Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1995

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS State College, PA

January 20, 1995York County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 20, 1995, 7:00 AM EST for York County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 20, 1995, 7:00 AM EST (12:00 UTC)
Expired
Jan 20, 1995, 10:00 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County York County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 122 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 1995-01-20Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1995-01-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -41 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
473 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
81 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-29 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 201203
FFWCTP
PAC133-201500-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING FOR STREAMS AND CREEKS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
700 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING FOR STREAMS AND CREEKS EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...YORK COUNTY
 
AT 700 AM EST... REPORTS FROM PEMA INDICATED THAT THE CODORUS CREEK WAS
RISING RAPIDLY. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE IN YORK COUNTY CAUSING SOME
FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS ALONG THIS CREEK.
 
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
CRO\SS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
NICOSIA

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.

NWS State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jan 20, 1:32 AM EST, 5 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 1:32 AM EST, 5 hours 28 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
130 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

LARGE SLOW MOVG STORM TO AFFECT PA THRU FCST PD. LATEST SFC ANYLS
SHOWS AN ELONGATED SFC LO FROM OH TO WV. TROF/OCCLUSION EXTNS
FROM NW TO SE FROM LO INTO CAROLINAS. SYS IS WRAPPED UP WITH COLD
AIR RACING EWRD ACRS SRN U.S AND WRM REMAINS WELL TO NE OF SYS.
BAND OF CONVECTIVE SHOWRS WAS WELL-DEFINED ON 88D/S CURRENTLY
MOVG INTO SW PA. IR SATL LOOP SHOWS THIS BAND ALSO MOVG SLOWY
NEWRD. 00Z UPR AIR DATA SHOWS A DECENT LLJ AT 850 MB ADVECTING
MOISTURE NE OF LOW ACRS OH-WV. THIS LLJ FEATURE WAS SUPPLYING
MOISTURE INTO A STRG AGEOSTROPHIC UPR LVL CIRCULATION ASSCTD WITH
A LEFT FRONT QUAD OF AN UPR LVL JET THAT WAS ACRS SRN U.S. AS
RESULT... STRG UPR LVL DIVRGCE WAS OCCURING ACRS OH-WV AT 00Z ON
MODEL INTIALIZATIONS. GRIDDED DATA SHOWS STRG Q-VECTOR CONV ACRS
THE OH VVLY ALSO IN ASSCTN WITH THIS LEFT FRNT QUAD OF UPR LVL
JET. THE RIBBON OF LOW-LVL MOISTURE AHEAD OF THIS LOW WAS NOT
ONLY PROVIDING MOISTURE FOR PRECIP BUT ALSO LWRG STATIC
STABILITIES AHEAD OF LOW... ENHANCING UVV/S ASSCTD WITH THE ABOVE
Q-G FRCG. THIS WAS LEADING TO THE OBSERVED WELL-DVLPED BAND OF
PRECIP THAT WAS MOVG INTO PA ATTM. LOW-LVL JET AS WELL AS THE UPR
LVL Q-G FRCG SLIDE EWRD OVERNIGHT AND FRI MORN SUPPORTING THIS
HEAVIER BAND OF PRECIP AS IT MOVS ACRS PA. BY 12Z IT SHUD BE
RIGHT ACRS CNTRL PA FROM PHL-ERI (APPROX). BAND WILL MOV N OF ST
BY AFTERNOON INTO NEW ENGLAND BY TONIGHT. COLDER AIR WILL WORK
INTO ST AFTER LOW PASSES E BY 36 HRS. SIGNIFICANT PRECIP WILL BE
NE OF REGION BY THIS TIME. HOWEVER... SOME WRAP AROUND
DEFORMATION PRECIP IS LIKELY TONIGHT ACRS FA AS LOW WINDS UP FROM
SFC TO 500 MB NR LI. MODELS INDICATE THAT IS SHUD BE COLD ENUF
FOR WET SNOW TONIGHT. CHANGEOVER FROM LIGHT RAIN TO LIGHT SNOW
WILL OCCUR FROM SW TO NE OVERNIGHT. ATTM... THINK AN INCH OR TWO
PSBL NRN MTNS AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS BT 12Z SAT ... LESSER AMTS
VLLYS. LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES CONT ON SAT AS SYS MOVS FURTHER NE
OFF NEW ENGLAND COAST BY 00Z SUN.

WILL CONCENTRATE ON NOW/S AND SPS/S OVERNIGHT AS RW SPREADS
RAPIDLY ACRS CNTRL PA AND FOG CONTS TO BE PROBLEM OVER MUCH OF
REGION.

LAKE SNOW OUTLOOK...

FRI 7 AM  TO  FRI 7 PM...N
FRI 7 PM  TO  SAT 7 AM...N
SAT 7 AM  TO  SAT 7 PM...N (NOT COLD ENUF AT 850 MB YET DESPITE
                            NW FLO)
NICOSIA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:17 AM EST, 43 minutes before
PAZ036-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201420-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
617 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...HEAVY RAIN WILL END IN THE HARRISBURG AREA...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DROPPED AROUND AN INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT
TIME IN THE HARRISBURG AREA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. SOME STREET
INTERSECTIONS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS MAY HAVE STANDING WATER FOR
THE MORNING COMMUTE. THE HEAVIER RAIN WILL END BY MID-MORNING SO
PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM IN THE
HARRISBURG AREA THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS WHEN DRIVING IN THE DARK WHEN IT IS HARD TO SEE
PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

NICOSIA
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:18 AM EST, 42 minutes before
PAZ036-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201420-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
617 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...HEAVY RAIN WILL END IN THE HARRISBURG AREA...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DROPPED AROUND AN INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT
TIME IN THE HARRISBURG AREA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. SOME STREET
INTERSECTIONS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS MAY HAVE STANDING WATER FOR
THE MORNING COMMUTE. THE HEAVIER RAIN WILL END BY MID-MORNING SO
PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM IN THE
HARRISBURG AREA THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS WHEN DRIVING IN THE DARK WHEN IT IS HARD TO SEE
PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

NICOSIA
H
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:28 AM EST, 32 minutes before
PAZ066-201330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
628 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH LANCASTER COUNTY...

AT 625 AM EST... DOPPLER RADAR FROM MT HOLLY SHOWED A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS IN LANCASTER COUNTY. THE STORMS WILL EXIT
LANCASTER COUNTY BY 7 AM. THE THUNDERSTROMS WILL PRODUCE
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN LANCASTER COUNTY.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION
AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.

NICOSIA
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:30 AM EST, 30 minutes before
PAZ066-201330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
628 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH LANCASTER COUNTY...

AT 625 AM EST... DOPPLER RADAR FROM MT HOLLY SHOWED A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS IN LANCASTER COUNTY. THE STORMS WILL EXIT
LANCASTER COUNTY BY 7 AM. THE THUNDERSTROMS WILL PRODUCE
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN LANCASTER COUNTY.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS...CHECK THE LA|TEST WEATHER INFORMATION
AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.

NICOSIA
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:42 AM EST, 18 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
642 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE MIDDLE
SUSQUEHANNA AND WEST BRANCH VALLEYS AND THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA BETWEEN 7 AND 8 AM...

AT 635 AM EST... DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING INTO THE WEST BRANCH
AND MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS AND INTO TIOGA AND LYCOMING
COUNTIES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REACH SULLIVAN... COLUMBIA
AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES BY AROUND 8 AM.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION
AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.

NICOSIA
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 6:43 AM EST, 17 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
642 AM EST FRI JAN 20 1995

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE MIDDLE
SUSQUEHANNA AND WEST BRANCH VALLEYS AND THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA BETWEEN 7 AND 8 AM...

AT 635 AM EST... DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING INTO THE WEST BRANCH
AND MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS AND INTO TIOGA AND LYCOMING
COUNTIES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REACH SULLIVAN... COLUMBIA
AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES BY AROUND 8 AM.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION
AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.

NICOSIA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 20, 8:15 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster4 hr
Jan 20, 8:30 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Snyder, Union4 hr
Jan 20, 8:48 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCentre, Clinton4 hr
Jan 20, 8:58 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPPotter, Tioga5 hr
Jan 20, 11:05 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork5 hr
Jan 20, 12:39 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster3 hr
Jan 20, 12:39 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPSnyder, Union3 hr
Jan 20, 12:39 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Potter, Tioga3 hr
Jan 20, 2:51 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPHuntingdon7 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1995Every flash flood warning in 1995

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.