Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Chicago, IL

July 18, 1996DeKalb County, Ogle County, Winnebago County, Illinois

NWS Chicago, IL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 18, 1996, 9:42 AM CDT for DeKalb County, Ogle County, Winnebago County, Illinois. It was in force for 8 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1996, 9:42 AM CDT (14:42 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1996, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties DeKalb County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Winnebago County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 128 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1996-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1244 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1996-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 270 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
1244 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-173 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
970 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
6.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCHI 181447
FFWCHI
ILC037-141-201-031-043-089-093-197-INC099-141-091-089-127-149-182300-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
942 AM CDT (942 AM EST) THU JUL 18 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT (600 PM EST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 
   ...DE KALB COUNTY...EASTERN OGLE COUNTY...WINNEBAGO COUNTY
 
IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS
 
   ...SOUTHERN COOK COUNTY...DU PAGE COUNTY...KANE COUNTY
   ...KENDALL COUNTY...NORTHERN WILL COUNTY
 
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA
 
   ...MARSHALL COUNTY...ST. JOSEPH COUNTY
 
IN NORTHWEST INDIANA
 
   ...LA PORTE COUNTY...LAKE COUNTY...PORTER COUNTY
   ...STARKE COUNTY
 
...A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA TIL 600 PM...
 
RAINFALL OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OCCURRED FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH
THURSDAY MORNING IN A BAND FROM NEAR ROCKFORD TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF
CHICAGO TO NEAR SOUTH BEND INDIANA. THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS IN THE
SOUTHWEST SUBURBS OF CHICAGO WHERE 12 TO 15 INCHES FELL.
 
NUMEROUS MAJOR ROADS AND HIGHWAYS ARE INUNDATED WITH WATER MAKING TRAVEL
HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. WATER ON ROADS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE DURING
THE DAY BUT MANY CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL EXPERIENCE MAJOR FLOODING
THROUGH THE DAY.
 
AT 940 AM THERE WERE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS STILL OCCURRING
OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHERN INDIANA BUT THERE HAS BEEN AN
OVERALL DECREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THROUGH THE MORNING. HOWEVER
MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATER TODAY. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SEVERE WEATHER AS WELL.
 
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANAGEROUS FLOOD SITUATION...IT IS LIKELY THE WORST
FLOOD EVENT EVER FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHERN INDIANA. DO
NOT TRAVEL TODAY UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. PEOPLE ALONG CREEKS AND
STREAMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOOD WATERS
THREATEN. DO NOT LET CHILDREN PLAY IN FLOOD WATERS.
 
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
 
ALLSOPP

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, 5:58 AM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-181600-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
600 AM CDT THU JUL 18 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS:

BOONE-COOK-DE KALB-DU PAGE-FORD-GRUNDY-IROQUOIS-KANE-KANKAKEE-
KENDALL-LA SALLE-LAKE-LEE-LIVINGSTON-MCHENRY-OGLE-WILL-WINNEBAGO-

AND LAKE COUNTY IN INDIANA

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF AURORA...BELVIDERE...CHICAGO...DE KALB...
DIXON...GARY IN...JOLIET...KANKAKEE...MORRIS...OTTAWA...PONTIAC...
ROCHELLE...ROCKFORD...WATSEKA...WAUKEGAN...WHEATON...WOODSTOCK

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
THIS MORNING WILL MOVE TO NORTHERN MICHIGAN TONIGHT. A TRAILING COLD
FRONT WILL EXTEND THIS EVENING FROM THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER /OVER
NORTHERN MICHIGAN/ TO CENTRAL IOWA. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO
DEVELOP IN WARM AND HUMID AIR AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...AND THOSE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE.

KOENEMAN
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 7:00 AM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-181300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
655 AM CDT THU JUL 18 1996

...STORM TOTAL RAINFALL REPORTS AS OF 650 AM CDT...

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL CONTINUED ALL NIGHT ACROSS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN
SUBURBS. RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF SOUTHERN KANE COUNTY
RECEIVED OVER 12.00 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE YESTERDAY. HARDEST HIT WAS THE
AURORA AREA. RAINFALL REPORTS FROM OBSERVERS:

LOCATION    ENDING TIME    AMOUNT    REMARKS

AURORA      530 AM         14.5 IN   RAIN GAUGE OVERFLOWED
JOLIET      635 AM         11.23
ELBURN      530 AM         11.00
W NAPERVILLE 510 AM         9.87
JOLIET      620 AM          8.95
MIDWAY      650 AM          7.69     ALL TIME 24 HR RECORD
THESE TOTALS AND ADDITIONAL REPORTS WILL BE UPDATED AS FURTHER REPORTS
ARE RECEIVED.

HALLER
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:21 AM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-181400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
815 AM CDT THU JUL 18 1996

...STORM TOTAL RAINFALL REPORTS AS OF 800 AM CDT...

LOCATION    ENDING TIME    AMOUNT    REMARKS

W NAPERVILL 510 AM          9.87 IN
ELBURN      530 AM         11.00
AURORA      530 AM         14.50     RAIN GAUGE OVERFLOWED
MIDWAY      650 AM          7.69     ALL TIME 24 HR RECORD
JOLIET      700 AM         11.23
JOLIET      700 AM          9.30
JOLIET      710 AM          8.95
DARIEN      720 AM          7.02
JOLIET      720 AM          8.71
JOLIET      720 AM         10.25
ROMEOVILLE  800 AM         10.38    NWS OFFICE
THESE TOTALS A6ND ADDITIONAL REPORTS WILL BE UPDATED AS FURTHER REPORTS
ARE RECEIVED.

HALLER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 9:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee53 min
Jul 17, 11:10 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTWinnebago3 hr
Jul 18, 1:42 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTCook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will2 hr
Jul 18, 4:02 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTCook, Will3 hr
Jul 18, 4:02 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTDeKalb, Kane, Kendall3 hr
Jul 18, 4:02 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTDuPage3 hr
Jul 18, 9:42 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTCook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will8 hr
Jul 18, 6:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTCook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996

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.