Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS Lincoln, IL

July 23, 1993Knox County, Warren County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 23, 1993, 11:47 AM CDT for Knox County, Warren County, Illinois. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 23, 1993, 11:47 AM CDT (16:47 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 1993, 3:45 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Knox County, IL, Warren County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 442 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 12:00Z on 1993-07-23Temperature 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, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 12:00Z on 1993-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 67 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1554 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 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 KPIA 231647
FFWPIA
ILC095-187-232045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1147 AM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEORIA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 
   ...KNOX COUNTY...WARREN COUNTY
 
AS OF 1140 AM...OBSERVERS ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAVE REPORTED 2 TO 4
INCHES OF RAINFALL SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS HEAVY RAINFALL HAS
CAUSED MANY STREETS TO FLOOD AS WELL AS BASEMENTS OF HOUSES ON LOWER
GROUNDS. AT 1140 AM RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. THIS ADDITIONAL
RAINFALL WILL AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING AND MAY CAUSE CREEKS AND SMALL
RIVERS TO OVERFLOW.
 
 
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 RISING WATER MOVE UP 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 23, 6:20 AM CDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
ILZ005>007-231630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
620 AM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

AT 615 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE INCREASING IN
COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OVER WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...MOSTLY NORTH OF A
LINE FROM FERRIS...24 MILES SOUTH OF BURLINGTON...IA...IN HANCOCK
COUNTY...TO AVON...44 MILES WEST OF PEORIA...IN FULTON COUNTY...TO MINIER
23 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PEORIA...IN TAZWELL COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAINS...AND DEADLY LIGHTING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATIONS FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WATERHOUSE
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 7:35 AM CDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before
ILZ005>007-231630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
735 AM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

AT 730 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE
THROUGH WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...MOSTLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM COLCHESTER...
33 MILES SOUTHEAST OF  BURLINGTON...IA...IN MCDONOUGH COUNTY...TO LEWISTOWN
...35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PEORIA...IN FULTON COUNTY...TO LE ROY...15 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON...IN MCLEAN COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAINS...AND DEADLY LIGHTING.

THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS OF ALREADY SATURATED
GROUNDS. BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY RISING CREEKS AND STREAMS...FLOODING OVER
ROADWAYS...AND STANDING WATER.

WATERHOUSE
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 7:35 AM CDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before
ILZ005>007-231630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
735 AM CDT FRI JUL 23 1993

AT 730 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE
THROUGH WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...MOSTLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM COLCHESTER...
33 MILES SOUTHEAST OF  BURLINGTON...IA...IN MCDONOUGH COUNTY...TO LEWISTOWN
...35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PEORIA...IN FULTON COUNTY...TO LE ROY...15 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON...IN MCLEAN COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAINS...AND DEADLY LIGHTING.

THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS OF ALREADY SATURATED
GROUNDS. BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY RISING CREEKS AND STREAMS...FLOODING OVER
ROADWAYS...AND STANDING WATER.

WATERHOUSE
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:17 AM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
ILZ009-010-231515-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
9 15 AM CDT THU JUL 22 1993

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM THE
NORTHWEST THIS MORNING...

AT 9 05 AM CDT...A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO
CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM THE NORTHWEST AND WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM
25 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD TO 15 MILES WEST OF CHAMPAIGN TO
25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN.

THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS.  FLOODING OF SOME ROADWAYS AND SMALL
STREAMS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED.

AUTEN
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:55 AM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
ILZ009-010-231550-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
9 50 AM CDT THU JUL 22 1993

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL
   ILLINOIS...

AT 9 45 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS FROM 15 TO
40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF LOGAN
AND THE NORTHWEST PART OF DE WITT COUNTIES.

THE HEAVY RAINS WILL BE MOVING OUT OF LOGAN COUNTY AND SPREADING
ACROSS DE WITT AND NORTHERN MACON COUNTIES BETWEEN 10 AND 11 AM.

THESE HEAVY RAINS WILL PRODUCE TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW AREAS...
ROADWAYS...UNDERPASSES...DRAINAGE CREEKS THROUGH SOME SUBDIVISIONS
AND BASEMENTS.

THE HEAVY RAIN AREA WAS PART OF A LARGER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND
RAIN THAT MOVED SOUTHEAST FROM NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS MORNING.
THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE RAIN AREA WAS FROM JUST SOUTH OF HAVANA TO
SPRINGFIELD  TO 15 MILES NORTH OF DECATUR TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF
CHAMPAIGN.

THE AREA THUNDESTORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND SHOULD
WEAKEN BY AROUND NOON OR 1 PM.

PALMER
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 10:55 AM CDT, 52 minutes before
ILZ009-010-231650-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1055 AM CDT THU JUL 22 1993

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL
   ILLINOIS...

AT 10 45 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS FROM DECATUR
TO 15 MILES WEST OF CHAMPAIGN TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN...IN EAST
MACON TO SOUTWEST CHAMPAIGN COUNTIES.

THE HEAVY RAINS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY OVER
THE NEXT HOUR AND INTO VERMILION COUNTY BY NOON.

THESE HEAVY RAINS WILL PRODUCE TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW AREAS...
ROADWAYS...UNDERPASSES...DRAINAGE CREEKS THROUGH SOME SUBDIVISIONS
AND BASEMENTS.

THE HEAVY RAIN AREA WAS PART OF A LARGER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND
RAIN THAT WERE IN AN AREA FROM KANKAKEE TO JUST SOUTH OF CHAMPAIGN TO
DECATUR TO JUST EAST OF BLOOMINGTON.

OTHER PATCHY SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN AN AREA BETWEEN PEORIA TO
BLOOMINGTON TO SPRINGFIELD TO LEWISTOWN.

BOTH AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST
AT 25 MPH AND WEAKENING.

THERE WAS ALSO A RAIN FREE AREA FROM WEST OF SPRINGFIELD TO QUINCY.

AUTEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 23, 8:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXFulton, McLean, Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford3 hr
Jul 23, 8:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXKnox3 hr
Jul 23, 2:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMason61 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.