Alert archive / Wisconsin / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 10, 2003Richland County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 2003, 10:36 PM CDT for Richland County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 2 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, 10:36 PM CDT (03:36 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2003, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Richland County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:36 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, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 200 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 110336
FFWARX
WIC103-110600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1036 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 100 AM CDT

* AT 1036 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE
  WARNED AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS SINCE ABOUT 9 PM HAVE BEEN IN THE
  1.5 TO 2 INCH RANGE. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES
  CAN BE EXPECTED.

* SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  RICHLAND CENTER...

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. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FORGE
FLOODED ROADWAYS BY FOOT OR AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS...
ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4355 9021 4321 9020 4321 9066 4355 9066

$$

THOMPSON
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KARX 110431
FFSARX
WIC103-110600-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1130 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

AT 1126 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS 
PRODUCING RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 2 TO 
2 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL TONIGHT FROM WESTPORT...TO RICHLAND 
CENTER...NORTHEAST TO LOYD...TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF CAZENOVIA.  THIS 
AREA WILL BE THE MOST PRONE TO MUDSLIDES FROM THE RAINFALL. THROUGH 
1 AM...RAINFALL WILL SLOWLY TAPER OFF.

THE THREAT OF MUDSLIDES AND FLOODING WILL DIMINISH AFTER 1 AM.  

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

$$

BAUMGARDT
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, 10:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXGrant3 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.