Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 26, 20134 counties in Iowa

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this flash flood warning at May 26, 2013, 10:18 PM CDT for 4 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 6 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 26, 2013, 10:18 PM CDT (03:18 UTC)
Expired
May 27, 2013, 4:30 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Buena Vista County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, O'Brien County, IA

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:20 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 27, 3:00 AM CDTFLASH FLOODCherokee, IABRIDGES WASHED OUT ALONG HIGHWAY 59 SOUTH OF CHEROKEE AND ALSO HIGHWAY 3 EAST OF TOWN.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 2013-05-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3377 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2013-05-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 151 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3377 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
966 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.3
Supercell composite
16.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

723 
WGUS53 KFSD 270318
FFWFSD
IAC021-035-041-141-270930-
/O.NEW.KFSD.FF.W.0007.130527T0318Z-130527T0930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1018 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BUENA VISTA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  SOUTHERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA
  SOUTHERN O'BRIEN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA

* UNTIL 430 AM CDT MONDAY

* AT 1008 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.     
  DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ADDITIONAL  
  RAIN LIKELY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  ALBERT CITY...ALTA...AURELIA...CHEROKEE...CLEGHORN...GREENVILLE...
  LARRABEE...LINN GROVE...MARATHON...MARCUS...PAULLINA...PETERSON...
  QUIMBY...ROYAL...SIOUX RAPIDS...SUTHERLAND...TRUESDALE AND WEBB.

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.

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 4256 9583 4257 9586 4307 9586 4308 9492
      4271 9492

$$

CHENARD/ADAMS
2 follow-up statements
880 
WGUS73 KFSD 270647
FFSFSD

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
147 AM CDT MON MAY 27 2013

IAC021-035-041-141-270930-
/O.CON.KFSD.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-130527T0930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
O'BRIEN IA-BUENA VISTA IA-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY IA-
147 AM CDT MON MAY 27 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN CLAY...
CHEROKEE...NORTHERN BUENA VISTA AND SOUTHERN O'BRIEN COUNTIES UNTIL
430 AM CDT...

AT 138 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. DOPPLER 
RADAR ESTIMATED A WIDESPREAD 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL...
ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THIS WARNING...NORTH AND 
NORTHWEST OF STORM LAKE. IN ADDITION...RAINFALL RATES OF AROUND AN 
INCH PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED FOR A FEW MORE HOURS...AS THUNDERSTORMS 
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS THIS AREA.

SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE WARNED 
AREA. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING 
TO OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
AURELIA...CHEROKEE...CLEGHORN...LINN GROVE...MARATHON...MARCUS...
PAULLINA...PETERSON...QUIMBY...ROYAL...SIOUX RAPIDS...SUTHERLAND...
AND WEBB.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS 
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS 
WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 4256 9583 4257 9586 4307 9586 4308 9492
      4271 9492

$$
MJF
792 
WGUS73 KFSD 270924
FFSFSD

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
424 AM CDT MON MAY 27 2013

IAC021-035-041-141-270938-
/O.EXP.KFSD.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-130527T0930Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
O'BRIEN IA-BUENA VISTA IA-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY IA-
424 AM CDT MON MAY 27 2013

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN CLAY...
CHEROKEE...NORTHERN BUENA VISTA AND SOUTHERN O'BRIEN COUNTIES WILL BE
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 430 AM CDT...

MODERATE RAINFALL STILL CONTINUES OVER THIS AREA...THEREFORE AN 
AREAL FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY FOR THE REMAINING 
FLOODING THREAT.

LAT...LON 4256 9583 4257 9586 4307 9586 4308 9492
      4271 9492

$$

MJF

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 12:42 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDLyon, Plymouth, Sioux4 hr
May 27, 2:01 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDCherokee3 days
May 27, 2:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth56 hr
May 27, 3:59 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon8 hr
May 27, 4:36 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, O'Brien9 hr
May 27, 4:46 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningFSDLyon, Sioux6 hr
May 27, 4:51 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningFSDLyon, Plymouth, Sioux6 hr
May 27, 6:57 AM CDTFlash Flood WatchFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, Lyon and 5 more22 hr
May 27, 9:13 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth49 hr
May 27, 9:13 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDWoodbury3 days
May 27, 10:19 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMonona, Woodbury11 hr
May 27, 10:34 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, O'Brien, Plymouth, Sioux12 hr
May 27, 10:40 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningFSDBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, O'Brien, Plymouth, Sioux24 hr

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.