ONLY A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS PERSISTED ACROSS THE REGION AROUND MID
EVENING.

SINCE HEAVY RAIN IS NO LONGER EXPECTED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ILLNOIS...
THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS ALSO BEEN GREATLY DIMINISHED ACROSS THE
REGION.

BREESER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
ILZ005>007-190230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
805 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NO LONGER EFFECT FOR ANY WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS COUNTIES...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CANCELLED FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 800 PM CDT... THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD ENDED FOR MCLEAN COUNTY.
ONLY A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS PERSISTED ACROSS THE REGION AROUND MID
EVENING.
SINCE HEAVY RAIN IS NO LONGER EXPECTED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ILLNOIS...
THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS ALSO BEEN GREATLY DIMINISHED ACROSS THE
REGION.

BREESER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 9:02 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
ILZ009-010-190245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
900 PM CDT SUN JUL 18 1993

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EAST CENTRAL
  ILLINOIS...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EAST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS.

AT 8 55 PM...RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF
TERRE HAUTE INDIANA FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF EDGAR COUNTY...ACROSS
THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF CLARK COUNTY AND THEN FROM NORTHEAST TO
SOUTHWEST ACROSS CUMBERLAND COUNTY...THEN SOUTHWEST TO NEAR SALEM
ILLINOIS.

THE LINE OF STRONG STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH.  THESE
STORMS WILL HAVE FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF
RAIN THAT MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW AREAS...ROADWAYS...UNDERPASSES
AND BASEMENTS.

THE STORMS WERE IN A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT
WERE OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM JUST EAST OF DECATUR THROUGH
CHAMPAIGN AND DANVILLE...SOUTHWEST TO hVANDALIA.

PALMER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 7:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign34 min
Jul 18, 7:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXDeKalb119 min
Jul 18, 7:47 PM CDTTornado WarningILXShelby23 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 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.