Alert archive / Ohio / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 52, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

June 3, 1997Columbiana County, Ohio

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 3, 1997, 6:57 AM EDT for Columbiana County, Ohio. 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 3, 1997, 6:57 AM EDT (10:57 UTC)
Expired
Jun 3, 1997, 10:00 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Columbiana County, OH

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:01 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, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 70 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1997-06-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1997-06-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-122 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
611 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
32 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 KPIT 031055
FFWPIT
OHC029-031400-
 
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
657 AM EDT TUE JUN 3 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 AM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL OHIO
 
   ...COLUMBIANA COUNTY
 
A NEARLY STATIONARY AREA OF SHOWERS HAS RESULTED IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS
OVER PARTS OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY.
 
AT 645 AM EDT...WEATHER RADAR IN PITTSBURGH SHOWED A NEARLY STATIONARY
AREA OF RAIN OVER WESTERN COLUMBIANA COUNTY.  RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE
THAT THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS OCCURRED ON SANDY CREEK...EAST OF MINERVA AND
ALONG CONSER RUN...NEAR EAST ROCHESTER.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. N DO NOT ATTEMPT
TO CROSS BRIDGES OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY
TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.
 
PM

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

Local storm report, Jun 3, 12:59 AM EDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1252 AM EDT MON JUN 02 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1220 AM    LEWISVILLE                OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   MONROE                         STATE ROUTE 78 CLOSED.

1220 AM    GRAYSVILLE                OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   MONROE                         STATE ROUTE 26 CLOSED.

1220 AM    RINARD MILLS              OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   MONROE                         STATE ROUTE 26 CLOSED.

1228 AM    CARLISLE                  OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   NOBLE                          INTERSECTION OF RTES 724
                                          AND 260 CLOSED.

1228 AM    AVA                       OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   NOBLE                          STATE ROUTE 821 AND COUNTY
                 H                         ROAD 12 CLOSED.

1228 AM    CALDWELL                  OH   FLOODING
06/03/97   NOBLE                          STATE ROUTE 215 CLOSED
                                          NEAR BELLE VALLEY.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:55 AM EDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-032045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
555 AM EDT TUE JUN 3 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS UNLIKELY TODAY BUT RAINS HEAVY ENOUGH FOR
FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS UNLIKELY TODAY.  HOWEVER...THE
ATMOSPHERE IS STILL VERY MOIST AND MAY LEAD TO SHOWERS WITH LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL.

THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY LOCALIZED RAINFALL IS GREATEST ACROSS SOUTHERN
PENNSYLVANIA...EASTERN OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...AND GARRETT
COUNTY MARYLAND.  IF HEAVY RAINS FOCUS OVER THESE AREAS TODAY...FLOODING
COULD RESULT.

THREE DAY RAINFALL TOTALS HAVE EXCEEDED TWO INCHES OVER MANY AREAS SOUTH
OF INTERSTATE 70.  SOIL CONDITIONS ARE SATURATED IN THIS REGION AND ANY
PROLONGED PERIOD OF RAIN TODAY COULD RESULT IN FLOODING.  POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS WILL FLOOD IF MORE THAN SIX TENTHS /0.60/ OF AN
INCH OF RAIN FALLS IN ONE HOUR...ONE AND A QUARTER INCHES /1.25/ IN
THREE HOURS...OR TWO INCHES /2.00/ IN LESS THAN 6 HOURS.

EASTERLY WINDS OFF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN CONTINUE TO PUMP MOISTURE UP AND
OVER THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.  THE MOUNTAINS ARE HELPING TO LIFT THIS
MOISTURE INTO AREAS OF RAIN SHOWERS.  MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS HAVE
BEEN VERY SLOW...RESULTING IN AREAS OF PERSISTENT HEAVY RAINFALL.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATER TODAY IF THE HEAVY RAINS
DEVELOP.

MANUEL
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:56 AM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-032045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
555 AM EDT TUE JUN 3 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS UNLIKELY TODAY BUT RAINS HEAVY ENOUGH FOR
FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS UNLIKELY TODAY.  HOWEVER...THE
ATMOSPHERE IS STILL VERY MOIST AND MAY LEAD TO SHOWERS WITH LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL.

THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY LOCALIZED RAINFALL IS GREATEST ACROSS SOUTHERN
PENNSYLVANIA...EASTERN OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...AND GARRETT
COUNTY MARYLAND.  IF HEAVY RAINS FOCUS OVER THESE AREAS TODAY...FLOODING
COULD RESULT.

THREE DAY RAINFALL TOTALS HAVE EXCEEDED TWO INCHES OVER MANY AREAS SOUTH
OF INTERSTATE 70.  SOIL CONDITIONS ARE SATURATED IN THIS REGION AND ANY
PROLONGED PERIOD OF RAIN TODAY COULD RESULT IN FLOODING.  POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS WILL FLOOD IF MORE THAN SIX TENTHS /0.60/ OF AN
INCH OF RAIN FALLS IN ONE HOUR...ONE AND A QUARTER INCHES /1.25/ IN
THREE HOURS...OR TWO INCHES /2.00/ IN LESS THAN 6 HOURS.

EASTERLY WINDS OFF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN CONTINUE TO PUMP MOISTURE UP AND
OVER THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.  THE MOUNTAINS ARE HELPING TO LIFT THIS
MOISTURE INTO AREAS OF RAIN SHOWERS.  MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS HAVE
BEEN VERY SLOW...RESULTING IN AREAS OF PERSISTENT HEAVY RAINFALL.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATER TODAY IF THE HEAVY RAINS
DEVELOP.

MANUEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 10:00 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZCoshocton23 hr
Jun 3, 2:00 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZMonroe, Noble8 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Ohio, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.