Alert archive / Maryland / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 47, NWS Charleston, WV

April 16, 1993Allegany County, Maryland; Mineral County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Apr 16, 1993, 5:48 PM EDT for Allegany County, Maryland; Mineral County, West Virginia. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 16, 1993, 5:48 PM EDT (21:48 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 1993, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Allegany County, MD, Mineral County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:52 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 1993-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 286 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 1993-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 253 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
286 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
643 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
284 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KEKN 162148
FFWEKN
MDC001-WVC057-170045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
548 PM EDT FRI APR 16 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ELKINS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST MARYLAND
 
   ...ALLEGANY COUNTY
 
 
IN EAST WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...MINERAL COUNTY
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH WESTERN MARYLAND AND THE
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA ARE RESULTING IN SOME HEAVY
RAINSHOWERS AND SMAL HAIL OCCURRING. WITH THE PREVIOUS RAINFALL OF LAST
NIGHT AND THIS MORNING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL CAUSE SMALL STREAMS AND
CREEKS TO OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS. THE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALLEGANY
COUNTY OF WESTERN MARYLAND AND MINERAL COUNTY OF WEST VIRGINIA WHICH IS
WHERE THE STRONGEST RAINFALL IS OCCURRING.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS 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.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
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.
 
END/GAV
 
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, Apr 16, 3:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
KYZ006-OHZ009-WVZ003-162115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
345 PM EDT FRI APR 16 1993

...SHOWERS WITH SMALL HAIL IS BEING REPORTED IN THE TRI STATE...

AT 335 PM...THE PAINTSVILLE AUTHORITIES IN CENTRAL JOHNSON COUNTY KENTUCKY
HAVE REPORTED SMALL HAIL WITH SHOWERS. WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 335 PM
EDT INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE TRI STATE. WITH COOL AIR
ALOFT SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON IN ANY SHOWER.

END/CICCONE
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 5:03 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
WVZ010-011-MDZ008-009-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
503 PM EDT FRI APR 16 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR BERKLEY...JEFFERSON...AND
MORGAN COUNTIES IN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING....

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE POTOMAC HIGHLANDS
AND EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOW AN AREA OF RAIN WITH SHOWERS...
AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED FROM NORTHERN POCAHONTAS COUNTY
WEST VIRGINIA TO THE NORTHEAST OVER PENDLETON...GRANT..HARDY...
HAMPSHIRE AND MINERAL COUNTIES IN WEST VIRGINIA ON NORTH INTO GARRETT
AND ALLEGANY COUNTIES IN WESTERN MARYLAND. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AROUND 25 MILES AN
HOUR.

AT 4:45 PM ONE-HALF INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED FROM OAKLAND IN GARRETT
COUNTY MARYLAND. THE MORE INTENSE STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM NEAR
OAKLAND TO GRANTSVILLE IN GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND, AND OVER MINERAL
AND WESTERN HARDY COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA.

GUSTY WIND..HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE UNDER AND
NEAR THE MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS. ALSO...DUE TO THE RECENT SOAKING
RAINFALL OF EARLIER TODAY...SMALL STREAMS OR CREEKS MAY RISE TO OR
NEAR BANKFULL.

REPORT ANY WIND DAMAGE OR HAIL TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY..
AND ASK THAT THEY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER STANDING ON OR FLOWING ACROSS ROADWAYS. THE
WATER DEPTH MAY BE TO GREAT TO PASS SAFELY.

END/NWS ELKINS, WV

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 6:48 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXAllegany3 hr
Apr 16, 9:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXAllegany3 hr
Apr 16, 12:44 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXCalhoun, Gilmer, Ritchie31 min
Apr 16, 1:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXClay, Nicholas34 min
Apr 16, 1:48 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBraxton, Gilmer27 min
Apr 16, 1:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXLewis23 min
Apr 16, 6:48 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXGrant, Hardy, Pendleton3 hr
Apr 16, 9:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXGrant, Hardy, Pendleton3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Maryland, 1993Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1993Every flash flood warning in 1993

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.