Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 34, NWS Des Moines, IA

June 11, 2004Hamilton County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 11, 2004, 8:42 PM CDT for Hamilton County, Iowa. It was in force for 3 hr. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jun 11, 2004, 8:42 PM CDT (01:42 UTC)
Expired: Jun 11, 2004, 11:45 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Hamilton County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:43 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 11, 9:00 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Webster City, IA	SOME CARS STRANDED DUE TO FLOOD WATERS IN THE CITY.
Jun 11, 9:00 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Webster City, IA	CARS STUCK. ONE CAR FLOATED UNDERNEATH FLOODED TRAIN OVERPASS AND NEEDED RESCUE.
Jun 11, 9:38 PM CDT	FLOOD	Webster City, IA	STREET FLOODING THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND A TRAIN OVERPASS FLOODED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 247 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -132 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2604 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 34 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KDMX 120143
FFWDMX
IAC079-120445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
842 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HAMILTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1145 PM

* AT 834 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
THUNDERSTORMS WITH FLASH FLOOD PRODUCING RAINS MOVING ACROSS 
HAMILTON COUNTY. DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED ONE TO TWO INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN IN THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE COUNTY. THE 
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE RAIN RATES OF 1 TO 3 INCHES PER 
HOUR.

* THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED BY ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL 
FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL PRODUCE 
SIGNIFICANT RUNOFF INTO SWOLLEN WATERWAYS. AREAS NEAR WEBSTER CITY 
WERE THE HARDEST HIT FROM THE RAINS OF WEDNESDAY...AND ADDITIONAL 
HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT SHOULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING.

OTHER WARNING LOCATIONS INCLUDE...
BLAIRSBURG...ELLSWORTH...JEWELL...KAMRAR...RANDALL...STANHOPE... 
WEBSTER CITY...AND WILLIAMS.

FLASH FLOODS OCCUR QUICKLY...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. AVOID WATER
COVERED ROADS...THE ROAD MAY BE WASHED OUT. LESS THAN ONE FOOT OF
FAST FLOWING WATER CAN SWEEP AN AUTOMOBILE OFF THE ROAD.

LAT...LON 4254 9394 4222 9392 4222 9359 4257 9352

$$
GRAMS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS73 KDMX 120251
FFSDMX
IAC079-120445-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
951 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR HAMILTON COUNTY UNTIL 1145
PM...

AT 944 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE RAINFALL IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST 
CORNER OF HAMILTON COUNTY. THE STORMS WILL LIKELY EXIT THE COUNTY BY 
1030 PM. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT 1 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL 
ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTY. AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN WEBSTER 
CITY.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED STREET FLOODING AND A 
TRAIN OVERPASS FLOODED IN WEBSTER CITY. WATER WAS REPORTED TO BE 
HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND APPROACHING BANKFULL IN WHITE FOX CREEK. 
RURAL FLOODING HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED.

THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED BY ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL 
FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TONIGHT SHOULD 
PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT RUNOFF INTO SWOLLEN WATERWAYS. 

FLASH FLOODS OCCUR QUICKLY...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. AVOID WATER 
COVERED ROADS...THE ROAD MAY BE WASHED OUT. LESS THAN ONE FOOT OF 
FAST FLOWING WATER CAN SWEEP AN AUTOMOBILE OFF THE ROAD.

LAT...LON 4254 9394 4222 9392 4222 9359 4257 9352

$$
GRAMS

000 
WGUS73 KDMX 120401
FFSDMX
IAC079-120445-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1100 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2004

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR HAMILTON COUNTY
UNTIL 1145 PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED WELL EAST OF THE WARNED AREA WITH NO 
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY EXPECTED...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT 1 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ACROSS 
MUCH OF THE COUNTY EARLIER THIS EVENING. AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN 
FELL IN WEBSTER CITY.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED CARS WERE STUCK AROUND 9 
PM THIS EVENING IN WEBSTER CITY. ONE CAR FLOATED UNDERNEATH A 
FLOODED TRAIN OVERPASS AND HAD TO BE RESCUED. OTHER VEHICLES WERE 
STRANDED IN THE WATER AND HAD TO BE TOWED. RURAL FLOODING HAD ALSO 
BEEN REPORTED EARLIER. STREET FLOODING IN THE CITY HAD SUBSIDED BY 
11 PM. 

FLASH FLOODS OCCUR QUICKLY...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. AVOID WATER 
COVERED ROADS...THE ROAD MAY BE WASHED OUT. LESS THAN ONE FOOT OF 
FAST FLOWING WATER CAN SWEEP AN AUTOMOBILE OFF THE ROAD.

LAT...LON 4254 9394 4222 9392 4222 9359 4257 9352

$$
GRAMS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 11, 7:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Wright	53 min
Jun 11, 7:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Taylor	47 min
Jun 11, 7:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Ringgold	57 min
Jun 11, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Webster	32 min
Jun 11, 7:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Hamilton	56 min
Jun 11, 7:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Union	61 min
Jun 11, 8:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Webster	28 min
Jun 11, 8:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Boone	47 min
Jun 11, 8:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Ringgold	54 min
Jun 11, 8:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Webster	15 min
Jun 11, 8:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Hamilton	43 min
Jun 11, 8:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Boone	46 min
Jun 11, 9:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Dallas	44 min
Jun 11, 9:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Story	58 min
Jun 11, 9:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Hamilton	41 min
Jun 11, 10:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Marshall, Story	59 min
Jun 12, 2:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Cass	34 min
Jun 12, 2:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Audubon	40 min
Jun 12, 2:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Guthrie	36 min
Jun 12, 2:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair	33 min
Jun 12, 3:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Union	42 min
Jun 12, 3:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Boone, Dallas	43 min
Jun 12, 3:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Polk, Story	44 min
Jun 12, 4:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Hamilton	41 min
Jun 12, 4:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Jasper, Marshall	48 min
Jun 12, 5:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Mahaska, Poweshiek	44 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2004 Every 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.