Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 19, 2013Floyd County, Howard County, Mitchell County, Iowa; Dodge County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 19, 2013, 5:55 PM CDT for Floyd County, Howard County, Mitchell County, Iowa; Dodge County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Minnesota. It was in force for 6 hr. 11 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: May 19, 2013, 5:55 PM CDT (22:55 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2013, 12:00 AM CDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Floyd County, IA, Howard County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Dodge County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:57 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
May 19, 6:08 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	St. Ansgar, IA	DISPATCH CENTER REPORTS WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF SECONDARY ROADS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
May 19, 6:52 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	2 W Le Roy, MN	WATER RUNNING OVER ROAD ON STATE HWY 56 WEST OF LE ROY. RADAR ESTIMATES 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN.
May 19, 7:23 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Osage, IA	MITCHELL COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTS HWY 218 NORTH OF OSAGE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SHUT DOWN DUE TO FLOODING. MANY ROADS ARE WASHED OUT...FROM THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY TO THE NORTHEAST.
May 19, 7:23 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Stacyville, IA	FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS 6 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN. EVERY ROAD IN STACYVILLE IS IMPASSABLE AND FLOODED. SANDBAGS WERE BEING DEPLOYED ALONG THE LITTLE CEDAR RIVER...WHICH IS OUT OF ITS BANK.
May 19, 8:15 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Osage, IA	HWY 218 BETWEEN OSAGE AND ST ANSGAR IS CLOSED. EM REPORTS 90 PERCENT OF GRAVEL ROADS IN COUNTY ARE COVERED WITH WATER.
May 19, 8:25 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 E Austin, MN	ROSE CREEK NEAR JELLYSTONE CAMPGROUND /I-90 EXIT 187/ RISING RAPIDLY AND LESS THAN A FOOT FROM GOING OVER ITS BANKS
May 19, 8:49 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Adams, MN	ROADS AND BRIDGES COVERED WITH WATER
May 19, 8:55 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 4.43	St. Ansgar, IA	OVER 3.5 INCHES SINCE 6 PM.
May 19, 9:12 PM CDT	FLASH FLOOD	Adams, MN	SANDBAGGING TAKING PLACE IN ADAMS. COUNTY ROADS 7...4...AND 11 ARE CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.
May 19, 9:45 PM CDT	FLOOD	Osage, IA	HWY 9 BOTH EAST AND WEST OF OSAGE IS CLOSED DUE TO WATER OVER THE ROAD. HWY 218 NORTH OF OSAGE ALSO CLOSED FOR SEVERAL MILES. MANY COUNTY ROADS ALSO CLOSED
May 19, 10:00 PM CDT	HEAVY RAIN 3.84	Osage, IA

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 273 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: 905 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -122 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 846 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 93 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.

278 
WGUS53 KARX 192255
FFWARX
IAC067-089-131-MNC039-099-109-200500-
/O.NEW.KARX.FF.W.0002.130519T2255Z-130520T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
555 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MITCHELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  MOWER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN FLOYD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  SOUTHERN DODGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
  WESTERN HOWARD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA...

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT MONDAY

* AT 553 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED SLOW
  MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED    
  AREA. MITCHELL COUNTY EM REPORTS NUMEROUS ROADS ARE UNDER WATER IN 
  AND AROUND THE NORA SPRINGS AREA. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  AUSTIN...CHARLES CITY...OSAGE...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...FLOYD...GRAND
  MEADOW...HAYFIELD...LE ROY...LYLE...NORA SPRINGS...RICEVILLE...
  ROCKFORD...ROSE CREEK...RUDD...ST. ANSGAR...STACYVILLE AND
  STEWARTVILLE.

MOST OF MITCHELL COUNTY HAS RECEIVED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN. 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES IS LIKELY...THIS WILL 
CREATE VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS. THIS WILL 
REPLACE THE PREVIOUS FLASH FLOOD WARNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

AGAIN...FLOODING OF STREETS HAS BEEN REPORTED ACROSS MITCHELL 
COUNTY. MORE STORMS WILL MOVE IN ACROSS THE ENTIRE WARNED AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 4396 9304 4390 9244 4351 9245 4321 9256
      4308 9255 4304 9257 4300 9303

$$

ZT

3 follow-up statements

595 
WGUS73 KARX 192349
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
649 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

IAC067-089-131-MNC039-099-109-200500-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130520T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MITCHELL IA-HOWARD IA-FLOYD IA-DODGE MN-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-
649 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED...
MOWER...SOUTHERN DODGE...NORTHERN FLOYD...NORTHWESTERN HOWARD AND
MITCHELL COUNTIES UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT...

AT 642 PM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THE SITUATION IN MITCHELL 
COUNTY IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING DIRE AS EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND 
DISPATCH REPORT WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY. RADAR 
ESTIMATES ARE BETWEEN 4 AND 6 INCHES...AND AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 
INCHES IS LIKELY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS MITCHELL COUNTY.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS CAUSING FLASH FLOODING. THIS 
IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. DO NOT TRAVEL 
UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY. SECONDARY ROADS ARE FLOODED...AND SOME MAIN 
ROADS ARE BECOMING UNDER WATER. ROAD CLOSURES ARE LIKELY AND A FLASH 
FLOOD EMERGENCY MAY BE NECESSARY. ONCE NIGHT FALLS...IT WILL BECOME 
IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL. TURN AROUND...DO NOT DROWN.

AREA STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL RAPIDLY RISE...SUCH AS THE BURR OAK 
CREEK...CEDAR RIVER...SPRING CREEK...SUGAR CREEK...AND ROCK CREEK. 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
AUSTIN...CHARLES CITY...OSAGE...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...FLOYD...GRAND
MEADOW...HAYFIELD...LE ROY...LYLE...NORA SPRINGS...RICEVILLE...
ROCKFORD...ROSE CREEK...RUDD...ST. ANSGAR...STACYVILLE AND 
STEWARTVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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


&&

LAT...LON 4396 9304 4390 9244 4351 9245 4321 9256
      4308 9255 4304 9257 4300 9303

$$

ZT

982 
WGUS73 KARX 200128
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
828 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

IAC067-089-131-MNC039-099-109-200500-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130520T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MITCHELL IA-HOWARD IA-FLOYD IA-DODGE MN-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-
828 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED...
MOWER...SOUTHERN DODGE...NORTHERN FLOYD...NORTHWESTERN HOWARD AND
MITCHELL COUNTIES UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT...

AT 821 PM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THE SITUATION IN MITCHELL 
COUNTY AND SOUTHERN MOWER COUNTY REMAINS VERY SERIOUS AND LIFE 
THREATENING. MITCHELL COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS REPORT 90 PERCENT OF 
GRAVEL ROADS ARE FLOODED...AND HIGHWAY 218 BETWEEN OSAGE AND ST 
ANSGAR IS CLOSED DUE TO EXTREME FLOODING. DO NOT TRAVEL UNLESS IT IS 
NECESSARY. STAY HOME...STAY SAFE. 

ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 
INCHES...LOCALIZED 3 INCH AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. THIS WILL ONLY 
EXACERBATE THE FLOODING PROBLEM. 

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS CAUSING FLASH FLOODING. THIS 
IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. SECONDARY ROADS 
ARE FLOODED...AND SOME MAIN ROADS ARE BECOMING UNDER WATER. MORE 
ROAD CLOSURES ARE LIKELY AND A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY MAY BE 
NECESSARY. ONCE NIGHT FALLS...IT WILL BECOME IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL. 
TURN AROUND...DO NOT DROWN.

SPOTTERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT RAPID RISES ON AREAS AND RIVERS. 
SOME LOCATIONS TO BE IMPACTED INCLUDE..THE BURR OAK CREEK...CEDAR 
RIVER...SPRING CREEK...SUGAR CREEK...AND ROCK CREEK...ROSE 
CREEK...OTTER CREEK.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
AUSTIN...CHARLES CITY...OSAGE...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...FLOYD...GRAND
MEADOW...HAYFIELD...LE ROY...LYLE...NORA SPRINGS...RICEVILLE...
ROCKFORD...ROSE CREEK...RUDD...ST. ANSGAR...STACYVILLE AND 
STEWARTVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM 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 ALSO SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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

&&

LAT...LON 4396 9304 4390 9244 4351 9245 4321 9256
      4308 9255 4304 9257 4300 9303

$$

ZT

019 
WGUS73 KARX 200302
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1002 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

IAC067-089-131-MNC039-099-109-200500-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130520T0500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MITCHELL IA-HOWARD IA-FLOYD IA-DODGE MN-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-
1002 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN OLMSTED...
MOWER...SOUTHERN DODGE...NORTHERN FLOYD...NORTHWESTERN HOWARD AND
MITCHELL COUNTIES UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT...

AT 957 PM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONTINUED TO REPORT WIDESPREAD 
FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN MITCHELL AND MOWER COUNTIES. ANYWHERE 
BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN...THE HEAVIEST BEING IN 
CENTRAL MITCHELL...NORTHEAST MITCHELL...AND SOUTHEAST MOWER COUNTY.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE FLASH FLOODING. 
SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING 
INCLUDE...AUSTIN...CHARLES 
CITY...OSAGE...ADAMS...BROWNSDALE...FLOYD...GRAND 
MEADOW...HAYFIELD...LE ROY...LYLE...NORA 
SPRINGS...RICEVILLE...ROCKFORD...ROSE CREEK...RUDD...ST. 
ANSGAR...STACYVILLE AND STEWARTVILLE.

THERE ARE WIDESPREAD REPORTS OF FLOODING ACROSS ALL OF MITCHELL 
COUNTY...AND THE SOUTHERN PART OF MOWER COUNTY. NUMEROUS ROADS ARE 
CLOSED...IMPASSABLE...AND ARE BARRICADED. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL 
TONIGHT UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. STAY HOME...STAY SAFE. HIGHWAY 218 
BETWEEN OSAGE AND ST ANSGAR IS CLOSED. 

ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS SHIFTED EAST...THE 
IMPACTS OF THE FLASH FLOODING WILL LIKELY LINGER THROUGH THE 
OVERNIGHT. NOW THAT IT IS DARK...IT IS MUCH HARDER TO SEE FLOODED 
ROADWAYS. TURN AROUND...DO NOT DROWN.

SPOTTERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT RAPID RISES ON AREAS AND RIVERS. 
SOME LOCATIONS TO BE IMPACTED INCLUDE..THE BURR OAK CREEK...CEDAR 
RIVER...SPRING CREEK...SUGAR CREEK...AND ROCK CREEK...ROSE 
CREEK...OTTER CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM 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 ALSO SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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

&&

LAT...LON 4396 9304 4390 9244 4351 9245 4321 9256
      4308 9255 4304 9257 4300 9303

$$

ZT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 19, 3:39 AM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	ARX	Mitchell	35 hr
May 19, 2:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Floyd, Mitchell	64 min
May 19, 3:03 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ARX	Floyd, Mitchell	42 min
May 19, 3:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell	47 min
May 19, 3:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ARX	Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell	39 min
May 19, 3:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Mitchell	37 min
May 19, 4:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ARX	Howard	44 min
May 19, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Howard, Mitchell	46 min
May 19, 4:44 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	ARX	Howard, Mitchell	6 hr
May 19, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Floyd, Mitchell	40 min
May 19, 4:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Olmsted, Wabasha	61 min
May 19, 4:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Wabasha	25 min
May 19, 4:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Olmsted, Winona	46 min
May 19, 5:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Wabasha, Winona	59 min
May 19, 6:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona	39 min
May 19, 6:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Fillmore, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona	64 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2013 Flash Flood Warnings in Minnesota, 2013 Every flash flood warning in 2013

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.