Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

September 15, 20044 counties in Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this flash flood warning at Sep 15, 2004, 4:06 AM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 114 min. 4 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: Sep 15, 2004, 4:06 AM CDT (09:06 UTC)
Expired: Sep 15, 2004, 6:00 AM CDT
In force: 114 min
Issued by: NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:08 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
Sep 15, 5:00 AM CDT	FLOOD	Sutherland, A	TRIBUTARY TO THE WATERMAN RIVER WAS OUT OF ITS BANKS IN AND EAST OF SUTHERLAND. SPOTTERS REPORTED THAT CREEK WAS RECEDING TO WITHIN ITS BANKS AT 845 AM CDT.
Sep 15, 5:30 AM CDT	FLOOD	1 W Dickens, IA	HIGHWAY 18 UNDER WATER
Sep 15, 5:30 AM CDT	FLOOD	Spirit Lake, IA	ADDITIONAL 4.09 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE MIDNIGHT. ADDED TO STORM TOTAL FOR A TOTAL OF 7.95 INCHES. LOTS OF STREET FLOODING IN THE CITY OF SPIRIT LAKE.
Sep 15, 5:30 AM CDT	FLOOD	S Terril, IA	COUNTY ROAD B17 SOUTH OF TERRIL...BUT STILL IN CLAY COUNTY. ONE LANE UNDER WATER. WATER STILL RISING...OFFICIALS CONSIDERING CLOSING ROAD.

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, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 228 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: 52 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 758 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 106 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 KFSD 150906
FFWFSD
IAC041-059-141-143-151100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
406 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  DICKINSON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  OBRIEN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  OSCEOLA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 600 AM CDT

* AT 406 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8
  MILES WEST OF OCHEYEDAN TO 14 MILES SOUTH OF SUTHERLAND...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY IN THE 
WARNED AREA AS THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE SAME AREA.

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 4350 9574 4293 9571 4292 9494 4349 9496

$$
RSR

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS73 KFSD 151042
FFSFSD
IAC041-059-141-143-151100-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
542 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 600 AM CDT FOR CLAY...
OBRIEN...OSCEOLA AND DICKINSON COUNTIES...

AT 500 AM...SPOTTERS REPORTED A TOTAL OF 6.82 INCHES AT VICKS CORNER 
IN DICKINSON COUNTY IOWA. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN SPIRIT LAKE ALSO 
REPORTED STREET FLOODING IN SPIRIT LAKE. 

ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS ENDED ACROSS THE AREA AREAS OF URBAN 
AND LOWLAND FLOODING MAY CONTINUE THROUGH 6 AM/

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

LAT...LON 4350 9574 4293 9571 4292 9494 4349 9496

$$

JRM

000 
WGUS73 KFSD 151110
FFSFSD
IAC041-059-141-143-151118-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
608 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2004

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CLAY...OBRIEN...OSCEOLA AND DICKINSON
COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE COME TO AN END ACROSS THE 
AREA...THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. 
HOWEVER PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER THE 
NEXT FEW HOURS.

LAT...LON 4350 9574 4293 9571 4292 9494 4349 9496

$$

JRM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 14, 7:12 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FSD	Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, O'Brien	4 hr
Sep 15, 3:20 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FSD	Lyon	3 hr
Sep 15, 5:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Buena Vista	34 min
Sep 15, 7:01 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FSD	Clay, Dickinson, O'Brien	119 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.