Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Des Moines, IA

April 14, 20128 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Apr 14, 2012, 8:55 PM CDT for 8 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 103 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 14, 2012, 8:55 PM CDT (01:55 UTC)
Expired
Apr 14, 2012, 10:38 PM CDT
In force
103 min
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Clarke County, IA, Decatur County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Marion County, IA, Monroe County, IA, Ringgold County, IA, Union County, IA, Warren County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:55 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 222 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2012-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2012-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 276 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
871 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
276 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
483 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

457 
WGUS53 KDMX 150155
FFWDMX
IAC039-053-117-125-135-159-175-181-150800-
/O.NEW.KDMX.FF.W.0005.120415T0155Z-120415T0800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
855 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  EASTERN UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  LUCAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  NORTHEASTERN RINGGOLD COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  NORTHERN DECATUR COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  NORTHWESTERN MONROE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  SOUTHERN MARION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  SOUTHERN WARREN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...

* UNTIL 300 AM CDT SUNDAY

* AT 855 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE 
  WARNED AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
  RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 INCHES OR MORE PER HOUR.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  CHARITON AND OSCEOLA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...
COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND
OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. DO
NOT ENTER THE WATER. TURN AROUND AND MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO
ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN
WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 4110 9432 4130 9287 4100 9287 4078 9432

$$

ZOGG
1 follow-up statement
865 
WGUS73 KDMX 150338
FFSDMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
1038 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012

IAC039-053-117-125-135-159-175-181-150353-
/O.CAN.KDMX.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120415T0800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WARREN IA-UNION IA-RINGGOLD IA-MONROE IA-MARION IA-LUCAS IA-CLARKE IA-
DECATUR IA-
1038 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN
DECATUR...CLARKE...LUCAS...SOUTHERN MARION...NORTHWESTERN MONROE...
NORTHEASTERN RINGGOLD...EASTERN UNION AND SOUTHERN WARREN COUNTIES IS
CANCELLED...

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.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE 
OVERNIGHT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A PORTION OF THE 
AREA UNTIL 10 AM SUNDAY.

LAT...LON 4110 9432 4130 9287 4100 9287 4078 9432

$$

ZOGG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 7:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXAdair, Madison101 min
Apr 14, 7:11 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMadison, Union19 min
Apr 14, 7:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Union, Warren49 min
Apr 14, 7:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXAdair, Dallas, Guthrie, Madison, Polk, Warren3 hr
Apr 14, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Polk, Warren43 min
Apr 14, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXBoone, Dallas, Jasper, Polk, Story38 min
Apr 14, 7:37 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXClarke, Madison, Warren23 min
Apr 14, 8:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXJasper, Marshall, Polk, Story50 min
Apr 14, 8:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXClarke, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Warren46 min
Apr 14, 8:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXPoweshiek, Tama57 min
Apr 14, 8:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXMarshall, Tama84 min
Apr 14, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXLucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Wapello49 min
Apr 14, 9:21 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMahaska24 min
Apr 14, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWapello16 min
Apr 14, 10:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WatchDMXAdair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Dallas and 7 more7 hr
Apr 15, 4:15 AM CDTHigh Wind WarningDMXAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll and 19 more16 hr
Apr 15, 4:15 AM CDTWind AdvisoryDMXAppanoose, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun and 29 more33 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.