Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 41, NWS State College, PA

September 26, 1994Columbia County, Lycoming County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 26, 1994, 9:10 PM EDT for Columbia County, Lycoming County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 26, 1994, 9:10 PM EDT (01:10 UTC)
Expired
Sep 27, 1994, 1:15 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Columbia County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, Sullivan County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 249 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1994-09-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 43 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1994-09-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 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
43 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
860 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
123 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 KCTP 270111
FFWCTP
PAC037-081-093-097-113-119-270515-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
910 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  115 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...COLUMBIA COUNTY...LYCOMING COUNTY...MONTOUR COUNTY
   ...NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY...SULLIVAN COUNTY...UNION COUNTY
 
AT 905 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE
TO HEAVY RAIN FROM BRADFORD AND TIOGA COUNTIES SOUTH ACROSS LYCOMING AND
SULLIVAN COUNTIES TO UNION COUNTY. THE ACTIVITY CONTINUES TO MOVE
TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 30 MPH. REPORTS INDICATE THAT FLOODING WAS
OCCURRING IN COLUMBIA AND NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTIES FROM THE HEAVY RAINS ITHE LAST COUPLE HOURS.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH pFLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
 
WINTHER

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, 4:01 PM EDT, 5 hours 9 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, 3 hours 2 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
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 6:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
PAZ004-005-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>036-270035-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
630 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...

AT 1025 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR FROM STATE COLLEGE SHOWED SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER WARREN... MCKEAN... AND ELK COUNTIES. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH AND WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS FOR THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS. THE STORMS WILL EXIT
ELK COUNTY BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... IT WILL REMAIN DRY FOR
THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.

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.

NICOSIA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 26, 8:01 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPClearfield, Elk59 min
Sep 26, 8:49 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPCameron56 min
Sep 26, 9:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPMontour, Northumberland4 hr
Sep 26, 9:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPUnion4 hr
Sep 26, 9:18 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPMcKean, Potter57 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.