Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 30, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

June 30, 1990Fayette County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 30, 1990, 11:59 PM EDT for Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 30, 1990, 11:59 PM EDT (03:59 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1990, 4:00 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Fayette County, PA

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, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 1990-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1515 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 1990-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 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
1515 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1023 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 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.

000 
TTAA00 KPIT 010405
FFWPIT
PAC051-010800-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1159 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS EXTENDED THE
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA
          ...FAYETTE

THERE IS ALSO A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOMERSET COUNTY TIL 4 AM.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
FAYETTE AND SOMERSET COUNTIES EARLY THIS SUNDAY MORNING.  THE FLOODING
ALREADY IN FAYETTE COUNTY CAN GET WORSE.  FLOODING MAY BEGIN IN
SOMERSET COUNTY...PARTICULARLY THE SOUTH.
IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING FROM SMALL STREAMS OR WHERE
DRAINAGE IS POOR...LOOKOUT FOR RISING WATER.  BE READY TO HEAD TO
SAFETY ON HIGHER GROUND...BUT DONT GO THROUGH FLOODING TO GET THERE.

NEVER 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.  JUST GO STRAIGHT UP 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

Local storm report, Jun 30, 7:51 PM EDT, 4 hours 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
749 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT WSFO PIT 6/30/90

TIME             EVENT            LOCATION
1648             G60KTS           BVI               (BEAVER CNTY ARPT)
1710        POWER LINES DOWN      BADEN             (BEAVER CNTY)
1738             11/2A            ALIQUIPPA         (BEAVER CNTY)
1740             11/4A            ALIQUIPPA         (BEAVER CNTY)
1740             13/4A            WSFO PIT          (ALLEGHENY CNTY)
1750        POWER LINES DOWN      MONACA            (BEAVER CNTY)
1755             11/2A            CORAOPOLIS        (ALLEGHENY CNTY)
1800              3/4A            8 MILES NW BUTLER (BUTLER CNTY)
1809              1A              CARNEGIE          (ALLEGHENY CNTY)
1844              1A              IMPERIAL          (ALLEGHENY CNTY)
1917              3/4A            PERRYOPOLIS       (FAYETTE)
1930              1A              OAKMONT           (ALLEGHENY)
Local storm report, Jun 30, 10:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
1045 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

TIME             EVENT            LOCATION          COUNTY

1648             G60KTS           BVI               BEAVER  ARPT
1710        POWER LINES DOWN      BADEN             BEAVER
1738             1.5  A           ALIQUIPPA         BEAVER
1740             1.5  A           ALIQUIPPA         BEAVER
1740             1.5  A           WSFO PIT          ALLEGHENY
1750        POWER LINES DOWN      MONACA            BEAVER
1755             1.50 A           CORAOPOLIS        ALLEGHENY
1800              .75 A           8 MILES NW BUTLER BUTLER
1809             1.00 A           CARNEGIE          ALLEGHENY
1844             1.00 A           IMPERIAL          ALLEGHENY
1917              .75 A           PERRYOPOLIS       FAYETTE
1930             1.00 A           OAKMONT           ALLEGHENY
1935              .75 A           PENN HILLS        ALLEGHENY
1955         PSBL TORNADO         6ESE WASHINGTON   WASHINGTON
             HOUSE DESTROYED
2040             1.00 A           4 N BROWNSVILLE   FAYETTE
2055             1.75 A           UNIONTOWN         FAYETTE
2115             1.00 A           CHALKL HILLS       FAYETTE
2125             1.00 A           CONNELLSVILLE     FAYETTE
2140             1.00 A           CONNELLSVILLE     FAYETTE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 30, 8:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZSomerset33 min
Jun 30, 8:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZAllegheny33 min
Jun 30, 8:59 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZClearfield, Indiana, Jefferson61 min
Jun 30, 8:59 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZCambria, Somerset, Westmoreland61 min
Jun 30, 8:59 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZFayette61 min
Jun 30, 9:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZClarion69 min
Jun 30, 9:54 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZClearfield, Jefferson66 min
Jun 30, 9:54 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZFayette66 min
Jun 30, 10:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZClearfield, Indiana60 min
Jun 30, 10:57 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZFayette2 hr
Jul 1, 11:27 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZFayette63 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.