Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996
Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 19, 1996, 11:01 PM EST for Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 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
- Mar 19, 1996, 11:01 PM EST (04:01 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 1996, 3:00 AM EST
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Bedford County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:00 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
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 144 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
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 570 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 231 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 156 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 200402 FFWCTP PAC009-200800- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1101 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 300 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...BEDFORD COUNTY SEVERAL ROADS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO BE FLOODED ACROSS BEDFORD COUNTY. WHILE THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...SOME RAIN WILL PERSIST OVERNIGHT. SOME ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS LIKELY. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS. IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING. MARTIN &
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 Mar 19, 8:34 PM EST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 19, 8:34 PM EST, 2 hours 27 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 835 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 SUGGESTIONS... WUD LET FFA EXPIRE.... PIT WILL CHECK BACK IF FLARE UP ON 88D. WUD LET HI WIND WRNG EXPIRE LWR SUS VLLY... WILL COVR IN NOWCTP. WUD KEEP HI WIND WRNG NRN 1/2 SUS VLLY. WIND ADVY WRN CTP ZONES. DSCN: ...WINDS... NOTICED TRANSVERSE BANDING OF THE PRECIP ECHOES RIPPLING ACRS ERN PA ATTM INDICATIVE OF SOME SORT OF GRAVITY WV/S. DEEPENING OF SFC LO OVR WV CUD BE FAVORING THESE GRAVITY WV LIKE FEATURES IN ERN PA. NOTICED VARYING WIND SPEEDS IN SUS VLLY KICKING UP TO AS HI AS 50 MPH IN SUS VLLY AT TIMES... THEN WINDS CALM BACK DOWN TO 20 MPH OR SO INDICATIVE OF THIS WV PHENOMENA. PRESFR AT IPT 2356Z... PRSJUMP REPORTED THEN PRESRR AT 0116Z AT IPT ALSO VERY INDICATIVE OF A GRAVITY WV. THINK GRVTY WV HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH STRG WINDS IPT/CXY AND MDT SO TUF CALL AS TO HI WIND WRNGS AND ADVY/S. LOOKS LIKE THE FURTHER E NGM/AVN SFC LO TRACK LOOKS BETTER THAN ETA/MESO-ETA SFC LO TRACK INTO WRN PA BY 12Z GIVEN BEST PRESSURE FALLS IN ERN PA/NJ. THUS WITH SFC LO TRACKING INTO SRN/ERN PA LATE TONIGHT... THINK WINDS WILL SUBSIDE SOME. WUD KEEP WIND ADVY INTO THE ERLY MORNING HOURS WRN CTP ZONES FOR GUSTS TO 40 MPH. WUD LET HI WIND WRNG EXPIRE LWR 1/2 SUS VLLY AND WE WILL COVER ANY STRGR WINDS IN NOWS FOR THESE AREAS. NRN 1/2 TUF CALL FWCIPT HAS VERY STRG WINDS. MIGHT WANT TO KEEP HI WIND WRNG GOING FOR A WHILE NRN SUS VLLY... FROM IPT N. SEE STRGR WINDS RETURNING BY WED EVE AS NWRLY CAA FLO SETS UP... BUT DON/T SEE TOO STRG WINDS WED MORN/AFTRN. MAYBE 15 TO 25 MPH MAX ALL ZONES WED (HIGHER IN WRN PA MTNS) AS PRES GRAD NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE AS WE ARE TOO CLOSE TO SFC LO. ...FLOODING THREAT... KCCX 88D SHOWS MESO-SCALE SHRT WV EMBEDDED INTO MOIST CONVEYOR BELT FEATURE N OF SFC LO. THIS MESO-SCALE WV WAS BRINGING HVY RAINS TO NRN MTNS WITHIN BROAD CONVEYOR OF RAINS ACRS CNTRL PA. WE HV ISSUED FFWS FOR SOME NRN MTNS COUNTIES. MODELS INDICATE THAT THE LOW-LVL WIND MAX/CONVEYOR BELT SUPPORTING THE RAINS IN PA WILL SLIDE N OF PA BY 06Z WITH ALL THE DEEP ASCENT GOING N OF BRDR BY THIS TIME TOO. THINK ONLY LIGHTER RAINS WILL BE LEFT OVERNGT AS UPR LO AND COLDER AIR WORKS INTO PA LATE TONIGHT. WUD LET FFA/S EXPIRE IN CNTY WRNG AREA. ...SNOW... UPR LO WORKS ACRS PA TONIGHT AND TEMPS WILL COOL ALOFT DOWN THRU THE 850 MB. SECONDARY S/W SNEAKS UNDERNEATH MAIN S/W WEDNESDAY THAT WILL BE N OF FA... THINK SOME PRECIP WILL SPREAD INTO PA WED. MODEL UVV/S ARE NOT THAT STRONG ALL DAY WED OR WED NGT SO I DON/T EXPECT TOO MUCH PRECIP. STATIC STABILITY WILL BE RATHER LO WED AS WARM SECLUSION SET-UPS NR SFC LO OVR PA UNDERNEATH COLD AIR ALOFT. THINK COLD ENUF AIR WILL WORK INTO WRN PA FOR SOME SNOW. MIX OF R/S NRN SUS VLLY AFTRN. BEST SHOT FOR SIG SNOWS NRN MTNS TO LAURELS. THINK A FEW HIER MTNS CUD SEE 4 TO 6 INCHES FROM UPSLOPE WED NGT. OTHERWISE... I THINK ACC WILL BE LIGHT WRN CTP ZONES. 1 TO 3 INCHES OR 2 TO 4 INCHES AT THE MOST. WINTER STORM WATCH MAY NOT BE A BAD IDEA IN CASE THINGS CHANGE A LOT NEXT RUN AND WUD LET MID SHIFT HNDL. ...LAKE SNOW OUTLOOK... TUE 10 PM THRU WED 7 AM...N WED 7 AM THRU WED 7 PM...N WED 7 PM THRU THU 7 AM...N NICOSIA
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 5:58 PM EST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>036-200400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- WINTER STORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 555 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...WINTER STORM WATCHES IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT... A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR MOST OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS... THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY IN WARREN COUNTY. AN INTENSE WINTER STORM CENTERED OVER WEST VIRGINIA TUESDAY EVENING WILL TRACK EAST INTO SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA WEDNESDAY MORNING. RAIN WILL FALL TONIGHT AHEAD OF THE STORM AS A STRONG FLOW OF WARM MOIST AIR FROM THE EAST MOVES ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA. AS THE STORM NEARS SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA... THE WIND WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH BRINGING COLDER AIR INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF PENNSYLVANIA LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL CAUSE THE RAIN TO CHANGE TO SNOW BEFORE DAWN FROM THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS TO LAUREL HIGHLANDS. THE RAIN WILL TURN TO SNOW ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW... POSSIBILY HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL CONTINUE IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA WEDNESDAY. THE SNOW WILL END IN WARREN COUNTY BEFORE NIGHTFALL WEDNESDAY BUT CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE REST OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS. TOTAL SNOWFALL FROM THIS STORM WILL RANGE BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. UP TO 10 INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS BY THE TIME THE SNOW ENDS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE HIGHEST OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL ON WEDNESDAY IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST FORECASTS AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WINTER STORM WARNINGS OR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES. TRAVEL COULD BECOME DIFFICULT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN THE WATCH AREA. NICOSIA/MACH
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 6:20 PM EST, 4 hours 41 minutes before
PAZ037-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-301800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- HIGH WIND WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 620 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT... A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF EASTERN AND EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA WHICH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF TIOGA... LYCOMING...SULLIVAN...SOUTHERN CLINTON...UNION...SNYDER... NORTHUMBERLAND...MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...PERRY...DAUPHIN... SCHUYLKILL...CUMBERLAND...ADAMS...YORK...LEBANON AND LANCASTER. EASTERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE REGION. AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER WEST VIRGINIA TUESDAY EVENING WILL TRACK EAST INTO SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONG EASTERLY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BUFFET MOST OF PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT. THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH FROM SOUTH TO NORTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOOSE OUTDOOR OBJECTS SHOULD BE SECURED ACROSS THE REGION. DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES NEED TO BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS DUE TO HIGH SPEED CROSS WINDS. CHRISTOE
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 6:30 PM EST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
PAZ037-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-301800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- HIGH WIND WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 620 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT... A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF EASTERN AND EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA WHICH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF TIOGA... LYCOMING...SULLIVAN...SOUTHERN CLINTON...UNION...SNYDER... NORTHUMBERLAND...MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...PERRY...DAUPHIN... SCHUYLKILL...CUMBERLAND...ADAMS...YORK...LEBANON AND LANCASTER. EASTERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE REGION. AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER WEST VIRGINIA TUESDAY EVENING WILL TRACK EAST INTO SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONG EASTERLY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BUFFET MOST OF PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT. THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH FROM SOUTH TO NORTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOOSE OUTDOOR OBJECTS SHOULD BE SECURED ACROSS THE REGION. DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES NEED TO BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS DUE TO HIGH SPEED CROSS WINDS. CHRISTOE
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 10:40 PM EST, 21 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201140- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - HIGH WIND WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1041 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...A HIGH WIND WARNING REMA
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 10:41 PM EST, 20 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-201140- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - HIGH WIND WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1041 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR PORTIONS OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA... ...THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT... THE WARNING INCLUDES LYCOMING...SULLIVAN...TIOGA...COLUMBIA...MONTOUR ...NORTHUMBERLAND...SNYDER...SOUTHERN CLINTON...UNION...AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES. STRONG WINDS ARE STILL POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...BUT WINDS SHOULD DIE DOWN SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...AS A COLD FRONT ROTATES AROUND A DEEP STORM OVER THE OHIO VALLEY...AND COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION. PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD BE ALEAR FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND SEEK SHELTER IF STRONG WINDS ARE OBSERVED. MARTIN WWUS46KCRW 1O^WWUS46 KCRW 200342 #
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 10:55 PM EST, 6 minutes before
PAZ004-005-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>035-045-201200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - STRONG WINDS/WINTER STORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1055 PM EST TUE MAR 19 1996 ...A HIGH WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR CAMBRIA AND SOMERSET COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... ...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN...CENTRAL ...AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS IN PENNSYLVANA... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AS WELL AS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS... STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...WHERE GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. IF STRONG WINDS ARE OBSERVED...SEEK SHELTER. SOME SNOW WILL MIX WITH THE RAIN OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS. LITTLE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED...EXCEPT ACROSS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...WHERE A FEW SPOTS MAY PICK UP 2 TO 3 INCHES. MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AS A DEEP STORM OVER THE OHIO VALLEY MOVES TO NEAR PENNSYLVANIA...AND COLD AIR WORKS IN. THE WATCH MEANS THAT THE POTENTIAL EXIST FOR AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOW. PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION SHOULD LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS. THE AMOUNT OF SNOW THAT FALLS AND WHERE IT FALLS...WILL BE VERY DEPENDENT ON THE STORM TRACK. MARTIN
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 7:39 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cameron, Elk | 4 hr |
| Mar 19, 9:55 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cambria | 5 hr |
| Mar 20, 8:57 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Huntingdon | 8 hr |
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.