Alert archive / Alaska / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Fairbanks, AK

July 3, 2005

NWS Fairbanks, AK issued this flash flood warning at Jul 3, 2005, 3:14 PM AKDT. It was in force for 21 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
Jul 3, 2005, 3:14 PM AKDT (23:14 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 2005, 12:30 PM AKDT
In force
21 hr
Issued by
NWS Fairbanks, AK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Fairbanks, (PFAI), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 181 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, Fairbanks, at 12:00Z on 2005-07-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 76 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Fairbanks, at 12:00Z on 2005-07-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
76 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1322 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
39 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 
WGAK59 PAFG 040425
FFWAFG
AKZ225-041015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
814 PM ADT SUN JUL 3 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FAIRBANKS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  DENALI AREA OF ALASKA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF KANTISHNA...SAVAGE RIVER
  CAMP...IGLOO CAMPGROUND...POLYCHROME PASS...EIELSON
  VISITOR CENTER...AND WONDER LAKE.

* UNTIL 1130 PM ADT

* AT 800 PM ADT...ONE INCH OF RAIN WAS REPORTED FROM HEAVY
SHOWERS AT THE STAMPEDE AIRSTRIP IN THE LAST 6 HOURS. LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN MAY HAVE OCCURRED ELSEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA
SINCE 2 PM ADT THIS AFTERNOON. 

FLOODING IS LIKELY OCCURRING OR IMMINENT ON SMALL STREAMS IN AREAS 
AFFECTED BY HEAVY SHOWERS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE 
RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN 
HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS AND HIKERS SHOULD AVOID STREAMS OR CREEKS SINCE 
WATER LEVELS COULD RISE RAPIDLY WITH LITTLE WARNING.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING 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 CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

LAT...LON 6327 15080 6373 14904 6412 14952 6363 15132

$$

RF JUL 05
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGAK79 PAFG 040730
FFSAFG

AKZ225-040830-
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1130 PM ADT SUN JUL 3 2005

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT...

RAINFALL HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA AND EASED THE FLASH
FLOOD DANGER.

RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO WATER LEVELS OVERNIGHT.

LAT...LON 6327 15080 6373 14904 6412 14952 6363 15132

$$
TS JUL 05

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 3, 9:30 AM AKDT, 5 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 3, 9:30 AM AKDT, 5 hours 44 minutes before
NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT SUN JUL 3 2005

.DISCUSSION...THE ETA AND GFS FORECASTS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD
AGREEMENT TODAY...THOUGH THE ETA DEEPENS THE TROUGH ALOFT OVER
NORTHEAST ALASKA MORE THAN THE GFS BY TUESDAY MORNING. PREVIOUS
MODEL RUNS HAVE FORECAST THIS FEATURE TOO STRONGLY ON A
CONSISTENT BASIS SO THE GFS LOOKS BETTER IN THIS REGARD. IN ANY
CASE...THE WESTERLIES OVER THE SOUTH CHUKCHI SEAS ARE PICKING
UP.

THE MESO ETA MODEL HAS A SURFACE LOW NEAR BARROW AT 10 PM ADT
TUESDAY EVENING WITH CONSIDERABLY MORE DEFINITION THAT THE
OTHER MODELS AND IT MAY WELL BE CORRECT. THE MESO ETA SURFACE
WINDS TUEDSAY EVENING ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST FROM POINT HOPE TO
WAINWRIGHT ARE SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 KNOTS. DUE TO THE LINGERING
ICE COVER IN THE CHUKCHI AND THE FAIRLY NARROW AREA OF OPEN WATER
FROM ICY CAPE TO NORTH OF BARROW (ONLY 20 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES
WIDE) SURF DOES NOT YET LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE A PROBLEM. BUT
THIS WILL BE AN IMPORTANT CHANGE FROM THE UNEVENTFUL WEATHER
THAT HAS PREVAILED UP THERE FOR SOME TIME.

THE UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER THE INTERIOR WILL PROBABLY BECOME A
LITTLE COOLER AND MORE STABLE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS WESTERLY
FLOW AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT BRING IN MARITIME AND MODIFIED
MARITIME AIR. WESTERN ALASKA REMAINS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY DRY.
FOLLOWING THIS WESTERLY STABILIZATION...THE GFS AND ECMWF MIDDLE
RANGE FORECASTS SHOW THE RIDGE ALOFT OVER WEST CANADA REBUILDING
OVER THE ALASKA MAINLAND...SUGGESTING TO NO ONES SURPRISE THAT
SUMMER AINT OVER YET.

.HYDRO...QUIET. RAINS HAVE DIMINISHED. GLACIAL MELT HAS TANANA
RIVER ROLLING ALONG PRETTY FAST...BUT WITHIN ITS BANKS.
.FIRE WEATHER...SCATTERED SHOWERS/FEW THUNDERSHOWERS...MOSTLY
WET. NO STRONG WINDS.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT AREAS 210 AND 220.

TF JUL 05

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fairbanks, AK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 3, 2:52 AM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFG11 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alaska, 2005Every flash flood warning in 2005

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.