Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2010

Flash Flood Warning 25, NWS Twin Cities, MN

September 23, 201017 counties in Minnesota; 4 counties in Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this flash flood warning at Sep 23, 2010, 8:39 AM CDT for 17 counties in Minnesota; 4 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 6 hr. 10 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 23, 2010, 8:39 AM CDT (13:39 UTC)
Expired: Sep 23, 2010, 2:30 PM CDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

All 21 counties

Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Goodhue County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, Martin County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Rice County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Steele County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN, Dunn County, WI, Eau Claire County, WI, Pepin County, WI, Pierce County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:41 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 23, 8:50 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 10.53	Amboy, MN	FINAL 24 HOUR TOTAL.
Sep 23, 9:05 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 9.82	1 Sw South Branch, MN
Sep 23, 9:40 AM CDT	FLOOD	St James, MN	NUMEROUS STREETS UNDERWATER WITH SOME CLOSED. A FEW APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED DUE TO WATER.
Sep 23, 9:40 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 8.75	St James, MN
Sep 23, 9:55 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 4.2	2 Nw Kiester, MN	STORM TOTAL THUS FAR
Sep 23, 11:02 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 10.45	Amboy, MN	TWENTY FOUR HOUR TOTAL.
Sep 23, 11:30 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 5.76	Zumbrota, MN	TWENTY FOUR HOUR TOTAL.
Sep 23, 11:40 AM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 5.66	3 Ne Darfur, MN
Sep 23, 1:51 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 8	17 Ne Owatonna, MN	TWENTY FOUR HOUR TOTAL.
Sep 23, 2:15 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 10.53	Amboy, MN	FINAL 24 HOUR TOTAL.

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 12:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 53 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: 1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 493 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 30 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.

536 
WGUS53 KMPX 231339
FFWMPX
MNC013-015-037-043-047-049-079-091-103-127-129-131-139-143-147-161-
165-WIC033-035-091-093-231930-
/O.NEW.KMPX.FF.W.0025.100923T1339Z-100923T1930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
839 AM CDT THU SEP 23 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BLUE EARTH COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  BROWN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  DAKOTA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  DUNN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  EAU CLAIRE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  FARIBAULT COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  FREEBORN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  GOODHUE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
  LE SUEUR COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  MARTIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  NICOLLET COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  PEPIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  PIERCE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  REDWOOD COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA
  RENVILLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  RICE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  SCOTT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  SIBLEY COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  STEELE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  WASECA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  WATONWAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 830 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE    
  WARNED AREA...AND ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF   
  RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE PAST 2 HOURS OVER PORTIONS OF THE   
  WARNED AREA. IN ADDITION...MORE HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE MOVING INTO
  THE WARNED AREA BETWEEN 9 AND 11 AM WHICH WILL LIKELY PRODUCE AN 
  ADDITIONAL ONE OR TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL. THIS AMOUNT OF   
  RAINFALL...PLUS OVERNIGHT RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF THREE TO   
  LOCALLY EIGHT INCHES...WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING IN   
  LOW LYING AREAS...AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  ALBERT LEA...BLUE EARTH...DURAND...EAU CLAIRE...ELLSWORTH...
  FAIRMONT...FARIBAULT...HAYWARD...MANKATO...MENOMONIE...NEW ULM...
  OLIVIA...OWATONNA...RED WING AND REDWOOD FALLS.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT OVERNIGHT RAINFALL TOTALS ARE NEAR HISTORIC 
AMOUNTS IN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA WHERE 
SEVERAL STREAMS AND CREEKS HAVE RISEN TO NEAR OR RECORD LEVELS. ANY 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL CAUSE HIGHER CRESTS...OR PROLONG THE 
FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

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

&&

LAT...LON 4350 9484 4410 9486 4420 9560 4489 9548
      4489 9451 4463 9449 4464 9377 4494 9310
      4474 9281 4486 9215 4521 9215 4521 9167
      4486 9164 4485 9093 4481 9092 4460 9093
      4459 9202 4419 9256 4419 9303 4350 9307

$$

JLT!

2 follow-up statements

175 
WGUS73 KMPX 231546
FFSMPX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1046 AM CDT THU SEP 23 2010

MNC013-015-037-043-047-049-079-091-103-127-129-131-139-143-147-161-
165-WIC033-035-091-093-231930-
/O.CON.KMPX.FF.W.0025.000000T0000Z-100923T1930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
DAKOTA MN-RENVILLE MN-SCOTT MN-SIBLEY MN-GOODHUE MN-REDWOOD MN-
LE SUEUR MN-RICE MN-BROWN MN-NICOLLET MN-BLUE EARTH MN-WASECA MN-
STEELE MN-WATONWAN MN-FARIBAULT MN-FREEBORN MN-MARTIN MN-DUNN WI-
PIERCE WI-EAU CLAIRE WI-PEPIN WI-
1046 AM CDT THU SEP 23 2010

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES...

SIBLEY.
RENVILLE.
SCOTT.
DAKOTA.
MARTIN.
FREEBORN.
FARIBAULT.
WATONWAN.
STEELE.
WASECA.
BLUE EARTH.
NICOLLET.
BROWN. 
RICE.
LE SUEUR.
GOODHUE.
REDWOOD.
PEPIN. 
EAU CLAIRE.
PIERCE.
AND DUNN UNTIL 230 PM CDT...

AT 1030 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...WITH RAINFALL 
RATES AS HIGH AS ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER HOUR SINCE 9 AM. ALTHOUGH 
ONE WAVE OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL MOVE OUT OF THE WARNED AREA BY 12 
NOON...ANOTHER AREA ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA WILL MOVE INTO THE 
WARNED AREA BETWEEN 12 NOON AND 2 PM WITH RAINFALL RATES INCREASING 
ONCE AGAIN. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL RATES THIS MORNING HAVE BEEN LOWER 
THAN LAST NIGHTS ONE TO TWO INCH PER HOUR RAINFALL RATES...THE 
GROUND IN THE WARNED AREA IS COMPLETELY SATURATED AND EVEN AS LITTLE 
AS ONE HALF INCH PER HOUR RAINFALL RATES WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING 
IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS. NUMEROUS AREAS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA 
WHICH PICKED UP FIVE TO NINE INCH TOTALS LAST NIGHT...WERE 
EXPERIENCING FLOODING WHICH INCLUDED CLOSURES TO 
SCHOOLS...BARRICADED ROADS...AND SIGNIFICANT BASEMENT FLOODING. ANY 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL PROLONG THE FLOOD THREAT OR CAUSE MORE 
FLOOD PROBLEMS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

REPORT FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SO THAT THEY
MAY TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO CLOSE FLOODED ROADWAYS. THEY WILL
RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

&&

LAT...LON 4350 9484 4410 9486 4420 9560 4489 9548
      4489 9451 4463 9449 4464 9377 4494 9310
      4474 9281 4486 9215 4521 9215 4521 9167
      4486 9164 4485 9093 4481 9092 4460 9093
      4459 9202 4419 9256 4419 9303 4350 9307

$$

JLT

702 
WGUS73 KMPX 231738
FFSMPX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1238 PM CDT THU SEP 23 2010

MNC013-015-037-043-047-049-079-091-103-127-129-131-139-143-147-161-
165-WIC033-035-091-093-231930-
/O.CON.KMPX.FF.W.0025.000000T0000Z-100923T1930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
DAKOTA MN-RENVILLE MN-SCOTT MN-SIBLEY MN-GOODHUE MN-REDWOOD MN-
LE SUEUR MN-RICE MN-BROWN MN-NICOLLET MN-BLUE EARTH MN-WASECA MN-
STEELE MN-WATONWAN MN-FARIBAULT MN-FREEBORN MN-MARTIN MN-DUNN WI-
PIERCE WI-EAU CLAIRE WI-PEPIN WI-
1238 PM CDT THU SEP 23 2010

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES...

SIBLEY.
RENVILLE.
SCOTT.
DAKOTA.
MARTIN.
FREEBORN.
FARIBAULT.
WATONWAN.
STEELE.
WASECA.
BLUE EARTH.
NICOLLET.
BROWN. 
RICE.
LE SUEUR.
GOODHUE.
REDWOOD.
PEPIN. 
EAU CLAIRE.
PIERCE.
AND DUNN UNTIL 230 PM CDT...

AT 1230 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...WITH RAINFALL 
RATES AS HIGH AS ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER HOUR SINCE 11 AM. ALTHOUGH 
THE MAIN AREA OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS SHIFTED NORTH OF THE WARNED 
AREA SINCE 11 AM....SEVERAL BANDS OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY 
CONTINUE THROUGH THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE TAPERING OFF BY THE 
LATE AFTERNOON. 

SINCE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL 
MINNESOTA HAVE BEEN HISTORIC OR NEAR HISTORIC RECORDS WITH AN EVENT 
RECORD FROM AMBOY IN SOUTHERN BLUE EARTH COUNTY OF 10.45 INCHES. DUE 
TO THESE NEAR OR RECORD RAINFALL AMOUNTS...FLOODING HAS BEEN 
EXTENSIVE WITH NUMEROUS REPORTS OF BARRICADED ROADS...RISING LAKE 
LEVELS...AND RECORD BREAKING STAGES ALONG CREEKS...STREAMS AND 
RIVERS. 

SIGNIFICANT BASEMENT FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN TRUMAN IN MARTIN 
COUNTY....WITH EVACUATIONS OF AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN ST JAMES. 
ALONG HIGHWAY 52...BETWEEN ZUMBROTA AND PINE ISLAND WHICH IS A MAJOR 
ROUTE BETWEEN THE TWIN CITIES AND ROCHESTER...HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO 
FLOODING. SANDBAGGING HAS ALSO OCCURRED IN THE TOWN OF OWATONNA DUE 
TO THE STRAIGHT RIVER OVER FLOWING.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

REPORT FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SO THAT THEY
MAY TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO CLOSE FLOODED ROADWAYS. THEY WILL
RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

&&

LAT...LON 4350 9484 4410 9486 4420 9560 4489 9548
      4489 9451 4463 9449 4464 9377 4494 9310
      4474 9281 4486 9215 4521 9215 4521 9167
      4486 9164 4485 9093 4481 9092 4460 9093
      4459 9202 4419 9256 4419 9303 4350 9307

$$

JLT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 22, 7:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Faribault, Martin, Watonwan	51 min
Sep 22, 7:44 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MPX	Brown, Redwood	6 hr
Sep 22, 8:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Faribault	38 min
Sep 22, 8:50 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Blue Earth, Nicollet	36 hr
Sep 22, 8:50 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Le Sueur, Scott, Sibley	36 hr
Sep 22, 8:50 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Dakota, Hennepin, Scott	36 hr
Sep 22, 8:50 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Dakota, Ramsey, Washington	36 hr
Sep 22, 8:50 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Dakota, Washington	36 hr
Sep 22, 8:51 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Blue Earth	39 min
Sep 22, 9:05 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Nicollet	10 days
Sep 22, 9:05 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Redwood	15 days
Sep 22, 9:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth	45 min
Sep 22, 9:21 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Watonwan	4 hr
Sep 22, 9:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Faribault	33 min
Sep 22, 10:36 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Waseca	39 min
Sep 22, 11:16 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Martin and 6 more	10 hr
Sep 23, 12:14 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Goodhue	9 hr
Sep 23, 12:14 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Steele	31 min
Sep 23, 12:30 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Goodhue	45 hr
Sep 23, 1:10 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Goodhue	68 hr
Sep 23, 1:49 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Goodhue, Olmsted	34 hr
Sep 23, 3:01 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Martin, Rice and 2 more	6 hr
Sep 23, 6:28 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MPX	Brown, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Redwood, Watonwan	3 hr
Sep 23, 10:50 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Scott	10 hr
Sep 23, 11:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Nicollet	10 days
Sep 23, 11:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Le Sueur, Scott, Sibley	15 days
Sep 23, 11:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Carver, Scott	19 days
Sep 23, 11:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Carver, Hennepin, Scott	18 days
Sep 23, 11:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	MPX	Dakota, Hennepin, Scott	19 days
Sep 23, 12:06 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Dakota, Goodhue	5 days
Sep 23, 12:06 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	MPX	Dakota, Goodhue	5 days
Sep 23, 2:25 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Dakota, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue and 8 more	48 hr
Sep 23, 5:28 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Yellow Medicine	6 hr
Sep 23, 1:57 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	MPX	Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce	7 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Minnesota, 2010 Flash Flood Warnings in Wisconsin, 2010 Every flash flood warning in 2010

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.