Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Grand Forks, ND

March 24, 2009Polk County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this flash flood warning at Mar 24, 2009, 3:00 PM CDT for Polk County, Minnesota. It was in force for 19 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
Mar 24, 2009, 3:00 PM CDT (20:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 25, 2009, 10:00 AM CDT
In force
19 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Polk County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:01 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

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 267 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2009-03-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2009-03-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 258 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
503 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
213 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 KFGF 242002
FFWFGF
MNC119-251500-
/O.NEW.KFGF.FF.W.0002.090324T2002Z-090325T1500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
300 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL POLK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 1000 AM CDT WEDNESDAY

* AT 3 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED AN
ICE JAM ON THE RED LAKE RIVER NEAR THE CITY OF CROOKSTON AND 
DOWNSTREAM TO NEAR FISHER. THIS HAS CAUSED THE RED LAKE RIVER TO 
RISE TO NEAR THE TOP OF THE DIKES IN CROOKSTON. A VOLUNTARY 
EVACUATION HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. ADDITIONAL RISES ARE 
POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT NEAR CROOKSTON.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE CROOKSTON AND FISHER.

MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR
VEHICLE INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. ONE OR TWO FEET OF WATER WILL
FLOAT MOST CARS DOWNSTREAM.

LAT...LON 4781 9679 4779 9649 4773 9656 4777 9674
      4778 9683

$$
DK
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS73 KFGF 250145
FFSFGF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
845 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009

MNC119-251500-
/O.CON.KFGF.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090325T1500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
POLK MN-
845 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY FOR CENTRAL POLK COUNTY...

AT 845 PM CDT...AN ICE JAM REMAINS IN PLACE ON THE RED LAKE 
RIVER...ESPECIALLY DOWNSTREAM OF CROOKSTON NEAR FISHER. THE WATER 
LEVEL AT CROOKSTON HAS LOWERED SLIGHTLY SINCE THIS AFTERNOON. 
HOWEVER...THE ICE JAM MEANS THAT WATER LEVELS COULD AGAIN RISE 
RAPIDLY ALONG THE RED LAKE RIVER. IN ADDITION...RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
FROM 0.50 TO 0.75 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED ACROSS THE AREA THIS 
EVENING. THIS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE ADDITIONAL...RAPID RISES ON THE 
RED LAKE RIVER TONIGHT. 

SOME LOCATIONS IN THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING INCLUDE CROOKSTON AND 
FISHER. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR
VEHICLE INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. ONE OR TWO FEET OF WATER WILL
FLOAT MOST CARS DOWNSTREAM.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN THE DANGERS OF FLASH FLOODING
ARE HARD TO RECOGNIZE.

LAT...LON 4781 9679 4779 9649 4773 9656 4777 9674
      4778 9683

$$

CJS/DK
000 
WGUS73 KFGF 251508
FFSFGF

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1007 AM CDT WED MAR 25 2009

MNC119-251517-
/O.EXP.KFGF.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090325T1500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
POLK MN-
1007 AM CDT WED MAR 25 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CENTRAL POLK COUNTY...

AT 1007 AM CDT...THE THREAT FOR A RAPID INCREASE IN WATER LEVELS 
ALONG THE RED LAKE RIVER AT CROOKSTON HAS LESSENED.  RIVER FLOODING 
WILL REMAIN VERY HIGH AND PLEASE REFER TO ALL RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS 
AND STATEMENTS FOR INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 4781 9679 4779 9649 4773 9656 4777 9674
      4778 9683

$$

DTR

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 4:33 AM CDTWinter Storm WatchFGFBeltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Roseau11 hr
Mar 24, 9:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFPolk5 hr
Mar 24, 11:50 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFGFKittson57 days
Mar 24, 3:51 PM CDTWinter Storm WarningFGFBecker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson and 8 more21 hr
Mar 24, 3:51 PM CDTWinter Weather AdvisoryFGFBecker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Hubbard and 8 more21 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Minnesota, 2009Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.