Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS La Crosse, WI

July 7, 2003Mitchell County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at Jul 7, 2003, 3:09 AM CDT for Mitchell County, Iowa. It was in force for 111 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 7, 2003, 3:09 AM CDT (08:09 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 2003, 5:00 AM CDT
In force
111 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Mitchell County, IA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:10 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

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 176 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2003-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2301 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2003-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2301 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1006 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KARX 070810
FFWARX
IAC131-071000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
309 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MITCHELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 500 AM CDT

* AT 309 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED      
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNED 
AREA. 

* SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  OSAGE...
  ST. ANSGAR...
  STACYVILLE...

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 4347 9266 4325 9262 4325 9297 4348 9297

$$

RIECK
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KARX 070846
FFSARX
IAC131-071000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
345 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MITCHELL COUNTY UNTIL
500 AM CDT...

AT 345 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS 
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN EAST OF A STACEYVILLE TO OSAGE 
LINE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...MCINTIRE AND NEW 
HAVEN.

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.

$$

RIECK
000 
WGUS73 KARX 070926
FFSARX
IAC131-070940-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
425 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MITCHELL COUNTY UNTIL 500 AM CDT HAS
BEEN CANCELED...

THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAVE MOVED EAST...AND THE 
THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS SUBSIDED. THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING FOR MITCHELL COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELED.
$$

RIECK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFloyd60 min
Jul 7, 2:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXChickasaw57 min
Jul 7, 2:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXMitchell48 min
Jul 7, 3:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXHoward, Mitchell42 min
Jul 7, 3:48 AM CDTTornado WarningARXChickasaw42 min
Jul 7, 4:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClayton, Fayette39 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.