Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Des Moines, IA

December 13, 20156 counties in Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 13, 2015, 2:13 AM CST for 6 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 13, 2015, 2:13 AM CST (08:13 UTC)
Expired
Dec 13, 2015, 8:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Des Moines, IA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Black Hawk County, IA, Grundy County, IA, Hardin County, IA, Marshall County, IA, Story County, IA, Tama County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 114 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:13 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

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 191 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, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2015-12-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 60 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, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2015-12-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 153 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
60 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
616 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
153 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

518 
WGUS53 KDMX 130813
FFWDMX
IAC013-075-083-127-169-171-131400-
/O.NEW.KDMX.FF.W.0039.151213T0813Z-151213T1400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
213 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES  HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MARSHALL COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA...
  NORTHEASTERN STORY COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA...
  SOUTHEASTERN HARDIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA...
  NORTHERN TAMA COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA...
  GRUNDY COUNTY IN CENTRAL IOWA...
  BLACK HAWK COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA...

* UNTIL 800 AM CST
    
* AT 206 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
  PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. RADAR ESTIMATED
  BETWEEN TWO AND THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN.  AN
  ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAIN IS EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY MORNING.  FLASH
  FLOODING IS EXPECTED OVER LOCATIONS WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS
  FALLEN.  THE MOST LIKE AREAS TO SEE FLASH FLOODING WILL BE ALONG A
  LINE FROM DIKE TO GRUNDY CENTER TO LISCOMB TO CLEMONS.

* SOME OTHER LOCATIONS THAT WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE FLOODING
  INCLUDE... WATERLOO...CEDAR FALLS...MARSHALLTOWN...GRUNDY
  CENTER... EVANSDALE...JESUP...LA PORTE
  CITY...HUDSON...TRAER...REINBECK... STATE
  CENTER...DYSART...DIKE...ELK RUN HEIGHTS...CONRAD... CROSSROADS
  MALL...UNI-DOME AND MCLEOD CENTER...WATERLOO MUNICIPAL
  AIRPORT...GLADBROOK AND LE GRAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING.

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 4230 9230 4212 9230 4186 9323 4221 9325
      4222 9301 4255 9302 4255 9256 4264 9255
      4264 9208 4230 9207

$$

BOKSA
2 follow-up statements
001 
WGUS73 KDMX 131004
FFSDMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
404 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

IAC083-169-131008-
/O.CAN.KDMX.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-151213T1400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
STORY IA-HARDIN IA-
404 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN STORY AND SOUTHEASTERN
HARDIN COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED...AND FLOODING IS NO LONGER EXPECTED TO POSE
A THREAT. PLEASE CONTINUE TO HEED ALL ROAD CLOSURES.

LAT...LON 4230 9230 4212 9230 4186 9322 4220 9323
      4220 9298 4255 9300 4254 9254 4264 9254
      4264 9208 4230 9207

$$

IAC013-075-127-171-131400-
/O.CON.KDMX.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-151213T1400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MARSHALL IA-TAMA IA-GRUNDY IA-BLACK HAWK IA-
404 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM CST FOR
MARSHALL...NORTHERN TAMA...GRUNDY AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES...

AT 358 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
EMBEDDED IN AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. BETWEEN
TWO AND  THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY OCCURRED WITH UP TO ANOTHER
INCH OF RAINFALL EXPECTED.  THE MOST LIKE AREAS TO SEE FLASH
FLOODING WILL BE ALONG A LINE FROM DIKE TO GRUNDY CENTER TO LISCOMB
TO CLEMONS. THIS CORRIDOR IS WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS
OCCURRED. 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
WATERLOO...CEDAR FALLS...MARSHALLTOWN...GRUNDY CENTER...EVANSDALE...
JESUP...LA PORTE CITY...HUDSON...TRAER...REINBECK...STATE CENTER...
DYSART...DIKE...ELK RUN HEIGHTS...CONRAD...CROSSROADS MALL...UNI-DOME
AND MCLEOD CENTER...WATERLOO MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...GLADBROOK AND LE
GRAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING.

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 4230 9230 4212 9230 4186 9322 4220 9323
      4220 9298 4255 9300 4254 9254 4264 9254
      4264 9208 4230 9207

$$

BOKSA
110 
WGUS73 KDMX 131320
FFSDMX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
720 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

IAC013-075-127-171-131327-
/O.CAN.KDMX.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-151213T1400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MARSHALL IA-TAMA IA-GRUNDY IA-BLACK HAWK IA-
720 AM CST SUN DEC 13 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MARSHALL...NORTHERN TAMA...GRUNDY AND
BLACK HAWK COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED...AND FLASH FLOODING IS NO LONGER EXPECTED
TO POSE A THREAT.  HOWEVER...LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT MORE RAIN IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO CENTRAL IOWA AND WITH THE TWO TO THREE INCHES
THAT HAS ALREADY FALLEN AND AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES EXPECTED
AN AREAL FLOOD WATCH WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR THE AREA.
 

LAT...LON 4230 9230 4212 9230 4186 9322 4220 9323
      4220 9298 4255 9300 4254 9254 4264 9254
      4264 9208 4230 9207

$$

BOKSA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 13, 7:47 AM CSTFlood WatchDMXBlack Hawk, Dallas, Grundy, Marshall, Polk, Story and 1 more25 hr
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXBlack Hawk5 days
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXPolk12 days
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXDavis, Wapello66 hr
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXPolk9 days
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXDallas, Greene8 days
Dec 13, 1:03 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningDMXBlack Hawk7 days

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2015Every flash flood warning in 2015

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.