Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Des Moines, IA

May 3, 2012Kossuth County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2012, 3:48 PM CDT for Kossuth County, Iowa. It was in force for 4 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
May 3, 2012, 3:48 PM CDT (20:48 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2012, 8:07 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Kossuth County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 178 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:49 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 5:05 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 3.24 Ese Bancroft, IASTORM TOTAL RAINFALL SINCE IT STARTED RAINING AROUND 2 PM.

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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 178 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2012-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1755 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2012-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1755 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
521 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

621 
WGUS53 KDMX 032048
FFWDMX
IAC109-040300-
/O.NEW.KDMX.FF.W.0006.120503T2048Z-120504T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
348 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN KOSSUTH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 347 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE  
  COMMON ACROSS THE AREA...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS.

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

FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE TOWN OF BANCROFT WITH WATER IN 
ROADS AND FIELDS.

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. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

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 4320 9398 4319 9444 4345 9444 4346 9397

$$

AWB
2 follow-up statements
050 
WGUS73 KDMX 032234
FFSDMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
534 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

IAC109-040300-
/O.CON.KDMX.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120504T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
KOSSUTH IA-
534 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN KOSSUTH COUNTY
UNTIL 1000 PM CDT...

AT 532 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING EXCESSIVE RAINFALL...RADAR 
ESTIMATED 2 TO 4 INCHES...HAVE MOVED EAST OF THE AREA...AND A FLASH 
FLOOD RISK WILL CONTINUE TO FOR AREAS DOWNSTREAM OF HEAVY RAINFALL. 
IN ADDITION...RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING HOURS..

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH  FLOODING INCLUDE...
BANCROFT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR AND THE
WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. TURN
AROUND...DONT DROWN.

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 4320 9398 4319 9444 4345 9444 4346 9397

$$

AWB
476 
WGUS73 KDMX 040107
FFSDMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
807 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

IAC109-040122-
/O.CAN.KDMX.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120504T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
KOSSUTH IA-
807 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN KOSSUTH
COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. NO 
ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF FLOODING HAVE BEEN REPORTED. IF FLOODING HAS 
BEEN OBSERVED...PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT 
AGENCY.

LAT...LON 4320 9398 4319 9444 4345 9444 4346 9397

$$

COGIL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 5:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXButler, Cerro Gordo, Franklin47 min
May 3, 2:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth21 min
May 3, 2:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth42 min
May 3, 3:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHancock, Kossuth, Winnebago44 min
May 3, 4:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXEmmet, Kossuth42 min
May 3, 4:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth42 min
May 3, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCerro Gordo53 min
May 3, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXKossuth39 min
May 3, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt47 min
May 3, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt48 min

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.