Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 161, NWS State College, PA

September 7, 1996Somerset County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 7, 1996, 1:45 AM EDT for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 6 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: Sep 7, 1996, 1:45 AM EDT (05:45 UTC)
Expired: Sep 7, 1996, 8:00 AM EDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Whole counties

County Somerset County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 103 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 585 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 164 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 333 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 070553
FFWCTP
PAC009-013-055-057-061-111-071200-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
145 AM EDT SAT SEP 7 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  8 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...BEDFORD COUNTY...BLAIR COUNTY...FRANKLIN COUNTY
   ...FULTON COUNTY...HUNTINGDON COUNTY...SOMERSET COUNTY
 
STREAMS AND CREEKS ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF PENNSYLVANIA
CONTINUE TO RISE AS REPORTED BY COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS.
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL REMAIN A SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEM IN THE WARNED AREA.
 
THE TUSCARORA... AUGHWICK... AND BLACK LOG CREEKS IN HUNTINGDON COUNTY
AND THE CASSELMAN RIVER IN SOMERSET COUNTY ALL WILL CONTINUE TO RISE
OVERNIGHT AND FLOODING WILL REMAIN A PROBLEM NEAR THESE CREEKS AND SMALL
RIVERS.
 
MOST OF THE STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD CREST TOWARD SUNRISE AND
RECEDE SATURDAY MORNING.
 
RAINFALL ON THE ORDER OF 2 TO 6 INCHES FROM THE REMNANTS OF FRAN HAS
RESULTED IN THE FLOODING THAT IS BEING OBSERVED IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS.
 
PERSONS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD ACT QUICKLY.
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING 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.
 
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 Sep 6, 9:12 PM EDT, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 6, 9:12 PM EDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
910 PM EDT FRI SEP 6 1996

LATEST SFC ANALYSIS PUTS THE SURFACE LOW OVER EXTREME WRN MD NEAR
THE PA BORDER SOUTH OF JST AT 9 PM.  RADAR SHOWS A STRONG FEEDER
BAND FROM THE MOUTH OF CHESAPEAKE BAY TO CENTRE COUNTY IN PA.  THIS
FEEDER BAND HAS DUMPED AS MUCH AS 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN ONE HOUR OVER
MANY LOCATIONS IN PA BENEATH THE BAND.  THE KCCX RADAR SHOWS
NUMEROUS ROTATION CENTERS ALONG THIS BAND.  UNTIL THIS BAND LIFTS
OUT OF PA...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOCAL SEVERE WX IS LIKELY AT
SOME LOCATIONS ALONG THIS BAND.  THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A TORNADO
ALONG THIS BAND IN ERN HUNTINGDON COUNTY AROUND 830 PM NEAR MC
ALEVYS FORT....NO DAMAGE OR CONFIRMATION YET.

THIS BAND WILL SLOWLY LIFT NEWD.  HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY OVER THE LWR
SUSQ VALLEY NWD ACROSS THE MIDDLE SUSQ AND INTO THE NRN MTS.
SIMILAR BANDS HAVE PRODUCED FLOODING ALONG THE MD BORDER EARLIER
THIS EVENING.

AS THE LOW MOVE NWD AREAS OF SRN PA WILL GO TO MORE SCT SHWR
ACTIVITY.  THERE APPEARS TO BE VERY LITTLE HEAVY RAFL S OF THE LOW
CENTER.

SAT WILL BE A SHWRY DAY AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE SLOWLY NWD.

GOT TO GO...THANKS TO BGM...PIT...PHL FOR RADAR RAFL EST ETC THESE
EVENING.
GRUMM

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 6, 9:34 PM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
0930 PM  FRI SEP 6 1996

TIME(   )  ...CITY LOCATION..........ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS
           ...COUNTY LOCATION........

1200 PM    7SW MEYERSDALE            PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   SOMERSET                       TREES DOWN ON MT.
                                          DAVIS

1240 PM    2E OGLETOWN               PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   BEDFORD                        TREES DOWN ALONG RT 56
                                          NEAR COUNTY LINE

0315 PM    CONFLUENCE                PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   SOMERSET                       TREES DOWN

0330 PM    LORETTO                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   CAMBRIA                        TREES DOWN

0330 PM    5S CENTERVILLE            PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   BEDFORD                        TREES DOWN IN LAKE
                                          GORDON DAM AREA

0520 PM    JOHNSTOWN                 PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   CAMBRIA                        TREES DOWN THROUGHOUT
                                          COUNTY

0630 PM    SHADE GAP                 PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     SHADE CREEK FLOODING
                                          ONTO RT 522...CARS
                                          STRANDED IN HIGH
                                          WATER...3.6 INCHES
                                          RAIN SO FAR

0630 PM    GREENWOOD FURNACE         PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     TREE DOWN ON CAR IN
                                          JACKSON TWP...14 TOWNS
                                          WITH TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN

0630 PM    UPPER STRASBURG           PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   FRANKLIN                       NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED
                                          IN NRN FRANKLIN CO

0630 PM    ORBISONIA                 PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     FLOODING ALONG RT 522

0630 PM    ROUZERVILLE               PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   FRANKLIN                       FLOODING ALONG RED RUN
                                          CREEK E OF WAYNESBORO

0630 PM    5S MCALVEYS FORT          PA   WIND DAMAGE
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     TREES DOWN IN MILLER
                                          TWP...FIREFIGHTER INJ

0645 PM    BEAVERTOWN                PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     STATE OF EMERGENCY IN
                                          TODD TWP...ROADS
                                          CLOSED...REPORTS OF
                                          6-7 INCHES OF RAIN

0645 PM    GETTYSBURG                PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   ADAMS                          ROADS AND BRIDGES
                                          FLOODED

0700 PM    MEYERSDALE                PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   SOMERSET                       WATER OVER RT 219...4
                                          INCHES RAIN THROUGH
                                          7PM

0800 PM    RICHVALE                  PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     ROADS FLOODED IN TELL
                                          TWP

0800 PM    BEDFORD                   PA   FLASH FLOOD
09/06/96   BEDFORD                        NUMEROUS ROADS CLOSED
                                          THROUGHOUT COUNTY

0830 PM    MCALEVYS FORT8             PA   TORNADO
09/06/96   HUNTINGDON                     POSSIBLE TORNADO
                                          REPORTED

WIDENOR

Special weather statement, Sep 7, 12:45 AM EDT, 1 hour before

PAZ049-050-056-063-071000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- HIGH WIND WARNING CANCELLATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1240 AM EDT SAT SEP 7 1996

...HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THE HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR UNION... SNYDER
... CUMBERLAND AND PERRY COUNTIES. THE THREAT OF HIGH WINDS IN THESE
COUNTIES IS OVER. WINDS WILL AVERAGE AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS IN THESE COUNTIES.

NICOSIA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 6, 8:45 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Cambria, Clearfield	4 hr
Sep 6, 8:45 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Centre	4 hr
Sep 6, 9:36 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Perry, Snyder	6 hr
Sep 6, 9:36 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Adams, York	6 hr
Sep 6, 9:36 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Huntingdon, Mifflin	6 hr
Sep 6, 10:02 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Bedford, Franklin, Fulton	4 hr
Sep 6, 10:02 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Somerset	4 hr
Sep 6, 10:02 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Blair	4 hr
Sep 6, 11:31 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Clinton, Union	4 hr
Sep 7, 12:31 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Centre	5 hr
Sep 7, 1:45 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Bedford, Blair, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon	6 hr
Sep 7, 3:45 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Juniata, Mifflin, Perry	4 hr
Sep 7, 3:45 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Cumberland	4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1996 Every 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.