Alert archive / Missouri / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 14, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 12, 2002Randolph County, Illinois; 7 counties in Missouri

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this flash flood warning at May 12, 2002, 7:40 PM CDT for Randolph County, Illinois; 7 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 6 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
May 12, 2002, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2002, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Randolph County, IL, Crawford County, MO, Iron County, MO, Madison County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Washington County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:40 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 317 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, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2002-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 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, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2002-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
485 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
216 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 
WGUS53 KLSX 130040
FFWSTL
ILC157-MOC055-093-123-179-186-187-221-130630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
734 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CRAWFORD COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI
  IRON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
  MADISON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
  REYNOLDS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
  ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
  STE. GENEVIEVE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 130 AM CDT

* THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN HAVE BEEN MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
  MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS THIS EVENING...PRODUCING 1.5 TO
  2.5 INCH RAINS IN MANY AREAS.  REGIONAL RADAR DATA INDICATES THAT
  MORE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL BE PUSHING ACROSS THE
  AREA. 

* FLASH FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA...AND WILL BE
  AFFECTING STEELVILLE...POTOSI...FARMINGTON...BISMARCK...
  STE. GENEVIEVE...SPARTA...CHESTER...IRONTON...CENTERVILLE...
  ELLINGTON...AND FREDERICKTOWN.  
  
  IN ADDITION...LOW WATER CROSSINGS ARE TRULY DEATH TRAPS DURING
  TIMES OF HEAVY RAIN.  THEY SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS
  
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS IF WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. DO NOT DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS...
ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODING. ACT QUICKLY IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED. MOVE 
TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT
TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

THOSE CAMPING NEAR SMALL STREAMS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND AT
ONCE. WATER LEVELS MAY RISE RAPIDLY WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING...EVEN
IF THE HEAVY RAINS ARE WELL UPSTREAM OF YOUR CAMPSITE.

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 8:08 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXBond, Calhoun, Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Jersey and 7 more6 hr
May 12, 9:19 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXBond, Calhoun, Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Jersey and 7 more5 hr
May 13, 1:21 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXRandolph6 hr
May 12, 7:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX58 min
May 12, 7:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX41 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Missouri, 2002Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002

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.