Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990
Flash Flood Warning 33, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 5, 1990, 2:34 PM EDT for Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 2 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 5, 1990, 2:34 PM EDT (18:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 5, 1990, 5:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 2 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 12:00Z, 6.6 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2521 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -60 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 821 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 58 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 78 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 3.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPIT 051846 COR FFWPIT PAC111-051-052100- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 245 PM EDT THU JUL 5 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING UNTIL 330 PM EDT FOR SOMERSET COUNTY. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EDT FOR FAYETTE COUNTY. AT 230 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING WESTERN SOMERSET COUNTY HEADING TOWARD CONFLUENCE. IT MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. REPEATED STORMS MOVING NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST OVER FAYETTE COUNTY CONTINUES TO PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURRING OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS. REPEATED TRAIN EFFECT RAINS COULD BE CAUSING FLOODING IN PORTIONS OF FAYETTE COUNTY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO= AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
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, Jul 5, 10:48 AM EDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
PAZ003-005-006-013>015-WVZ001-051900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1045 AM EDT THU JUL 5 1990 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA... A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS MORNING AND EXTENDED FROM DUBOIS THROUGH SLIPPERY ROCK TO NEW CASTLE INTO OHIO. THE LINE WAS ABOUT 20 MILES WIDE AND WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. SOME STORMS MAY HAVE STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL PLUS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS THAT MAY CAUSE FLOODING IN LOW-LYING PLACES AND AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. THE LINE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GREATER PITTSBURGH AIRPORT AREA AROUND 1130 AM...THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AROUND NOON...SOUTHERN ALLEGHENY COUNTY AROUND 1230 PM...AND THE JOHNSTOWN AREA AROUND 130 PM. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY FOR THREATENING THUNDERSTORMS...AND LISTEN FOR FORECAST UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS. ALSO KEEP THESE SAFETY TIPS IN MIND. WHENEVER THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN...ITS BEST TO TAKE SHELTER INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM GLASS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...BE AWARE THAT LIGHTNING IS AS MUCH A HAZARD AS HIGH WIND. AVOID ISOLATED TREES AND METAL OBJECTS. GO TO LOW SPOTS...CROUCH DOWN AND COVER YOUR HEAD...BUT LOOKOUT FOR FLOODING FROM HEAVY DOWNPOURS. WHEN FLOODING THREATENS...SEEK HIGHER GROUND...BUT DONT GO THROUGH ANY FLOOD WATERS TO GET THERE. THATS TRUE WHETHER YOU ARE DRIVING OR ON FOOT. TODAYS STRONGER THAN USUAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAUSED BY A COLD FRONT SLICING THROUGH THE HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY CURRENTLY OVER THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA REGION. THE GOOD NEWS FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY IS THE COMFORTABLY COOLER AND DRIER AIR BEHIND THIS FRONT. STEWART/PALKO/REHAK/WAGNER
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 12:01 PM EDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
PAZ003-005-006-013>015-WVZ001-052200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1155 AM EDT THU JUL 5 1990 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 600 PM EDT AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM EDT FOR THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE...AND IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN...WESTERN INTERIOR...LAUREL MOUNTAINS...CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE SOUTH CENTRAL AREAS... THE FLASH FLOOD AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... HANCOCK...BROOKE...OHIO AND MARSHALL. AND THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... BUTLER...ARMSTRONG...INDIANA...BEAVER...ALLEGHENY... WESTMORELAND...GREENE... WASHINGTON...FAYETTE...CAMBRIA...SOMERSET...CLEARFIELD... CENTRE...BLAIR...BEDFORD...FULTON...FRANKLIN...HUNTINGDON...MIFFLIN AND JUNIATA...CLINTON. THE WATCH AREA IS BASICALLY FROM THE COUNTIES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 SOUTH TO THE SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA BORDER AS WELL AS THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE. AT 1145 AM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM THE CITY OF CLEARFIELD IN CLEARFIELD COUNTY TO NEAR EAST LIVERPOOL OHIO. THE LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN MOUR. THE LINE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH AROUND 1215 PM..SOUTHERN ALLEGHENY COUNTY AROUND 1245 PM...AND THE JOHNSTOWN AREA AROUND 145 PM. THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAINS THAT MAY CAUSE FLOODING...LARGE HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTENING. IF HEAVY RAINS PERSIST OVER THE SAME AREA FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME... FLASH FLOODING COULD OCCUR.HEAVY DOWNPOURS FROM THUNDERSTORMS CAN CAUSE RAPID RISES IN STREAM AND CREEKS IN JUST A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. IF YOU LIVE NEAR A STREAM OR CREEK KEEP ALERT. ALSO KEEP THESE SAFETY TIPS IN MIND. WHENEVER THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN...ITS BEST TO TAKE SHELTER INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM GLASS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...BE AWARE THAT LIGHTNING IS AS MUCH A HAZARD AS HIGH WIND. AVOID ISOLATED TREES AND METAL OBJECTS. GO TO LOW SPOTS...CROUCH DOWN AND COVER YOUR HEAD...BUT LOOKOUT FOR FLOODING FROM HEAVY DOWNPOURS. WHEN FLOODING THREATENS...SEEK HIGHER GROUND...BUT DONT GO THROUGH ANY FLOOD WATERS TO GET THERE. THATS TRUE WHETHER YOU ARE DRIVING OR ON FOOT. RAINFALL OF AROUND 2.00 INCHES OF RAIN IN 3 HOURS OR LESS COULD CAUSE FLOODING. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINS CAN CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. REDUCE YOUR SPEED WHEN DRIVING THROUGH HEAVY RAINS...AND NEVER DRIVE THROUGH A FLOODED AREA. A FLOOD WATCH MEANS FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY NOT A CERTAIN3TY. KEEP ALERT IF HEAVY RAINS PERSIST...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED. PALKO/STEWART/REHAK/WAGNER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 11:59 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Washington | 61 min |
| Jul 5, 12:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Cambria, Indiana | 61 min |
| Jul 5, 12:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Fayette | 58 min |
| Jul 5, 12:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Blair, Cambria, Westmoreland | 61 min |
| Jul 5, 12:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Washington | 61 min |
| Jul 5, 1:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Bedford, Somerset | 58 min |
| Jul 5, 1:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Fayette | 58 min |
| Jul 5, 2:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Somerset | 56 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.