Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS La Crosse, WI

July 15, 2011Mower County, Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at Jul 15, 2011, 5:25 PM CDT for Mower County, Minnesota. It was in force for 3 hr. 1 report 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 15, 2011, 5:25 PM CDT (22:25 UTC)
Expired: Jul 15, 2011, 8:30 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Mower County, MN

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:26 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 15, 6:15 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 3.17	Austin, MN	INTERSTATE 90 TRAFFIC BEING RE-ROUTED DUE TO WIDESPREAD FLOODING ALONG SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY.

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, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 139 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: 1183 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 585 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 101 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

300 
WGUS53 KARX 152225
FFWARX
MNC099-160130-
/O.NEW.KARX.FF.W.0007.110715T2225Z-110716T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
525 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MOWER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
  HAVE BEEN REPORTED MAINLY STREET FLOODING IN AUSTIN. THE
  INTERSTATE THROUGH TOWN WILL BE REROUTED DUE TO FLOODING AND
  CONDITIONS MAY GET WORSE OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  AUSTIN...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...GRAND MEADOW...LE ROY...LYLE AND ROSE
  CREEK.

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.

FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR
IN VEHICLES. 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 OR IN A VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 4385 9305 4385 9269 4383 9268 4384 9253
      4383 9245 4350 9245 4350 9305

$$

SHEA

4 follow-up statements

767 
WGUS73 KARX 152301
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
601 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

MNC099-160130-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110716T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MOWER MN-
601 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOWER COUNTY UNTIL 830
PM CDT...

THE MOWER COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT ONLY REPORTS FLOODING PROBLEMS 
IN AUSTIN AS OF 6 PM. LEROY FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED OVER AN INCH OF 
RAIN BUT DOES NOT HAVE ANY FLOODING AS WELL.

STREET AND URBAN FLOODING REMAIN A PROBLEM IN AUSTIN THOUGH.

BE CAREFUL TRAVELING ALONG INTERSTATE 90 AND NEAR THE IOWA STATE 
LINE EARLY THIS EVENING.


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.

MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT OR
IN A VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 4385 9305 4385 9269 4383 9268 4384 9253
      4383 9245 4350 9245 4350 9305

$$


SHEA

383 
WGUS73 KARX 160020
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
720 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

MNC099-160130-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110716T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MOWER MN-
720 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOWER COUNTY UNTIL 830
PM CDT...

AT 717 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT FLASH 
FLOODING WAS OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTHERN MOWER COUNTY. INTERSTATE 90 
TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO BE REROUTED AROUND AUSTIN. 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...AUSTIN...
ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...GRAND MEADOW...LE ROY...LYLE AND ROSE CREEK.

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.

MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT OR
IN A VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 4385 9305 4385 9269 4383 9268 4384 9253
      4383 9245 4350 9245 4350 9305

$$

JW

565 
WGUS73 KARX 160108
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
808 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

MNC099-160130-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110716T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MOWER MN-
808 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOWER COUNTY UNTIL 830
PM CDT...

AT 804 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED WATER 
LEVELS REMAIN HIGH BUT HAVE STARTED TO RECEDE ACROSS THE WARNED 
AREA. INTERSTATE 90 HAS BEEN REOPENED IN THE AUSTIN AREA. THE 
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ENDED BUT WATER LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH THROUGH 
830 PM.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
AUSTIN...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...GRAND MEADOW...LE ROY...LYLE AND ROSE
CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT OR
IN A VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 4385 9305 4385 9269 4383 9268 4384 9253
      4383 9245 4350 9245 4350 9305

$$

JW

480 
WGUS73 KARX 160128
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
828 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

MNC099-160141-
/O.EXP.KARX.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110716T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MOWER MN-
828 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR MOWER COUNTY WILL
BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 830 PM CDT...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. RIVERS 
AND STREAMS CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH. IF YOU LIVE NEAR A RIVER OR STREAM 
BE PREPARED FOR RISING WATERS. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN 
OBSERVED...PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

LAT...LON 4385 9305 4385 9269 4383 9268 4384 9253
      4383 9245 4350 9245 4350 9305

$$

JW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 15, 3:57 AM CDT	Excessive Heat Watch	ARX	Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha and 1 more	36 hr
Jul 15, 2:52 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	ARX	Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona	13 hr
Jul 15, 3:43 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	ARX	Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha	3 hr
Jul 15, 4:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Dodge, Mower	41 min
Jul 15, 4:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Fillmore, Mower, Olmsted	42 min
Jul 15, 4:49 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ARX	Mower	2 hr
Jul 15, 5:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Fillmore	45 min

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.