Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994
Flash Flood Warning 40, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 26, 1994, 6:22 PM EDT for Montour County, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 26, 1994, 6:22 PM EDT (22:22 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 26, 1994, 9:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Montour County, PA, Northumberland County, PA
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 230 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
- 177 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -24 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 556 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 51 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 133 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 262221 FFWCTP PAC093-097-270130- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 622 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...MONTOUR COUNTY...NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY AT 620 PM STATE COLLEGE WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTHUMBERLAND AND MONTOUR COUNTIES. A SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED 3 INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE PAST TWO HOURS IN THE TOWN OF HERNDON IN THE COUNTY OF NORTHUMBERLAND. 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. &
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 26, 2:48 PM EDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
PAZ066-261950- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 248 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...SHORT LIVED WATER SPOUT ON THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER... A REPORT FROM THE POWER PLANT AT PEACHBOTTOM IN LANCASTER COUNTY INDICATES THAT A SHORT LIVED WATER SPOUT DROPPED OUT OF A RAIN SHOWER THAT WAS PASSING THROUGH THE AREA. POWER PLANT WITNESSES DESCRIBE A FUNNEL THAT DROPPED OUT OF THE CLOUD AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE WATER SURFACE...THEN MOVED APPROXIMATELY 1000 YARDS UP RIVER BEFORE LIFTING BACK INTO THE CLOUDS AND DISSIPATING. THEY REPORT THAT THE WATER SURFACE WAS CHURNED UP AROUND THIS FEATURE AND ALSO THAT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE. STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED ONLY WEAK TO MODERATE RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF PEACHBOTTOM AT THE TIME OF THE REPORT. DOPPLER PRODUCTS FROM THE RADAR SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO. IT IS LIKELY THE FUNNEL WAS A WEAK SHORT LIVED LOCAL PHENOMENA THAT IS NOT UNCOMMON DURING UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. THESE SYSTEMS SELDOM LAST MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES AND ALMOST NEVER DO ANY DAMAGE. CONDITIONS DO FAVOR MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE PRIMARY THREAT FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND NIGHT TIME HOURS IS LIKELY TO BE HEAVY RAIN. THESE WEAK WATER SPOUTS ARE USUALLY SHORT LIVED. THEY HAVE HOWEVER...ON OCCASION TOUCHED THE GROUND AND CAUSED DAMAGE. BECAUSE OF THIS POSSIBILITY...YOU SHOULD SEEK A SAFE INDOOR SHELTER WHEN THESE FUNNELS ARE OBSERVED. LA CORTE
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 4:01 PM EDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
PAZ012-018>019-025>028-034>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-262100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 401 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LANCASTER...LEBANON AND SCHUYKILL COUNTIES... ...A FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL STREAMS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS IN EFFECT FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY.... AT 355 PM THE STATE COLLEGE WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS INDICATING SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING NORTH-SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. ONE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM MILLERSBURG...SOUTH TO CAMP HILL THEN FURTHER SOUTH TO NEAR GETTYSBURG. ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM BATH...NEW YORK SOUTH THROUGH THE STATE COLLEGE AREA AND THEN SOUTH TO THE LARUEL HIGHLANDS THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND...SHOULD FLOOD WATERS THREATEN. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WIND...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN CAPABLE OF FLOODING LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 6:08 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-262310- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 608 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...THE FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE COUNTIES OF TIOGA...SULLIVAN...LYCOMING AND SOUTHERN CLINTON... ...A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY TIL 645 PM... ...A FLOOD WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN DAUPHIN COUNTY TIL 8 PM... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS UPDATED THE FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE MUCH OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AT 605 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR WAS INDICATING SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM THE WELLSBORO AREA SOUTH TO WILLIAMSPORT THEN FURTHER SOUTH TO WILLIAMSBURG AND GETTYSBURG. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS FOR THE NEXT HOUR. IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND...SHOULD FLOOD WATERS THREATEN. WINTHER
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 9:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 38 min |
| Sep 25, 9:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 57 min |
| Sep 26, 3:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford | 50 min |
| Sep 26, 3:45 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Columbia | 3 hr |
| Sep 26, 4:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Northumberland | 54 min |
| Sep 26, 4:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Snyder | 54 min |
| Sep 26, 4:51 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Dauphin | 3 hr |
| Sep 26, 6:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Cambria, Clearfield | 44 min |
| Sep 26, 7:08 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Clearfield | 52 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1994Every flash flood warning in 1994
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.