Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS State College, PA

November 23, 1992Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Nov 23, 1992, 8:25 AM EST for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 23, 1992, 8:25 AM EST (13:25 UTC)
Expired
Nov 23, 1992, 11:30 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Lancaster County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 157 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1992-11-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1992-11-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1243 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 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 KHAR 231325
FFWHAR
PAC071-231630-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
825 AM EST MON NOV 23 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HARRISBURG HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...NORTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY
 
LANCASTER COUNTY EMA REPORTS HEAVY RAINS CONTINUING ACROSS LANCASTER
COUNTY WITH SEVERAL ROADS REPORTED CLOSED. THE HARDEST HIT AREA HAS BEEN
ACROSS THE NORTH FROM AROUND MT. JOY OVER TO EPHRATA.
 
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTY...BRINGING
SOME ADDITIONAL RAINFALL. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE OUT OF EASTERN
LANCASTER COUNTY BY 930AM. CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE OVER
THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO, WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT COMING LATE THIS MORNING OR
EARLY AFTERNOON.
 
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

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, Nov 23, 2:26 AM EST, 5 hours 59 minutes before
PAZ006-013-014-008-009-231000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
225 AM EST MON NOV 23 1992

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE RACING THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

WARM MOIST AIR SPREADING ACROSS THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH AND A FRONTAL SYSTEM
HAS IGNITED THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.  AT 2 AM A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE FROM NEAR READING SOUTHWEST TO LANCASTER.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST WEST OF THE NATIONS CAPITOL AND FROM CENTRAL
CENTRE COUNTY SOUTH THROUGH HUNTINGDON AND FULTON COUNTIES.

THE STORMS WERE ALL RACING NORTHEAST AT 50 TO 60 MPH.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING. STREET FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN LANCASTER COUNTY NEAR
ELIZABETHTOWN BY THE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. YORK COUNTY EMERGENCY
PERSONNEL REPORTED STREET FLOODING AT MARKET STREET OF THE CITY OF YORK WHERE
THE STREET HAD ABOUT 4 F"EET OF WATER AND SOME BASEMENTS HAD COLAPSED.
MOST RAIN HAS ENDED FOR NOW IN THE AFFECTED AREAS OF YORK AND LANCASTER
COUNTIES.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.

KOWALZYK
Special weather statement, Nov 23, 3:12 AM EST, 5 hours 13 minutes before
PAZ007-008-014-230930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA
312 AM EST MON NOV 23 1992

...LATE SEASON THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS NORTHCENTRAL
   PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 300 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
MAINLY SHOWERS EXTENDING FROM THE SAYRE/ATHENS REGION DOWN THROUGH
WILLIAMSPORT AND THEN TO LAURELTON IN SNYDER COUNTY.  THERE WERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE...ONE NEAR LAURELTON AND THEN ANOTHER
BETWEEN CANTON AND BODINES ALONG THE BRADFORD/LYCOMING COUNTY BORDER.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 45 MPH.  THEREFORE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS SNYDER COUNTY AND ALSO ALONG THE
BRADFORD/SULLIVAN COUNTY LINE BETWEEN NOW AND 400 AM EST.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING. REMEMBER THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A
THUNDERSTORM IS INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING.  STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND
DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORMS PASS.

KJF
Special weather statement, Nov 23, 4:02 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
PAZ009-231100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
400 AM EST MON NOV 23 1992

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN ARE MOVING EAST THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL PA...

AT 350 AM A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WAS FROM EASTERN PERRY
COUNTY SOUTHWEST ACROSS CARLISLE TO ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF CHAMBERSBURG.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 45 MPH AND WILL ARRIVE IN THE AREAS OF
YORK COUNTY THAT HAD EARLIER STREET FLOODING AROUND 440 AM...AND IN LANCASTER
COUNTY AROUND 500 AM.  ALTHOUGH THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY
THROUGH THE AREA...STREETS AND SMALL STREAMS STILL HAVE WATER FROM EARLIER
RAINS.

IF YOU LIVE NEAR A FLOOD PRONE STREAM...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH STANDING WATER AS THE WATER MAY BE DEEPER THAN IT LOOKS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OF POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
KOWALZYK
Special weather statement, Nov 23, 4:22 AM EST, 4 hours 3 minutes before
PAZ007-008-014-231030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA
420 AM EST MON NOV 23 1992

...HEAVIEST SHOWERS MOVING OUT OF NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 415 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
MAINLY SHOWERS ACROSS EASTERN BRADFORD AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES.  SHOWERS
IN THIS LINE WERE HEAVY AND AS MUCH AS A QUARTER OF AN INCH /.25/ OF
RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  THIS QUICK SHOT OF $RAIN
COULD CAUSE SOME FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

OTHER SHOWERS WERE IN NORTHWESTERN LYCOMING COUNTY AND JUST WEST OF
LOCK HAVEN.  THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

KJF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 23, 4:22 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork68 min
Nov 23, 5:29 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork61 min
Nov 23, 6:35 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork115 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

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.