Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 17, 20044 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 2004, 7:45 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 121 days. 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 17, 2004, 7:45 PM CDT (00:45 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2004, 11:45 AM CDT
In force
121 days
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Emmet County, IA, Madison County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Warren County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 39 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:46 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 208 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2004-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2004-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -35 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KDMX 180049
FFWDMX
IAC121-181-180345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
745 PM CDT MON MAY 17 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN MADISON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA
  NORTHWESTERN WARREN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA

* UNTIL 1045 PM

* AT 741 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH FLASH FLOOD PRODUCING RAINS IN THE WARNING AREA.

* A WEATHER SERVICE SPOTTER REPORTED 3.5 INCHES OF RAIN 1 MILE    
NORTHEAST OF PATTERSON.  ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN FALL IS POSSIBLE 
THROUGH 900 PM.  RAINFALL TOTALS MAY EXCEED 4 INCHES IN A NARROW 
AREA FROM JUST NORTHEAST OF WINTERSET TO JUST NORTH OF MARTENSDALE. 

SMALL STREAMS IMPACTED WILL BE CEDAR CREEK...CLANTON CREEK...JONES 
CREEK AND BADGER CREEK. 

WARNING LOCATIONS INCLUDE...
BEVINGTON...CUMMING...MARTENSDALE...PATTERSON...SPRING HILL...ST.
CHARLES...ST. MARYS...WINTERSET AND WINTERSET MADISON COUNTY AIRPORT

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 4147 9405 4128 9406 4129 9362 4148 9362

$$

JOHNSON
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS53 KDMX 151045
FFWDMX
IAC063-147-151645-
/X.NEW.KDMX.FF.W.0004.040915T1043Z-040915T1645Z/
/0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
543 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EMMET COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA.
  PALO ALTO COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA.

* UNTIL 1145 AM CDT.

* AT 541 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.     
  DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED 1 TO 1.5 INCHES PER HOUR.  RAINFALL        
  REPORTS FROM THE COUNTIES RANGED FROM 5 TO 8 INCHES IN THE LAST 24 
  HOURS.

* SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE
  WARNED AREA. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH
  FLOODING TO OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING
  INCLUDE...ESTHERVILLE...EMMETSBURG...AYRSHIRE...CURLEW...
  CYLINDER...DOLLIVER...EMMETSBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...ESTHERVILLE
  MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...GRAETTINGER...GRUVER...RINGSTED AND RODMAN.


EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

LAT...LON 4294 9490 4295 9453 4350 9448 4345 9493

$$

FORSTER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWarren43 min
May 17, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMarion34 min
May 17, 9:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska41 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.