Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 2008

Flash Flood Warning 73, NWS St. Louis, MO

July 3, 2008Clinton County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 3, 2008, 7:55 PM CDT for Clinton County, Illinois. It was in force for 4 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 3, 2008, 7:55 PM CDT (00:55 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2008, 12:00 AM CDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS St. Louis, MO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Clinton County, IL

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:03 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
Jul 3, 8:25 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Breese, IL	8 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER ACROSS INTERSECTION OF HWY 50 AND BREESE...GERMANTONW ROAD IN BREESE. HWY DPT IS CLOSING RTE 50. WATER FLOWING INTO BUISNESSES IN BREESE.
Jul 3, 9:10 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Albers, IL	ILLINOIS HIGHWAY 161 HAS 6 TO 8 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER FROM ALBERS TO 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF ALBERS

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

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 194 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1134 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 23 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 KLSX 040059
FFWLSX
ILC027-040500-
/O.NEW.KLSX.FF.W.0073.080704T0055Z-080704T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
755 PM CDT THU JUL 3 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CLINTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

* AT 754 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE WARNED AREA. RADAR
  ESTIMATES 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER NORTHWEST AND
  NORTH CENTRAL PARTS OF THE COUNTY SINCE 7 PM...AND ANOTHER 1 TO 2 
  INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE BY THE TIME THE RAIN TAPERS OFF
  AROUND 10 PM.

* FLASH FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA...AND WILL BE
  AFFECTING TRENTON...ST. ROSE...SHATTUC...JAMESTOWN...CARLYLE...
  BREESE...BOULDER...BECKEMEYER AND AVISTON.  SHOAL AND BEAVER CREEKS
  ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.
 
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.

MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO 
CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER 
TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO 
ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN ST
LOUIS.

LAT...LON 3850 8915 3851 8934 3851 8935 3849 8939
      3849 8946 3846 8948 3848 8957 3847 8962
      3843 8967 3842 8971 3865 8971 3866 8960
      3874 8960 3874 8914

$$

TRUETT

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS73 KLSX 040348
FFSLSX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1042 PM CDT THU JUL 3 2008

ILC027-040500-
/O.CON.KLSX.FF.W.0073.000000T0000Z-080704T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CLINTON IL-
1042 PM CDT THU JUL 3 2008

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR
CLINTON COUNTY...

AT 1039 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE HEAVY RAIN WAS SLOWLY TAPERING OFF...AND SHOULD BE MOVING 
OUT OF CLINTON COUNTY BY MIDNIGHT.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TRENTON...ST.
ROSE...SHATTUC...JAMESTOWN...GERMANTOWN...CARLYLE...BREESE...BOULDER.
..BECKEMEYER...AVISTON AND ALBERS.  THE CLINTON COUNTY SHERIFF 
REPORTED THAT MAIN ROADS WERE OPEN...BUT THAT MANY ROADS STILL HAD A 
FEW INCHES OF WATER THEM.  SMALLER RURAL ROADS MAY STILL BE 
INUNDATED...SO BE VERY CAUTIOUS IF YOU MUST DRIVE AROUND THE AREA 
TONIGHT.

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.

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.

LAT...LON 3850 8915 3851 8934 3851 8935 3849 8939
      3849 8946 3846 8948 3848 8957 3847 8962
      3843 8967 3842 8971 3865 8971 3866 8960
      3874 8960 3874 8914

$$

CARNEY

000 
WGUS73 KLSX 040501
FFSLSX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1200 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008

ILC027-040510-
/O.EXP.KLSX.FF.W.0073.000000T0000Z-080704T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CLINTON IL-
1200 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CLINTON COUNTY...

A CHECK WITH  LAW ENFORCEMENT INDICATES THAT FLOODING IS NO LONGER A 
PROBLEM IN THE AREA.  HOWEVER...MOTORISTS IN CLINTON COUNTY SHOULD 
REMAIN ALERT FOR STANDING WATER ON ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY IN LOW 
LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS...AND IN AREAS ALONG SHOAL AND BEAVER 
CREEKS.

LAT...LON 3850 8915 3851 8934 3851 8935 3849 8939
      3849 8946 3846 8948 3848 8957 3847 8962
      3843 8967 3842 8971 3865 8971 3866 8960
      3874 8960 3874 8914

$$

TRUETT

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 3, 7:32 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	LSX	Madison	4 hr
Jul 3, 9:04 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	LSX	Saint Clair	4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 2008 Every flash flood warning in 2008

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.