Alert archive / Iowa / Flash Flood Warnings in 2018

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

September 20, 20185 counties in Iowa; Clay County, Lincoln County, Union County, South Dakota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this flash flood warning at Sep 20, 2018, 4:35 AM CDT for 5 counties in Iowa; Clay County, Lincoln County, Union County, South Dakota. It was in force for 5 hr. 16 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
Sep 20, 2018, 4:35 AM CDT (09:35 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 2018, 9:30 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Clay County, IA, Lyon County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Clay County, SD, Lincoln County, SD, Union County, SD

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:37 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
Sep 20, 4:45 AM CDTFLASH FLOOD3 Wnw Everly, IAHIGHWAY 18 NEAR THE CLAY, OBRIEN COUNTY LINE IS UNDERWATER. CURRENTLY BARRICADING.
Sep 20, 5:38 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 4Hull, IARAINFALL SINCE 9 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
Sep 20, 5:45 AM CDTFLASH FLOOD3 E Lennox, SDWATER OVER NUMEROUS ROADS IN WESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY SD. MOST ROADS ARE STILL PASSABLE, BUT WATER SEVERAL INCHES DEEP SO CONES ARE NEEDED TO SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN. EM CURRENTLY MARKING A ROAD EAST OF LENNOX SD.
Sep 20, 5:45 AM CDTFLASH FLOODLennox, SDFLASH FLOODING IN LENNOX WITH PICTURES VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. LENNOX HAS ALREADY RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES OF RAIN IN TWO EVENTS THE PAST 24 HOURS.
Sep 20, 6:18 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 72 Wnw Everly, IASTORM TOTAL SO FAR IN THE PAST 36 HOURS.
Sep 20, 7:00 AM CDTFLASH FLOODOrange City, IASIGNIFICANT URBAN FLOODING IN ORANGE CITY.
Sep 20, 7:00 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 2.75Sioux Center, IA2.75 INCHES OF RAIN IN SIOUX CENTER SINCE MIDNIGHT.
Sep 20, 7:30 AM CDTFLASH FLOOD2 N Alcester, SDFIELDS FLOODED FROM HEAVY RAIN. REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
Sep 20, 7:40 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 6.354 E Sanborn, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. RAINFALL OVERNIGHT.
Sep 20, 7:45 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 6Doon, IA24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM 7 AM WEDNESDAY TO 7 AM THURSDAY.
Sep 20, 7:49 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 5.3Sioux Center, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. RAINFALL TOTAL SINCE IT STARTED ON TUESDAY.
Sep 20, 7:53 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 4.84 Nnw Moneta, IARAINFALL OVERNIGHT ONLY. HAD AN ADDITIONAL 1.55 OF RAIN DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY.
Sep 20, 8:11 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 5.5Hospers, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. GREATER THAN 5.50 INCHES OF RAINFALL.
Sep 20, 8:13 AM CDTFLOODHospers, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. FLOYD RIVER OUT OF ITS BANKS, AND MOST GRAVEL ROADS ACROSS THE AREA ARE CLOSED.
Sep 20, 8:38 AM CDTHEAVY RAIN 61 Nw Hull, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. RAINFALL GREATER THAN 6 INCHES.
Sep 20, 9:29 AM CDTFLASH FLOODHartley, IAREPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. STREET FLOODING ON MAIN STREET IN HARTLEY IOWA.

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, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 201 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 2018-09-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1307 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2018-09-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 71 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
1307 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1889 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

109 
WGUS53 KFSD 200935
FFWFSD
IAC041-119-141-143-167-SDC027-083-127-201430-
/O.NEW.KFSD.FF.W.0039.180920T0935Z-180920T1430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
435 AM CDT THU SEP 20 2018

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Southern Lyon County in northwestern Iowa...
  Southern Osceola County in northwestern Iowa...
  Sioux County in northwestern Iowa...
  Southwestern Clay County in northwestern Iowa...
  O'Brien County in northwestern Iowa...
  Northern Clay County in southeastern South Dakota...
  Lincoln County in southeastern South Dakota...
  Northern Union County in southeastern South Dakota...

* Until 930 AM CDT.

* At 432 AM CDT, emergency management reported multiple roads with 
  water flowing over roads with a couple reports of vehicles 
  hydroplaning into ditches. One and a half to three inches of rain 
  has already fallen on saturated ground overnight, with additional 
  rain through the morning hours. Flash flooding is occurring and 
  will likely continue for the next several hours.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the
dangers of flooding.

Please report flooding to your local law enforcement agency when you
can do so safely.

&&

LAT...LON 4291 9536 4291 9716 4304 9716 4299 9706
      4300 9693 4331 9681 4334 9693 4344 9692
      4326 9586 4326 9540 4312 9527

$$

VandenBoogart

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 19, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Clay12 min
Sep 20, 6:32 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDO'Brien41 hr
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon51 hr
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth, Sioux10 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth12 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay8 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon, Sioux4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDSioux28 hr
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDO'Brien24 hr
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDSioux4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay, Dickinson12 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay14 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDBuena Vista, Clay32 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDO'Brien4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDCherokee12 days
Sep 20, 7:06 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth3 days
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth, Sioux61 hr
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDPlymouth4 days
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay42 hr
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDWoodbury8 days
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon47 hr
Sep 20, 9:30 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDClay, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux3 hr
Sep 20, 11:17 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon6 days
Sep 20, 12:39 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningFSDClay, Lyon, O'Brien, Sioux12 hr
Sep 20, 2:44 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLyon, Sioux5 days
Sep 20, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDLyon43 min
Sep 20, 3:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPlymouth, Woodbury46 min
Sep 20, 4:17 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDPlymouth, Woodbury28 min
Sep 20, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDClay, Dickinson, O'Brien, Osceola28 min
Sep 20, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDBuena Vista, Ida25 min
Sep 20, 3:36 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDClay, Lincoln, Turner6 hr
Sep 20, 4:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDHutchinson, Turner, Yankton5 hr
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDBrookings, Moody5 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMinnehaha, Moody4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMinnehaha3 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDHutchinson, Yankton6 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDYankton7 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDTurner7 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay7 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMinnehaha4 days
Sep 20, 6:49 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMinnehaha63 hr
Sep 20, 7:22 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDLincoln, Minnehaha63 hr
Sep 20, 9:15 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDMinnehaha6 days
Sep 20, 9:29 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDClay, Lincoln, Turner3 hr
Sep 20, 9:36 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningFSDClay8 days
Sep 20, 9:41 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDHutchinson, Turner, Yankton3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Iowa, 2018Flash Flood Warnings in South Dakota, 2018Every flash flood warning in 2018

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.