Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 10, 2003Grant County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 2003, 10:09 PM CDT for Grant County, Wisconsin. 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, 10:09 PM CDT (03:09 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2003, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Grant County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:11 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, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 110308
FFWARX
WIC043-110600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1009 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  GRANT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 100 AM CDT

* AT 1009 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLOODING
  ALONG HIGHWAY 133...4 MILES WEST OF MUSCODA. A MUDSLIDE WAS ALSO
  REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY P...2 MILES EAST OF BAGLEY.  NATIONAL 
  WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES THAT FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN
  HAS ALREADY FALLEN OVER NORTHERN GRANT COUNTY...AND ADDITIONAL
  RAINS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 11 PM OR MIDNIGHT.

* SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  BLOOMINGTON...
  FENNIMORE...
  LANCASTER...

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 4321 9048 4282 9044 4271 9102 4297 9115

$$

MW

&
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KARX 110407
FFSARX
WIC043-110600-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1108 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GRANT COUNTY UNTIL 100
AM CDT...

AT 1025 PM...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED A MUDSLIDE OVER 
HIGHWAY C...2.5 MILES EAST OF HIGHWAY 18.  OTHER MUDSLIDES WERE 
REPORTED AS WELL...INCLUDING ONE OVER HIGHWAY P 2 MILES EAST OF 
BAGLEY.  SOME LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING WAS ALSO REPORTED DURING THE 
HEAVIEST RAINS. 

AT 1108 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT MOST OF 
THE RAIN HAD MOVED EAST AND NORTH OF GRANT COUNTY...BUT RUNOFF FROM 
PREVIOUS RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE PONDING OF WATER... AND 
SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS ALONG CREEKS AND RIVERS.  

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 110602
FFSARX
WIC043-103-110630-

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

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR RICHLAND AND GRANT COUNTIES HAS BEEN 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS MOVED NORTH AND EAST OF THE GRANT AND 
RICHLAND COUNTIES...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 GRANT AND RICHLAND COUNTIES HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE. HOWEVER...MAINSTEM RIVERS CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH AS THEY CARRY 
AWAY THE WATER.  

$$

MW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAdams50 min
May 10, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXGrant19 min
May 10, 8:34 PM CDTTornado WarningARXGrant56 min
May 10, 9:33 PM CDTTornado WarningARXGrant57 min
May 10, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXRichland53 min
May 10, 10:36 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXRichland2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Wisconsin, 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.