Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Twin Cities, MN

September 14, 2004Faribault County, Freeborn County, Martin County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this flash flood warning at Sep 14, 2004, 6:49 PM CDT for Faribault County, Freeborn County, Martin County, Minnesota. It was in force for 6 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
Sep 14, 2004, 6:49 PM CDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2004, 12:45 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Martin County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:50 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 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 12:00Z on 2004-09-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 227 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 12:00Z on 2004-09-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 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
227 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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 KMPX 142354
FFWMPX
MNC043-047-091-150545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
649 PM CDT TUE SEP 14 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  FARIBAULT COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  FREEBORN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  MARTIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 1245 AM CDT

* AT 649 PM CDT...RADAR DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
  RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNED AREA. THE STORMS PRODUCING THE
  HEAVIEST RAIN WERE 3 MILES SOUTH OF MATAWAN...OR ABOUT 19 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF ALBERT LEA. ESTIMATES FROM RADAR INDICATED THAT NEARLY
  1 INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE PAST HOUR OVER THE WARNED     
  AREA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

  THE HEAVIEST RAINS WILL BE AFFECTING AREAS FROM FAIRMONT TO        
  WELLS. 

  THE GROUND HAS ALREADY BEEN SATURATED BY RECENT RAINFALL IN THE
  WARNED AREA...AND ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL RUNOFF AND CAUSE FLOODING.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...ALBERT LEA...ALDEN...
  BLUE EARTH...BRICELYN...CLARKS GROVE...CONGER AND DELAVAN.

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.

LAT...LON 4382 9444 4354 9447 4355 9311 4383 9312

$$
3 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KMPX 150108
FFSMPX
MNC043-047-091-150545-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
801 PM CDT TUE SEP 14 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM CDT FOR
MARTIN...FREEBORN AND FARIBAULT COUNTIES...

AT 801 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN 7 MILES WEST OF ALBERT LEA. ESTIMATES FROM
RADAR INDICATED THAT NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE 
PAST HOUR OVER THE WARNED AREA. RADAR ALSO SUGGESTS THAT NEARLY 3 
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER MUCH OF FARIBAULT COUNTY SINCE THE 
HEAVY RAIN BEGAN. THE STORMS PRODUCING THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE 
MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. THE MOST INTENSE RAINFALL WILL OCCUR FROM 
BLUE EARTH...TO WELLS AND CLARKS GROVE THROUGH 930 PM. 

ALSO...EXPECT ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE OUT OF IOWA TOWARD 
FAIRMONT ...RESULTING IN ADDITIONAL EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE 
ROAD. TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES 
INCLUDING SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4382 9444 4354 9447 4355 9311 4383 9312

$$

JPR
000 
WGUS73 KMPX 150137
FFSMPX
MNC043-047-091-150320-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
828 PM CDT TUE SEP 14 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM FOR 
MARTIN...FREEBORN AND FARIBAULT COUNTIES...

AT 820 PM 1.7 INCHES OF RAIN WAS REPORTED SINCE NOON FROM A RADIO 
STATION IN ALBERT LEA WITH HEAVY RAIN STILL FALLING. MOST OF THIS 
RAIN OCCURRED SINCE 6 PM. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATION AT THIS SITE 
SINCE MIDNIGHT TOTALED 3.10 INCHES. 

AN UNOFFICIAL RAINFALL OBSERVATION FROM THE PUBLIC AT A SITE 5 MILES 
WEST OF ALBERT LEA INDICATED RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES 
SINCE MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL OVER FLOWED THE RAIN GAUGE. 

FLOODING IS IMMINENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF MARTIN...FARIBAULT AND 
FREEBORN COUNTIES THIS EVENING DUE TO STORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN 
CONTINUING TO MOVE NORTH OUT OF IOWA AND ALREADY SATURATED SOILS. 

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 4382 9444 4354 9447 4355 9311 4383 9312

$$
000 
WGUS73 KMPX 150309
FFSMPX
MNC043-047-091-150545-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1003 PM CDT TUE SEP 14 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM CDT FOR
MARTIN...FREEBORN AND FARIBAULT COUNTIES...

AT 1003 PM CDT...ESTIMATES FROM RADAR INDICATED THAT NEARLY 4 INCHES 
OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE 6 PM...ACROSS THE EASTERN PARTS OF 
FARIBAULT AND MUCH OF FREEBORN COUNTY. LESSER AMOUNT HAVE FALLEN IN 
MARTIN COUNTY. THE MOST RAIN HAS OCCURRED IN AN AREA FROM ALBERT 
LEA...TO HOLLANDALE.

LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS LOTS OF STREET FLOODING OVER MUCH OF THE 
AREA. 

RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED 
THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING OCCASIONAL HEAVY DOWNPOURS...CONTINUING TO 
MOVE NORTHEAST FROM IOWA ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. ADDITIONAL 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES ARE QUITE LIKELY INTO THE EARLY 
MORNING. 

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 4382 9444 4354 9447 4355 9311 4383 9312

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 13, 8:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood, Renville55 min
Sep 13, 8:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood, Renville52 min
Sep 13, 9:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood35 min
Sep 13, 10:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBrown, Nicollet, Sibley65 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.