Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 10, 2003Clayton County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 2003, 9:05 PM CDT for Clayton County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 10, 2003, 9:05 PM CDT (02:05 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2003, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Clayton County, IA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:05 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, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 154 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 00:00Z on 2003-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1566 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2003-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 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
1566 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
910 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
259 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.8
Supercell composite
12.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KARX 110206
FFWARX
IAC043-110500-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
905 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CLAYTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

* AT 905 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLOODING
  ACROSS PARTS OF CLAYTON COUNTY.  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR
  INDICATES THAT FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN...
  AND ADDITIONAL RAINS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 10 OR 11 PM.  

* SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  ELKADER...
  FARMERSBURG...
  GARNAVILLO...
  GUTTENBERG...
  STRAWBERRY POINT...
  VOLGA...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IMMINENT.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE 
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO 
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUD-SLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN. PERSONS IN THE WARNED 
AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACT QUICKLY TO AVOID THESE HAZARDS.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODS. 

LAT...LON 4299 9117 4264 9105 4265 9161 4303 9161

$$

MW

&
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KARX 110358
FFSARX
IAC043-110445-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1058 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CLAYTON COUNTY UNTIL
MIDNIGHT CDT...

AT 1045 PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED WATER TO BE OVER ROADS WEST OF 
EDGEWOOD IN SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY.  LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ALSO 
REPORTED WATER OVER JASMINE ROAD...NORTH OF GARBER.  

AT 1058 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT MOST OF 
THE RAIN HAD MOVED EAST AND NORTH OF CLAYTON COUNTY...BUT RUNOFF 
FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE PONDING OF WATER... 
AND SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS ALONG CREEKS AND RIVERS.  THE VOLGA RIVER 
AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY WERE RISING 
RAPIDLY...WITH WATER LEVELS UP 4 TO 5 FEET IN THE LITTLEPORT AREA.

IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE 
FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER 
BEGINS RISING.  MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE 
YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. TWO FEET OF 
RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES INCLUDING SPORT UTILITY 
VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS 
HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS. 

$$

MW

&
000 
WGUS73 KARX 110508
FFSARX
IAC043-110530-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1208 AM CDT SUN MAY 11 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CLAYTON COUNTY HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE...

THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS MOVED NORTH AND EAST OF CLAYTON COUNTY...AND 
THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINS TONIGHT.  ONLY LIGHT 
SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT.  

THE WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS HAVE SUBSIDED. THEREFORE THE  FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING FOR CLAYTON COUNTY HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.  
HOWEVER...MAINSTEM RIVERS CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH AS THEY CARRY AWAY 
THE WATER.  WATCH FOR LATER HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE 
LOWER TURKEY RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

$$

MW

&

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 7:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette28 min
May 10, 7:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXWinneshiek33 min
May 10, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClayton35 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.