Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 29, 2013Floyd County, Howard County, Mitchell County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this flash flood warning at May 29, 2013, 10:27 PM CDT for Floyd County, Howard County, Mitchell County, Iowa. It was in force for 8 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 29, 2013, 10:27 PM CDT (03:27 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 2013, 6:30 AM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Floyd County, IA, Howard County, IA, Mitchell County, IA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:30 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 30, 12:26 AM CDTFLASH FLOODCharles City, IABRACKETT STREET REMAINS UNDERWATER. SOUTH JOHNSON BETWEEN 8TH AND OLIVER ALSO HAS HIGH WATER. STORM SEWERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. VICTORY AVE SOUTHWEST OF COLWELL IS ALSO UNDER WATER.

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 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 196 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 00:00Z on 2013-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1083 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2013-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 173 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
1083 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
614 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
173 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
7.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

430 
WGUS53 KARX 300327
FFWARX
IAC067-089-131-301130-
/O.NEW.KARX.FF.W.0009.130530T0327Z-130530T1130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1027 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN MITCHELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  FLOYD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  HOWARD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA...

* UNTIL 630 AM CDT THURSDAY

* AT 1025 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. BETWEEN 1 AND 3 INCHES HAS FALLEN...WITH AN           
  ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  CHARLES CITY...OSAGE...ELMA...FLOYD...LIME SPRINGS...MARBLE ROCK...
  RICEVILLE...ROCKFORD...RUDD AND STACYVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE. TURN
AROUND... DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 4350 9279 4350 9208 4321 9228 4321 9256
      4291 9256 4291 9302

$$

ZT
2 follow-up statements
869 
WGUS73 KARX 300532
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1232 AM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

IAC067-089-131-301130-
/O.CON.KARX.FF.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130530T1130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MITCHELL IA-HOWARD IA-FLOYD IA-
1232 AM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR FLOYD...HOWARD AND
EASTERN MITCHELL COUNTIES UNTIL 630 AM CDT...

AT 1231 AM CDT...BROADCAST MEDIA AND PUBLIC REPORTED THAT FLASH 
FLOODING WAS STILL OCCURING IN PARTS OF CHARLES CITY...SUCH AS 
BRACKETT STREET. OTHER ROADS UNDER WATER INCLUDE SOUTH JOHNSON 
BETWEEN 8TH AND OLIVER.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...CHARLES
CITY...OSAGE...ELMA...FLOYD...LIME SPRINGS...MARBLE ROCK...
RICEVILLE...ROCKFORD...RUDD AND STACYVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

STORM SEWERS IN CHARLES CITY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE 
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. VICTORY AVE SOUTH WEST OF COLWELL IS ALSO UNDER 
WATER.

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.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 4350 9279 4350 9208 4321 9228 4321 9256
      4291 9256 4291 9302

$$

ZT
062 
WGUS73 KARX 300625
FFSARX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
125 AM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

IAC067-089-131-300639-
/O.CAN.KARX.FF.W.0009.000000T0000Z-130530T1130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MITCHELL IA-HOWARD IA-FLOYD IA-
125 AM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR FLOYD...HOWARD AND
EASTERN MITCHELL COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

FLASH FLOODING IS NO LONGER A CONCERN...BUT AREAL FLOODING CONTINUES 
ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. SECONDARY ROADWAYS MAY STILL HAVE HIGH 
WATER...AND STREAMS AND CREEKS ARE RUNNING NEAR OR ABOVE BANKFULL. 
THUS AN AREAL FLOOD WARNING REPLACES THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING...AND 
IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM THURSDAY.

LAT...LON 4350 9279 4350 9208 4321 9228 4321 9256
      4291 9256 4291 9302

$$

ZT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 29, 8:28 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningARXClayton4 days
May 29, 8:28 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningARXClayton4 days
May 29, 8:28 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningARXAllamakee3 days
May 29, 9:18 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXChickasaw12 hr
May 29, 10:43 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXHoward, Winneshiek10 hr
May 30, 12:03 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXClayton9 hr
May 30, 12:20 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXAllamakee, Clayton, Winneshiek9 hr
May 30, 1:23 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXFloyd, Howard, Mitchell8 hr
May 30, 2:01 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXFayette7 hr
May 30, 9:06 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningARXClayton, Fayette7 hr
May 30, 10:50 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningARXAllamakee, Clayton72 hr
May 30, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee, Clayton54 min
May 30, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2013Every 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.