Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Watches in 2015

Flash Flood Watch 3, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 16, 201519 counties in Minnesota; 4 counties in Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this flash flood watch at Aug 16, 2015, 10:56 AM CDT for 19 counties in Minnesota; 4 counties in Wisconsin. It took effect at Aug 16, 2015, 4:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 2015, 10:56 AM CDT (15:56 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 16, 2015, 4:00 PM CDT
Expired
Aug 16, 2015, 7:24 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Flood severity
None
All 23 counties

Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Carver County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Goodhue County, MN, Hennepin County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, Martin County, MN, McLeod County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Ramsey County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Rice County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Washington County, MN, Watonwan County, MN, Dunn County, WI, Pepin County, WI, Pierce County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:57 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 35 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 2015-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 2015-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1027 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 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.

932 
WGUS63 KMPX 161556
FFAMPX

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1056 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 2015

...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL POSSIBLE FROM LATE TODAY THROUGH MONDAY
MORNING...

.A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND A
SMALL PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THE WATCH AREA IS ALONG
AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM OLIVIA THROUGH THE TWIN CITIES TO NEW
RICHMOND AND MENOMONIE IN WESTERN WISCONSIN.

A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE WATCH AREA WILL LIKELY
LEAD TO PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FROM LATE THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN COULD OCCUR
OVER A 2 TO 3 HOUR PERIOD...RESULTING IN FLASH FLOODING.

MNZ060-062-063-065>070-073>078-082>084-091-WIZ023>026-170000-
/O.NEW.KMPX.FF.A.0003.150816T2100Z-150817T1500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HENNEPIN-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-
DAKOTA-REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-
BLUE EARTH-WASECA-MARTIN-ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MINNEAPOLIS...ST. PAUL...STILLWATER...
OLIVIA...HUTCHINSON...GAYLORD...CHASKA...SHAKOPEE...HASTINGS...
REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER...LE SUEUR...FARIBAULT...
RED WING...ST. JAMES...MANKATO...WASECA...FAIRMONT...HUDSON...
PRESCOTT...MENOMONIE...DURAND
1056 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 2015

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL 
  WISCONSIN...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN MINNESOTA... 
  BLUE EARTH...BROWN...CARVER...DAKOTA...GOODHUE...HENNEPIN...LE 
  SUEUR...MARTIN...MCLEOD...NICOLLET...RAMSEY...REDWOOD... 
  RENVILLE...RICE...SCOTT...SIBLEY...WASECA...WASHINGTON AND 
  WATONWAN. IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...DUNN...PEPIN...PIERCE 
  AND ST. CROIX. 

* FROM 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING

* 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN IS LIKELY...ESPECIALLY FROM NEW ULM
  THROUGH THE SOUTHERN TWIN CITIES METRO TO MENOMONIE. LOCALIZED
  AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

* FLASH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS...CREEKS...STREAMS AND URBAN
  AREAS IS POSSIBLE. CAMPERS SHOULD STAY VIGILANT TONIGHT.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
555 
WGUS63 KMPX 170024
FFAMPX

FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
724 PM CDT SUN AUG 16 2015

...HEAVY RAIN THREAT IS DIMINISHING...

.A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS BEEN RATHER PROGRESSIVE
THIS EVENING AND WILL ACT TO KEEP ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOUTH OF
MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

MNZ060-062-063-065>070-073>078-082>084-091-WIZ023>026-170130-
/O.CAN.KMPX.FF.A.0003.000000T0000Z-150817T1500Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HENNEPIN-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-
DAKOTA-REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-
BLUE EARTH-WASECA-MARTIN-ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MINNEAPOLIS...ST. PAUL...STILLWATER...
OLIVIA...HUTCHINSON...GAYLORD...CHASKA...SHAKOPEE...HASTINGS...
REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER...LE SUEUR...FARIBAULT...
RED WING...ST. JAMES...MANKATO...WASECA...FAIRMONT...HUDSON...
PRESCOTT...MENOMONIE...DURAND
724 PM CDT SUN AUG 16 2015

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS CANCELLED...

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL
WISCONSIN HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE MAIN FOCUS AREA FOR HEAVY
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS SHIFTED SOUTH. 

$$

BORGHOFF

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 12:27 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXDouglas, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Stevens, Swift33 min
Aug 16, 1:29 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXDouglas, Pope2 hr
Aug 16, 2:59 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXLac qui Parle, Pope, Swift3 hr
Aug 16, 5:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXNicollet47 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in Minnesota, 2015Flash Flood Watches in Wisconsin, 2015Every flash flood watch 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.