Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 19, NWS La Crosse, WI

July 28, 2011Dodge County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at Jul 28, 2011, 3:43 PM CDT for Dodge County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Minnesota. It was in force for 3 hr. 5 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 28, 2011, 3:43 PM CDT (20:43 UTC)
Expired: Jul 28, 2011, 6:28 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Dodge County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:44 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 28, 4:30 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 E Brownsdale, MN	THREE FEET OF WATER OVER COUNTY ROAD 1 MILE EAST OF HIGHWAY 56. NUMEROUS WASH OUTS AND DAMAGE TO DITCHES. ROADS WERE CLOSED FOR A SHORT PERIOD UNTIL WATER RECEDED.
Jul 28, 4:30 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 4.5	Brownsdale, MN
Jul 28, 4:30 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 4.7	Brownsdale, MN	RELAYED BY KAAL
Jul 28, 4:45 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Brownsdale, MN	COUNTY 16 CLOSED FOR A TIME DUE TO WATER OVER THE ROAD. SEWER BACKUP INTO 7 TO 10 BASEMENTS IN THE TOWN.
Jul 28, 6:00 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 5	Brownsdale, MN	STORM TOTAL FROM AFTERNOON RAIN. POSSIBLE WEATHER-RELATED CAR ACCIDENT INJURING 1 ON HIGHWAY 218...CAR CROSSED THE CENTER LINE IN HEAVY RAIN AROUND 1600 CDT.

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, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 133 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: 1122 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 676 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.3
Supercell composite: -1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

315 
WGUS53 KARX 282043
FFWARX
MNC039-099-109-290030-
/O.NEW.KARX.FF.W.0019.110728T2043Z-110729T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
343 PM CDT THU JUL 28 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN MOWER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHERN DODGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 337 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS 
  ALREADY FALLEN AND AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES IS POSSIBLE     
  BEFORE THE STORMS DIMINISH OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...     
  THE CITY OF AUSTIN...BROWNSDALE...GRAND MEADOW...HAYFIELD AND      
  STEWARTVILLE. SOME STREAMS THAT COULD EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE  
  DOBBINS CREEK...NORTH BRANCH OF THE ROOT RIVER AND THE EAST AND    
  WEST FORKS OF THE CEDAR RIVER.

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.

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 4391 9305 4390 9245 4368 9245 4367 9292
      4368 9306

$$

AJ

2 follow-up statements

670 
WGUS73 KARX 282153
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
453 PM CDT THU JUL 28 2011

MNC039-099-109-290030-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0019.000000T0000Z-110729T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
DODGE MN-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-
453 PM CDT THU JUL 28 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED...
NORTHERN MOWER AND SOUTHERN DODGE COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT...

AT 450 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAINS OVER THE 
WARNED AREA HAVE DIMINISHED TO LIGHT SHOWERS. HOWEVER...RADAR 
ESTIMATES BETWEEN ONE AND FOUR INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS FALLEN OVER 
THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...HEAVIEST BETWEEN AUSTIN...BROWNSDALE AND 
MAYVILLE. UP TO AN ADDITIONAL ONE HALF INCH OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... THE 
NORTH SIDE OF AUSTIN...BROWNSDALE...MAYVILLE...HAYFIELD AND 
STEWARTVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLASH 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 4391 9305 4390 9245 4368 9245 4367 9292
      4368 9306

$$

AJ

172 
WGUS73 KARX 282328
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
628 PM CDT THU JUL 28 2011

MNC039-099-109-282343-
/O.CAN.KARX.FF.W.0019.000000T0000Z-110729T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
DODGE MN-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-
628 PM CDT THU JUL 28 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN
OLMSTED...NORTHERN MOWER AND SOUTHERN DODGE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

REPORTS SUGGEST THAT EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER 
THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED 
OR WERE BEGINNING TO RECEDE...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING 
HAS BEEN OBSERVED...PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT 
AGENCY OR TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE.

&&

LAT...LON 4391 9305 4390 9245 4368 9245 4367 9292
      4368 9306

$$

AJ

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 28, 3:17 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ARX	Mower	103 min
Jul 28, 4:39 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ARX	Olmsted, Winona	112 min
Jul 28, 4:48 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ARX	Wabasha	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Minnesota, 2011 Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.