Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990
Flash Flood Warning 97, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 7, 1990, 12:06 AM EDT for Brooke County, Ohio County, West Virginia; Washington County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 7, 1990, 12:06 AM EDT (04:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 7, 1990, 4:15 AM EDT
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Washington County, PA, Brooke County, WV, Ohio County, WV
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, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 41 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
- 62 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -179 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1475 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 107 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 165 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPIT 070406 FFWPIT PAC003-125-129-WVC009-069-070815- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1206 AM EDT FRI SEP 7 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 AM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA ...ALLEGHENY COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY...WESTMORELAND COUNTY IN THE WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE ...BROOKE COUNTY...OHIO COUNTY HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA WITH FLOODING REPORTED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY ALONG ROUTE 19 AT DONALDSONS CROSSROADS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING. 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, Sep 6, 8:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-070200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 810 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIL 1 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS TIL 11 PM... RADAR SHOWED TWO BANDS OF DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. THE LEADING BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND WESTERN MARYLAND. THE WORST STORMS WERE BETWEEN MORGANTOWN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOMERSET PENNSYLVANIA HEADING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH TOWARD CUMBERLAND MARYLAND. THE SECOND BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALONG THE ERIE LAKESHORE OF OHIO...PENNSYLVANIA...AND NEW YORK STATE. THE WORST STORMS WERE BETWEEN CLEVELAND OHIO...ERIE PENNSYLVANIA...AND JAMESTOWN NEW YORK. SOME SCATTERED STORMS HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEASTERN OHIO BETWEEN AKRON...YOUNGSTOWN...AND NEW PHILADELPHIA. THESE STORMS TOO WERE MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA BETWEEN 9 PM AND 1 AM. ANY OF THESE STORMS CAN HAVE DAMAGING WIND...POSSIBLY TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND DOWNPOURS HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING. THE FLOODING THREAT IS HIGHEST IN AREAS HARDHIT BY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. TAKE COVER INDOORS WHEN THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...PREFERABLY IN STRONG BUILDINGS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS. WHEN CONFRONTED BY FLOODING...SEEK HIGHER GROUND BUT DONT GO THROUGH FLOODING TO GET THERE.
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 10:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-070400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1020 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TIL 4 AM FRIDAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIL 1 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS...AND WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE TIL 4 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS FOR AT LEAST 8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES AND 4 NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE COUNTIES TIL AROUND 11 PM... RADAR SHOWED THE LINE OF SEVERE STORMS ALONG INTERSTATE 80 MOVING SOUTHWARD AT 30 MPH INTO SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE. THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE PITTSBURGH AREA BETWEEN 1030 AND 11 PM. THESE STORMS ARE DANGEROUS...SO TAKE COVER. ALSO PULL OVER AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF ROADS BECOME FLOODED. IF HEAVY DOWNPOURS PERSIST...WATCH FOR SMALL STREAMS GOING OUT OF THEIR BANKS.
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 11:41 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-070500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1140 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TIL 4 AM FRIDAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIL 1 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS...AND WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE TIL 4 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR 4 SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES TIL MIDNIGHT... RADAR SHOWED ONE LINE OF STORMS OVER THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...FROM WHEELING WV AND GREENSBURG PA TO TYRONE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS. THESE STORMS WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH INTO EXTREME SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA. OHIO COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA ARE PRONE TO GET HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS TIL 1 AM. IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING FROM SMALL STREAMS OR POOR DRAINAGE...WATCH FOR THESE REPEATED HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND RISING WATER. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. STEADY RAIN WAS FALLING OVER MUCH OF NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. A NEW LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER LAKE ERIE ABOUT TO MOVE ONSHORE INTO NORTHERN OHIO AND ERIE COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA. THESE STORMS TOO WERE MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH. ALL OF THE STORMS STILL HAVE ENOUGH PUNCH TO CAUSE WIND AND LIGHTNING DAMAGE WITH POSSIBLY HAIL AS WELL. THE MORE THE HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES...THE MORE CHANCE THERE WILL BE FLOODING. FIRST WITH ROADS AND BASEMENTS AND LATER POSSIBLY CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS.
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 11:44 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-070500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1140 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TIL 4 AM FRIDAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIL 1 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS...AND WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE TIL 4 AM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR 4 SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES TIL MIDNIGHT... RADAR SHOWED ONE LINE OF STORMS OVER THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...FROM WHEELING WV AND GREENSBURG PA TO TYRONE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS. THESE STORMS WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH INTO EXTREME SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA. OHIO COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA ARE PRONE TO GET HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS TIL 1 AM. IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING FROM SMALL STREAMS OR POOR DRAINAGE...WATCH FOR THESE REPEATED HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND RISING WATER. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. STEADY RAIN WAS FALLING OVER MUCH OF NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. A NEW LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER LAKE ERIE ABOUT TO MOVE ONSHORE INTO NORTHERN OHIO AND ERIE COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA. THESE STORMS TOO WERE MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH. ALL OF THE STORMS STILL HAVE ENOUGH PUNCH TO CAUSE WIND AND LIGHTNING DAMAGE WITH POSSIBLY HAIL AS WELL. THE MORE THE HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES...THE MORE CHANCE THERE WILL BE FLOODING. FIRST WITH ROADS AND BASEMENTS AND LATER POSSIBLY CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 9:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Brooke, Hancock | 78 min |
| Sep 6, 9:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Marshall, Ohio | 78 min |
| Sep 7, 4:00 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Brooke | 4 hr |
| Sep 7, 7:30 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Brooke | 3 hr |
| Sep 7, 9:45 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Brooke | 4 hr |
| Sep 6, 9:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Armstrong, Clarion, Jefferson | 78 min |
| Sep 6, 9:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Butler | 78 min |
| Sep 6, 11:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland | 60 min |
| Sep 7, 12:06 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Westmoreland | 4 hr |
| Sep 7, 1:50 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Washington | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1990Flash 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.