Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 34, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

July 5, 1990Fayette County, Greene County, Washington County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 5, 1990, 8:12 PM EDT for Fayette County, Greene County, Washington County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 5, 1990, 8:12 PM EDT (00:12 UTC)
Expired: Jul 5, 1990, 10:15 PM EDT
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Fayette County, PA, Greene County, PA, Washington 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, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 47 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 61 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 904 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.0
Supercell composite: -1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPIT 060016
FFWPIT
PAC051-059-125-060215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
812 PM EDT THU JUL 5 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...FAYETTE COUNTY...GREENE COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 810 PM RADAR SHOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
WASHINGTON COUNTY TO FAYETTE COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA. THEY ARE MOVING
SLOWLY SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE SLOWING DOWN AND
DUMPING HEAVY RAIN IN THE WARNED AREA. THIS AREA GOT UP TO 2 INCHES OF
RAIN EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. NEW FLOODING WILL BEGIN IF MORE THAN 1
INCH OF RAIN FALLS IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TIL 930 PM FOR SOMERSET COUNTY IN
SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...AND FOR MARSHALL AND OHIO COUNTIES IN THE
NORTH&ERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR BROOKE...OHIO...AND MARSHALL COUNTIES IN THE
NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA.

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, 6:46 PM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before

PAZ005-006-013>015-WVZ001-260300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
645 PM EDT THU JUL  5 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN RE-INSTATED FOR 75 PERCENT OF
THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 11 PM. THIS WATCH
INCLUDES BROOKE OHIO AND MARSHALL COUNTIES IN THE PANHANDLE. THERE IS
NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

HOWEVER...SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF PITTSBURGH IN WASHINGTON
COUNTY WILL BE HEADED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO WESTMORELAND FAYETTE AND
SOMERSET COUNTIES. UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN THOSE COUNTIES
THIS AFTERNOON.

PONDING OF WATER IN LOW SPOTS IS VERY LIKELY. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
POSSIBLE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AS THESE LAST THUNDERSTORMS GO
THROUGH SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA.

Local storm report, Jul 5, 7:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before

STORM REPORT FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
705 PM EDT THU JUL 5 1990

EDT
TIME    COUNTY         CITY           WHAT
1215 PM WASHINGTON     WASHINGTON     SEVERAL BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

1238 PM INDIANA        CHERRY TREE    NUMEROUS BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

107 PM  INDIANA        BLAIRSVILLE    SOME BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

152 PM  CAMBRIA        BELSANO        POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN NEAR ROUTE
                                      422.

330 PM  FAYETTE        BROWNSVILLE    POWER LINES AND NUMEROUS BIG
                                      TREES BLOWN DOWN BY WIND.
345 PM  FAYETTE        FAYETTE CITY AND
                       BROWNSVILLE    MINOR ROAD AND BASEMENT FLOODI

Local storm report, Jul 5, 7:11 PM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before

STORM REPORT FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
705 PM EDT THU JUL 5 1990

EDT                    PENNSYLVANIA
TIME    COUNTY         CITY           WHAT
1215 PM WASHINGTON     WASHINGTON     SEVERAL BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

1238 PM INDIANA        CHERRY TREE    NUMEROUS BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

107 PM  INDIANA        BLAIRSVILLE    SOME BIG TREES BLOWN DOWN.

152 PM  CAMBRIA        BELSANO        POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN NEAR ROUTE
                                      422.

330 PM  FAYETTE        BROWNSVILLE    POWER LINES AND NUMEROUS BIG
                                      TREES BLOWN DOWN BY WIND.
345 PM  FAYETTE        FAYETTE CITY AND
                       BROWNSVILLE    MINOR ROAD AND BASEMENT FLOODING.
END

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 5, 8:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette, Greene, Washington	73 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1990 Every 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.