Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 1999
Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at May 16, 1999, 9:43 PM CDT for Black Hawk County, Iowa. It was in force for 77 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 16, 1999, 9:43 PM CDT (02:43 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1999, 11:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 77 min
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Black Hawk County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:47 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 177 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
- 3009 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1174 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 61 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 102 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 5.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDSM 170242 FFWDSM IAC013-170400- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 943 PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... BLACK HAWK COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA * UNTIL 1100 PM CDT * STREET FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS BLACKHAWK COUNTY. SEVERAL ROADS REMAIN WATER COVERED AND IMPASSABLE. TO FURTHER COMPOUND PROBLEMS ADDITIONAL RAIN WAS MOVING BACK INTO THE AREA FROM OUR SOUTHWEST. AN ADDITIONAL 1 HALF TO 1 INCH OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED. * THUS THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE CONTINUED THROUGH 11 PM. DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD! DO NOT DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES. $$ barlow
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.
NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 16, 6:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 16, 6:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 628PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 RAINFALL RATES GETTING OUT OF HAND SO ALTHOUGH ITS A LTL LATE HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE CWA OVNGT. MAIN TSTM COMPLEX TWRD MO RVR HAS YET TO REACH FA AND WITH CONVECTION LINING UP INTO KS...SGFNT TRAINING MAY TAKE PLACE. .DSM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TNGT ENTIRE DMX FA. SMALL
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 16, 7:01 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
IAZ057-058-070-071-170015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 701 PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 ...TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 725 PM FOR CASS AND AUDUBON COUNTIES... AT 7 PM RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING ACROSS MOST OF CASS COUNTY INTO EASTERN AUDUBON COUNTY. LARGE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. ALTHOUGH RADAR INDICATES THE ROTATION IN THESE STORMS HAS DECREASED... THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME. JW
Special weather statement, May 16, 7:01 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
IAZ057-058-070-071-170015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 701 PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 ...TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 725 PM FOR CASS AND AUDUBON COUNTIES... AT 7 PM RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING ACROSS MOST OF CASS COUNTY INTO EASTERN AUDUBON COUNTY. LARGE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. ALTHOUGH RADAR INDICATES THE ROTATION IN THESE STORMS HAS DECREASED... THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME. JW
Special weather statement, May 16, 9:15 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-170300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 915 PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 272 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST IOWA: POCAHANTAS...HUMBOLDT...SAC...CALHOUN... WEBSTER...CRAWFORD...CARROLL AND GREENE. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH AND EAST TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 272 HAS BEEN REPLACED BY TORNADO WATCH 278 WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM. TORNADO WATCH 278 INCLUDES THE BIGGER CITIES OF ATLANTIC...CRESTON...AMES...DES MOINES...CLARION... WATERLOO...CHARITON AND OTTUMWA. FARTHER TO THE NORTH OVER THE NORTHERN TWO TIERS OF IOWA COUNTIES... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 276 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM AND INCLUDES ALGONA...ESTHERVILLE AND MASON CITY. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCHES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER ON SHORT NOTICE. FLASH FLOOD WATCHES ALSO REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE VALID SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH AREAS. SMALL
Special weather statement, May 16, 9:15 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-170300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 915 PM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 272 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST IOWA: POCAHANTAS...HUMBOLDT...SAC...CALHOUN... WEBSTER...CRAWFORD...CARROLL AND GREENE. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH AND EAST TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 272 HAS BEEN REPLACED BY TORNADO WATCH 278 WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM. TORNADO WATCH 278 INCLUDES THE BIGGER CITIES OF ATLANTIC...CRESTON...AMES...DES MOINES...CLARION... WATERLOO...CHARITON AND OTTUMWA. FARTHER TO THE NORTH OVER THE NORTHERN TWO TIERS OF IOWA COUNTIES... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 276 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM AND INCLUDES ALGONA...ESTHERVILLE AND MASON CITY. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCHES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER ON SHORT NOTICE. FLASH FLOOD WATCHES ALSO REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE VALID SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH AREAS. SMALL
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 7:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Black Hawk | 115 min |
| May 16, 7:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Boone, Dallas | 31 min |
| May 16, 7:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Dallas, Madison, Polk, Warren | 48 min |
| May 16, 7:54 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Bremer | 3 hr |
| May 16, 8:16 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Cass | 3 hr |
| May 16, 8:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Boone, Story | 33 min |
| May 16, 8:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Jasper, Marshall | 49 min |
| May 16, 8:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hamilton, Story | 31 min |
| May 16, 9:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Hardin | 50 min |
| May 16, 10:02 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Butler | 3 hr |
| May 17, 8:47 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Black Hawk | 6 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 1999Every flash flood warning in 1999
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.