Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 21, 2004Chickasaw County, Floyd County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 21, 2004, 9:57 PM CDT for Chickasaw County, Floyd 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 21, 2004, 9:57 PM CDT (02:57 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 2004, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Chickasaw County, IA, Floyd County, IA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:01 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, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 211 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 2004-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 215 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
215 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
257 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KARX 220257
FFWARX
IAC037-067-220600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
957 PM CDT FRI MAY 21 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  FLOYD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA
  CHICKASAW COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA

* UNTIL 100 AM CDT

* AT 957 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  RUDD...OR ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF CHARLES CITY. ESTIMATES FROM RADAR
  INDICATED THAT NEARLY 1 INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE PAST
  HOUR OVER THE WARNED AREA. THE STORMS PRODUCING THE VERY HEAVY
  RAINFALL WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS WARNING EXTENDS THE
  PREVIOUS FLASH FLOOD WARNING ISSUED FOR FLOYD AND CHICKASAW
  COUNTIES.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...CHARLES CITY...
  FLOYD...IONIA...NEW HAMPTON...RIVER RANCH CAMPGROUND...COUNTY ROADS
  B 28 AND V 18 AND HIGHWAY 18 AND COUNTY V 18.

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 4315 9293 4293 9284 4298 9221 4318 9230

$$

RABERDING
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KARX 220408
FFSARX
IAC037-067-220600-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1107 PM CDT FRI MAY 21 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR FLOYD AND CHICKASAW
COUNTIES UNTIL 100 AM CDT...

AT 1102 PM CDT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN FLOYD COUNTY REPORTED 
SEVERAL WASHED OUT SECONDARY ROADS.  ALSO...WATER WAS REPORTED OVER 
ROADS IN CHARLES CITY.  IN CHICKASAW COUNTY...LAW ENFORCEMENT 
OFFICIALS WATER OVER ROADS AND BRIDGES EAST OF FREDERICKSBURG. 
ALSO...IS WAS REPORTED THAT 40 HOUSES HAD WATER IN THEIR BASEMENTS 
IN FREDERICKSBURG. 

AT 1105 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW 
MORE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER THE WARNED AREA.  THIS WILL CONTINUE 
TO AFFECT THE WARNED AREA THROUGH 100 AM.   

SOME LOCATIONS WHICH MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...CHARLES CITY...
FLOYD...FREDERICKSBURG...IONIA...LAWLER...MARBLE ROCK AND NASHUA.

THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL ONLY MAKE THE 
FLOODING WORSE. 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.

$$

KRC

&
000 
WGUS73 KARX 220501
FFSARX
IAC037-067-220600-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1201 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT FOR
CHICKASAW AND FLOYD COUNTIES...

AT 1158 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED MORE 
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL IOWA MOVING TOWARD THE AREA. 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED 
WITH THE NEXT ROUND OF STORMS. THE STORMS PRODUCING THE VERY HEAVY 
RAINFALL WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...CHARLES CITY...FLOYD...
FREDERICKSBURG...IONIA...MARBLE ROCK...NEW HAMPTON AND ROCKFORD.

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.

LAT...LON 4294 9297 4295 9212 4320 9215 4320 9296

$$

RABERDING

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXChickasaw, Floyd3 hr
May 21, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClayton35 min
May 21, 7:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXAllamakee, Winneshiek3 hr
May 21, 8:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXClayton, Fayette3 hr
May 21, 9:08 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXHoward, Mitchell3 hr
May 21, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClayton51 min
May 21, 10:45 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXAllamakee, Winneshiek3 hr
May 21, 11:28 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXClayton, Fayette3 hr
May 22, 12:11 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXHoward, Mitchell3 hr
May 22, 12:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFloyd57 min
May 22, 12:59 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningARXChickasaw, Floyd3 hr
May 22, 2:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette38 min
May 22, 2:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClayton44 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2004Every flash flood warning in 2004

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.