Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 101, NWS State College, PA

June 24, 1996Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 24, 1996, 7:59 PM EDT for Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 24, 1996, 7:59 PM EDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
Jun 24, 1996, 11:00 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Lebanon County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 144 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:00 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, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 1996-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 1996-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 32 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1076 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
93 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 250000
FFWCTP
PAC075-250300-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
759 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...LEBANON COUNTY
 
AT 755 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF SLOW MOVING
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN LEBANON COUNTY. RAINFALL ESTIMATES
FROM RADAR ARE AROUND 2 INCHES IN THE LAST HOUR. FLOODING OF POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE STORMS MOVELY THROUGH.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT.  IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHBERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR
CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS.  CAMPERS SHOULD
AVOID CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.
 
 
LA CORTE
&

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 Jun 24, 1:55 PM EDT, 6 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 24, 1:55 PM EDT, 6 hours 4 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
200 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

...SVR TSTM WATCH MOST OF CNTRL PA THIS AFTN/EVE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH CONTINUES...

MODELS SHOW TONGUE WARM MOIST UNSTABLE AIR OVER REGION THRU 7 PM
TONIGHT.  A LOW LEVEL WARM FRONT IS SLOWLY MVG NEWD ACROSS PA
THIS AFTN.  THE REMANENT CONVECTION FROM OVERNIGHT HAS REFIRED
OVER SERN PA WITH SOME SUPERCELL LOOKING CELLS OVER ADAMS WHICH
WAS MOVING INTO NRN MARYLAND.

SATELLITE IMAGERY HAS SHOWN WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BACK BUILDING
LINE MOVING ACROSS PA THIS AM INTO EARLY AFTN.  BACK BUILDING
LINES TYPICALLY PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AND FORM IN ENVIRONMENTS
SIMILAR TO THOSE WHICH PRODUCE SUPERCELLS.  FORTUNATELY...THE
MOST ACTIVE PART OF THE BACK BUILDING LINE IS PRESENTLY MOVING
OVER NRN MARYLAND.

HOWEVER...A COLD FRONT AND A TONGUE OF WARM MOIST AIR WILL MOVE
OVER THE STATE.  ANOTHER LINE WILL LIKELY FORM AND MOVE WEST TO
EAST ACROSS THE STATE.  MOISTURE...CONV...AND LL AGEO WINDS/CONV
OF...SUGGEST MOST SVRE TSTMS WILL FORM THIS AFTN.  LOOKS LIKE
BEST CHC WILL BE OVER SRN PORTIONS OF STATE.  EXTREMELY HIGH DEW
POINT AIR MVG IN BEHIND WARM FRONT SUGGEST THAT TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.

COLD FRONT AND DRIER AIR WILL MOVE OVER THE STATE EARLY TONIGHT.
MODELS SHOW INC IN WRLY FLOW AND SHARP DEC IN RH BY 00 UTC OVER
WRN SECTIONS.  BY MIDNIGHT VSBY SHOULD BE QUITE GOOD OVER WRN
THIRD OF STATE AND IMPROVING OVER CNTRL.  ANY FOG BEHIND TSTMS
ACTIVITY IN ERN SECTIONS WILL DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT...FOG SHOULD
GONE BE WELL BEFORE SUNRISE IN MOST LOCATIONS.  SHOULD BE A NICE
START TO TUES AS COOLER DRIER AIR MOVES OVER REGION.  MOS SHUD BE
CLOSE TO MAX TEMPS TUES.

GRUMM

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 24, 2:06 PM EDT, 5 hours 53 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
205 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

TIME EDT   ...CITY LOCATION..........ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS
           ...COUNTY LOCATION........

0145 PM    5 S. GETTYSBURG           PA   WIND DAMAGE
06/24/96   ADAMS                          CHIMNEY BLOWN OVER
                                          TREES DOWN TOP OF
                                          SILO BLOWN OFF

DUNHAM
Local storm report, Jun 24, 3:45 PM EDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
345 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

TIME EDT   ...CITY LOCATION..........ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS
           ...COUNTY LOCATION........

0335 PM    JOHNSTOWN                 PA   WIND DAMAGE
06/24/96   CAMBRIA                        LARGE LIMBS DOWN
                                          WINDS TO 60 MPH.

DUNHAM
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 4:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 49 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056-057-059-063>066-250100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
405 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA AS WELL AS THE MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM FOR
THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...

THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
UNTIL 900 PM:

ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS... WARREN... MCKEAN... POTTER...
ELK AND CAMERON.

ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS...
CLEARFIELD... CENTRE... CLINTON....CAMBRIA AND SOMERSET.

ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS... BEDFORD... BLAIR...
FULTON... FRANKLIN... HUNTINGDON... MIFFLIN AND JUNIATA.

ACROSS THE MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY... TIOGA... LYCOMING...
SULLIVAN... UNION... SNYDER... MONTOUR... NORTHUMBERLAND AND
COLUMBIA.

THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF THE LOWER
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY UNTIL 700 PM:

PERRY... CUMBERLAND... DAUPHIN... LEBANON... ADAMS... YORK AND
LANCASTER.

A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL TRIGGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS... LARGE HAIL AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.  A
WARNING ON THE OTHER HAND MEANS SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURRING OR
IMMINENT.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JUNG
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 6:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056-057-059-063>066-250100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
600 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELED THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...

THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

WARREN... MCKEAN... POTTER... ELK... CAMERON... CLEARFIELD...
CENTRE... CLINTON....CAMBRIA... SOMERSET... BEDFORD... BLAIR...
FULTON... FRANKLIN... HUNTINGDON... MIFFLIN AND JUNIATA.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM
FOR THE MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

 TIOGA... LYCOMING... SULLIVAN... UNION... SNYDER... MONTOUR...
NORTHUMBERLAND AND COLUMBIA.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700
PM FOR THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

PERRY... CUMBERLAND... DAUPHIN... LEBANON... ADAMS... YORK AND
LANCASTER.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.  A
WARNING ON THE OTHER HAND MEANS SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURRING OR
IMMINENT.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JUNG
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 7:36 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
PAZ037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-250200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
728 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE MIDDLE
AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...

THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AS THEY MOVE
EAST OUT OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY REGION OF PENNSYLVANIA...
ENDING THE THREAT FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEAT"HER.

JUNG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 24, 12:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPFranklin, Fulton63 min
Jun 24, 12:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland63 min
Jun 24, 12:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford93 min
Jun 24, 12:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBedford93 min
Jun 24, 12:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, York69 min
Jun 24, 3:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCambria, Somerset70 min
Jun 24, 3:25 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPCambria50 min
Jun 24, 3:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBedford, Blair70 min
Jun 24, 3:54 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford, Blair, Cambria, Somerset4 hr
Jun 24, 4:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSomerset61 min
Jun 24, 4:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPFulton, Huntingdon60 min
Jun 24, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPFranklin67 min
Jun 24, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Cumberland63 min
Jun 24, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork66 min
Jun 24, 6:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland, Dauphin, Perry59 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996

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.