Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 101, NWS Charleston, WV

December 18, 1990Harrison County, Marion County, Monongalia County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Dec 18, 1990, 7:14 AM EST for Harrison County, Marion County, Monongalia County, West Virginia. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 18, 1990, 7:14 AM EST (12:14 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 1990, 10:15 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Harrison County, WV, Marion County, WV, Monongalia 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 12:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 12:00Z on 1990-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1990-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
766 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KEKN 181214
FFWEKN
WVC017-033-049-061-181515-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
714 AM EST TUE DEC 18 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ELKINS HAS ISSUED A
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...NORTHERN HARRISON COUNTY...MARION COUNTY...MONONGALIA COUNTY
      AND DODDRIDGE COUNTY
 
HEAVY RAINS OVER THE PAST 3 TO 4 HOURS HAVE PUSHED SOME SMALL STREAMS
TO BANKFULL AND OVER ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. MINOR FLOODING IS
REPORTED ALONG STREETS IN SALEM OF HARRISON COUNTY AND OVER SOUTHWEST
MARION COUNTY. WEATHER RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW RAIN OVER THESE AREAS,
BUT HAS BEEN DECREASING IN INTENSITY OVER THE PAST HOUR. MORE SMALL
STREAMS MAY OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS AND ADDITIONAL RAINS ARE POSSIBLE
TODAY.
 
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.
 
GILKERSON
 
NNNN

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, Dec 18, 4:04 AM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes before
WVZ03-KYZ006-OHZ09-181000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
400 AM EST TUE DEC 18 1990

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO AND A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY.

AT 345 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED LIGHT RAIN WITH PATCHES OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY CONTINUING OVER ALL OF SOUTHERN OHIO...EASTERN
KENTUCKY AND MOST OF WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.  AUTOMATED RAINGAGES
(IFLOWS) IN KENTUCKY AND HAVE SHOWN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN HOURLY
AMOUNTS...WITH LESS THAN ONE HALF INCH IN THE PAST HOUR AT MOST
LOCATIONS.  EIGHT TENTHS TO ONE INCH WAS SHOWN AT ISOLATED GAGES IN
LEWIS...FLEMING...AND GREENUP COUNTIES IN KENTUCKY.  LATEST FORECASTS
CONTINUE TO CALL FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN TODAY IN EASTERN KENTUCKY
AND SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO WHICH COULD MAKE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS COME
OUT OF THEIR BANKS QUITE RAPIDLY.

ANYONE LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR THESE STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO WATER LEVELS AND STAY PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND QUICKLY SHOULD THEY OVERFLOW.  PONDING ON ROADWAYS WILL BE
QUITE COMMON SO CAUTION IS ADVISED WHILE DRIVING.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS FLOODED RAODWAYS AS IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IF THE
ROADWAY MAY HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED TONIGHT AS NEEDED.

...CORRECTION TO DAY OF THE WEEK...

PLYBON
Special weather statement, Dec 18, 4:06 AM EST, 3 hours 8 minutes before
WVZ03-KYZ006-OHZ09-181000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
400 AM EST TUE DEC 18 1990

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO AND A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY.

AT 345 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED LIGHT RAIN WITH PATCHES OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY CONTINUING OVER ALL OF SOUTHERN OHIO...EASTERN
KENTUCKY AND MOST OF WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.  AUTOMATED RAINGAGES
(IFLOWS) IN KENTUCKY AND HAVE SHOWN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN HOURLY
AMOUNTS...WITH LESS THAN ONE HALF INCH IN THE PAST HOUR AT MOST
LOCATIONS.  EIGHT TENTHS TO ONE INCH WAS SHOWN AT ISOLATED GAGES IN
LEWIS...FLEMING...AND GREENUP COUNTIES IN KENTUCKY.  LATEST FORECASTS
CONTINUE TO CALL FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN TODAY IN EASTERN KENTUCKY
AND SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO WHICH COULD MAKE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS COME
OUT OF THEIR BANKS QUITE RAPIDLY.

ANYONE LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR THESE STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO WATER LEVELS AND STAY PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND QUICKLY SHOULD THEY OVERFLOW.  PONDING ON ROADWAYS WILL BE
QUITE COMMON SO CAUTION IS ADVISED WHILE DRIVING.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS FLOODED RAODWAYS AS IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IF THE
ROADWAY MAY HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED TODAY AS NEEDED.

PLYBON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 18, 7:14 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge3 hr
Dec 18, 8:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Wood6 hr
Dec 18, 8:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXTyler, Wetzel6 hr
Dec 18, 9:28 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXPreston6 hr
Dec 18, 9:47 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXMarion, Monongalia, Preston6 hr
Dec 18, 9:47 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Harrison6 hr
Dec 18, 2:36 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXHarrison, Marion, Monongalia3 hr
Dec 18, 2:36 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXPreston3 hr
Dec 18, 2:49 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson, Ritchie, Wirt, Wood4 hr
Dec 18, 2:49 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Wetzel4 hr
Dec 18, 2:49 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXPleasants4 hr
Dec 18, 4:18 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie, Tyler, Wirt, Wood2 hr
Dec 18, 4:18 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXWetzel2 hr
Dec 18, 4:18 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson2 hr
Dec 18, 5:41 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXMonongalia, Preston, Tucker3 hr
Dec 18, 5:41 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXHarrison, Lewis, Upshur3 hr
Dec 18, 5:41 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXMarion3 hr
Dec 18, 6:55 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie, Tyler, Wetzel65 min
Dec 18, 6:55 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson, Wirt, Wood65 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 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.