Alert archive / Ohio / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Cleveland, OH

May 26, 1989Ashtabula County, Geauga County, Lake County, Ohio

NWS Cleveland, OH issued this flash flood warning at May 26, 1989, 1:56 AM EDT for Ashtabula County, Geauga County, Lake County, Ohio. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 1989, 1:56 AM EDT (05:56 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1989, 5:00 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Cleveland, OH
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ashtabula County, OH, Geauga County, OH, Lake County, OH

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1989-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1388 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1989-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 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
1388 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1095 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCLE 260558
FFWCLE
OHC007-035-055-085-260900-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
156 AM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CLEVELAND HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHEAST OHIO
          ...ASHTABULA...CUYAHOGA...GEAUGA...LAKE
 
HEAVY RAINS IN NORTHERN OHIO HAVE TEMPORARILY CAUSED SOME FLOODING
OF ROADS. RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE HEAVY AT TIMES UNTIL ABOUT 5 OR 6 AM.
 
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 25, 11:29 PM EDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1129 PM EDT THU MAY 25 1989

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR WESTERN OHIO WILL BE DISCONTINUED AT 1130... BUT
WILL BE REPLACED BY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WILL BE IN EFFECT
UNTIL 5 O'CLOCK FRIDAY MORNING.

IT WILL COVER ABOUT THE NORTHWESTERN THREE-QUARTERS OF OHIO NORTH OF A
LINE FROM CINCINNATI TO JUST SOUTH OF COLUMBUS TO NEAR WHEELING... WEST
VIRGINIA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS EASTERN INDIANA AND INTO WESTERN
OHIO LATE THIS EVENING AND WILL CROSS THE STATE TONIGHT. DAMAGING
WINDS... LARGE HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF
OHIO THROUGH THE NIGHT.

LATE THIS EVENING RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
NORTHERN THIRD OF THE STATE AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH.

PEOPLE IN OHIO SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING THE
NIGHT AS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE UNTIL AT LEAST
MID-NIGHT. FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH
THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

ECKERT
Special weather statement, May 25, 11:42 PM EDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLEDO OH
1142 PM EDT THU MAY 25 1989

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTHWEST OHIO FOR THE NEXT
TWO TO THREE HOURS.

DUE TO HEAVY RAINS WITHIN THE PAST 24 HOURS OVER NORTHWEST OHIO AND THE
ADDITIONAL ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH OF PRECIPITATION EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT FOUR TO FIVE HOURS SOME LOW-LYING ROADS AND UNDERPASSES WILL FLOOD.

DRIVERS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN APPROACHING THESE AREAS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHWEST OHIO UNTIL 5AM
EDT.

ELH/SPICER
Special weather statement, May 26, 12:31 AM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ERIE, PA
1223 AM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NOTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA TIL 5 AM...

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE PELTING PARTS OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA THIS EARLY FRIDAY
MORNING.  NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN REPORTED.  HOWEVER THERE
HAVE BEEN WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR...HEAVY RAIN AND PEA
SIZE HAIL.  THKE MAIN FEATURE OF THESE STORMS HAS BEEN INTENSE LIGHTNING
CAUSING POWER OUTAGES IN SOME AREAS.

STAY TUNDED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST RADAR REPORTS...STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

SANDSTROM
Special weather statement, May 26, 12:35 AM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1235 AM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989

TORNADO WARNINGS CONTINUE IN EFFECT FOR MERCER AND VAN WERT COUNTIES
UNTIL 1245 THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR OHIO NORTH OF A LINE FROM
CINCINNATI TO JUST SOUTH OF COLUMBUS TO WHEELING... WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL
FIVE O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.

AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HURON AND
LORAIN COUNTIES IN NORTHERN OHIO UNTIL FOUR O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.

THE SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR LAKE ERIE'S SHORE WILL EXPIRE AT 1240...
BUT MIGHT NEED TO BE REISSUED LATER THIS MORNING.

VERY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM WEST CENTRAL OHIO INTO
CENTRAL INDIANA. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF STRONG DAMAGING
WINDS... LARGE HAIL... FLOODING RAINFALL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH AND WILL MOVE ACROSS
OHIO THROUGH THE MORNING.

PEOPLE IN OHIO SHOU8LD CONTINUE TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING THE
NIGHT AS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. FLOODING OF SMALL
STREAMS AND CREEKS IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

ECKERT
Special weather statement, May 26, 12:59 AM EDT, 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MANSFIELD OH
1255 AM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989

AT 1250 AM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM CLEVELAND...TO JUST WEST OF MANSFIELD TO COLUMBUS
OHIO. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING ACROSS NORTHCENTRAL FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN HEAVY RAIN...BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

SOME FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS IS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING
DUE TO THE ALREADY SATURDATED GROUND. A LITTLE OVER ONE AND A QUARTER
INCH (1.25) OF RAIN HAS BEEN MEASURED AT MANSFIELD-LAHM AIRPORT
DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS.

A SEVRERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5AM EDT.
.
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING  AND FRIDAY.
BANYAS
Special weather statement, May 26, 1:49 AM EDT, 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
150 AM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IN NORTHERN OHIO.

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EDT FOR MOST OF THE REST OF
OHIO... EXCLUDING THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COUNTIES.

AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HURON AND
LORAIN COUNTIES IN NORTHERN OHIO UNTIL FOUR O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN OHIO HAS LESSENED AND
THE STORMS ARE NOW MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS. WEATHER RADAR
SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL AND
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN NORTHERN OHIO THROUGH THE
EVENING HAVE BEEN BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES IN MANY PLACES.

ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN IS LIKELY IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OHIO
BEFORE MORNING. THIS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE STANDING WATER AND
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS.

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM NEAR FINDLAY TO WEST OF DAYTON.
THIS LINE OF STORMS STILL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS
OR HAIL AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST.

MAXIMUK

The office that day

Everything else NWS Cleveland, OH issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 9:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCLECuyahoga61 min
May 25, 10:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCLELake51 min
May 25, 10:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCLEStark, Summit48 min
May 25, 10:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCLEPortage40 min
May 26, 12:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCLEHuron, Lorain4 hr
May 26, 1:56 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCLECuyahoga3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Ohio, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.