Alert archive / Washington / Flash Flood Warnings in 2016

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Spokane, WA

May 21, 2016Spokane County, Washington

NWS Spokane, WA issued this flash flood warning at May 21, 2016, 3:36 PM PDT for Spokane County, Washington. It was in force for 84 min. 2 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 21, 2016, 3:36 PM PDT (22:36 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2016, 5:00 PM PDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
NWS Spokane, WA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Spokane County, WA

The radar

The Spokane radar (KOTX), 14 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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 21, 3:47 PM PDTFLASH FLOOD4 Nw Spokane, WAWATER AND DEBRIS FLOWING ACROSS 291 BETWEEN FRANCIS BLVD AND RIFLE CLUB ROAD
May 21, 4:40 PM PDTFLASH FLOODNine Mile Falls, WAWATER OVER ROADWAYS AND ENTERING BASEMENTS OF SOME HOMES.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 79 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, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2016-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2016-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
502 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

630 
WGUS56 KOTX 212236
FFWOTX
WAC063-220000-
/O.NEW.KOTX.FF.W.0002.160521T2236Z-160522T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
336 PM PDT SAT MAY 21 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPOKANE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL SPOKANE COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON...

* UNTIL 500 PM PDT
    
* AT 334 PM PDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A THUNDERSTORM
  PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. STANDING WATER
  REPORTED ACROSS THE SPOKANE AREA. UP TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAVE
  ALREADY FALLEN. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY. 

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  SPOKANE...NINE MILE FALLS...TOWN AND COUNTRY...COUNTRY HOMES AND
  FAIRWOOD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4778 11740 4768 11739 4768 11753 4778 11756

$$

SVH
2 follow-up statements
019 
WGUS76 KOTX 212257
FFSOTX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
357 PM PDT SAT MAY 21 2016

WAC063-220000-
/O.CON.KOTX.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-160522T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SPOKANE WA-
357 PM PDT SAT MAY 21 2016

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM PDT FOR
CENTRAL SPOKANE COUNTY...

AT 349 PM PDT...A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEE REPORTED
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN IN NORTHWEST SPOKANE. WATER WITH
MUD AND ROCKS IS FLOWING DOWN STATE ROUTE 291 BETWEEN WEST FRANCIS
AVENUE AND WEST LYONS AVENUE. RADAR ESTIMATES UP TO TWO INCHES OF
RAIN HAS FALLEN WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
SPOKANE...NINE MILE FALLS...TOWN AND COUNTRY...COUNTRY HOMES AND
FAIRWOOD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

&&

LAT...LON 4778 11740 4768 11739 4768 11753 4778 11756

$$

SVH
579 
WGUS76 KOTX 212356
FFSOTX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
456 PM PDT SAT MAY 21 2016

WAC063-220005-
/O.EXP.KOTX.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-160522T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SPOKANE WA-
456 PM PDT SAT MAY 21 2016

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CENTRAL SPOKANE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
500 PM PDT...

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

LAT...LON 4778 11740 4768 11739 4768 11753 4778 11756

$$

SVH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Spokane, WA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 2:42 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryOTXSpokane2 hr
May 21, 4:27 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryOTXLincoln, Spokane, Stevens2 hr
May 21, 4:46 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryOTXSpokane119 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Washington, 2016Every flash flood warning in 2016

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.