Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 31, 2004Nobles County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this flash flood warning at Jul 31, 2004, 7:23 PM CDT for Nobles County, Minnesota. It was in force for 3 hr. 2 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
Jul 31, 2004, 7:23 PM CDT (00:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 2004, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Nobles County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:26 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 31, 7:46 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD1 S Adrian, MNHEAVY RAIN AND RUNNING WATER OVER THE DIRT ROAD JUST SOUTH OF ADRIAN.
Jul 31, 7:50 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD2 Se Rushmore, MNIN ADDITION TO DANGEROUSLY WASHED OUT DIRT ROADS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN, PEA SIZED HAIL FELL.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 218 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 2004-08-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 465 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 2004-08-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 191 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
465 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1194 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
191 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
395 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS53 KFSD 010025
FFWFSD
MNC105-010330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
723 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NOBLES COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT

* AT 721 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6
  MILES NORTH OF LISMORE TO ADRIAN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA...ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN AND SOUTHERN NOBLES COUNTY WHERE 
HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WILL TRACK OVER THE SAME AREA.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4385 9606 4350 9605 4350 9549 4384 9550

$$
RSR
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KFSD 010145
FFSFSD
MNC105-010330-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
844 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1030 PM CDT FOR NOBLES
COUNTY...

AT 835 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS 
PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING.  THE BACK EDGE OF THESE STORMS WAS LOCATED 
ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM ELLSWORTH TO RUSHMORE...MOVING SOUTHEAST 
AT 15 MPH.  THE CURRENT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD EXIT SOUTHERN 
NOBLES COUNTY BY 915 PM...HOWEVER ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS STILL 
POSSIBLE.  IT WILL ALSO TAKE SOME TIME FOR EXISTING FLOODING TO 
SUBSIDE...THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT.

BETWEEN 745 PM CDT AND 8 PM CDT...TRAINED SPOTTERS REPORTED FLOODING 
ON DIRT ROADS 1 MILE SOUTH OF ADRIAN...AS WELL AS 2 MILES SOUTHEAST 
OF RUSHMORE.  THE HEAVY RAIN WAS WASHING OUT PARTS OF DIRT ROADS 
SOUTHEAST OF RUSHMORE...AND DRIVING WAS VERY DANGEROUS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4385 9606 4350 9605 4350 9549 4384 9550

$$
 JH
000 
WGUS73 KFSD 010333
FFSFSD
MNC105-010350-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1033 PM CDT SAT JUL 31 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR NOBLES COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AS OF 1030 PM CDT...THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER REPORTS OF FLOODING 
ACROSS NOBLES COUNTY...AND ADDITIONAL STORMS NORTH OF SLAYTON ARE 
CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTH OF THE COUNTY. THEREFORE THE 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4385 9606 4350 9605 4350 9549 4384 9550

$$
 JH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 7:20 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDNobles25 min
Jul 31, 7:45 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDNobles30 min
Jul 31, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDNobles28 min
Jul 31, 10:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon38 min
Jul 31, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon, Murray45 min

Nearby

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