Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998
Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 8, 1998, 2:42 AM EST 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
- Jan 8, 1998, 2:42 AM EST (07:42 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 8, 1998, 8:40 AM EST
- 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, 7.7 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 13 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -18 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 549 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 293 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 306 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 080743 FFWCTP PAC111-081340- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 242 AM EST THU JAN 8 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WARNING FOR SOMERSET COUNTY * UNTIL 840 AM EST * FLOODING EXPECTED AROUND- BENS CREEK... STONYCREEK AND OTHER SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE COUNTY. * HEAVY RAIN WAS MOVING NORTHEAST INTO SOMERSET COUNTY. THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE FOR THE BALANCE OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AROUND 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN AND AREA STREAMS WERE RUNNING HIGH. THIS ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING. IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS... MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER COVERING THE ROAD. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. NICOSIA/ONDREJIK
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 8, 2:28 AM EST, 14 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 2:28 AM EST, 14 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 228 AM EST THU JAN 8 1998 ...ZONE SUGGESTIONS... ...PIT EXTEND FLOOD WATCH TO COVER EASTERN COUNTIES INCLUDING BEDFORD, FULTON, FRANKLIN, HUNTINGDON, MIFFLIN AND JUNIATA. ...PHL CONSIDER EXTENDING FLOOD WATCH FOR HAR AREA AND SOUTH. ...DISCUSSION... LARGE AREA OF RAIN OVER NORTHERN PA MOVING STEADILY NORTH. AREAS IN SW PA ALREADY OUT OF PRECIP AREA. CENT/SOUTH-CENT PA COULD BE TROUBLE SPOT AS LARGE AREA OF PRECIP EXTENDS FROM MD PANHANDLE SOUTH ALONG APP MTS THRU WESTERN NC TO FL PANHANDLE. AREA MOVING NORTH WITH SLIGHT EAST MOVEMENT. NEW PRELIM 94Q OUT AND HPC SHOWING A 2 SWATH FROM LAUREL HIGHLANDS TO CENTRAL PA. RADAR DOING POOR JOB OF ESTIMATING PRECIP MAY HAVE TO DO WITH TROPICAL ORIGIN OF MOISTURE SUPPLY. WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT TROPICAL Z/R WOULD HAVE PRODUCED FOR PRECIP TOTALS. HAVE REPORTS OF OVER AN INCH TOTAL IN IPT AREA SINCE BEGINNING OF RAIN. IFLOWS RPTS HAVE AREAS IN CLEARFIELD, CENTRE, CAMBRIA, AND MCKEAN OVER 1.5 TOTAL. THESE AREAS ARE APPROACHING FFG FOR 6 AND 12 HR. ENHANCED PRECIP NORTH OF PIT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN TIER OF PA WHERE ALREADY HAD SOME REPORTS OF MINOR FLOODING (WARREN CO HAD 1 ROAD CLOSED). CONTINUED FLOW FROM SOUTH WITH DWPTS IN MID 50S WEST PA AND LOW 60S IN SOUTH-CENT PA AND MD...AMAZING. NGM SHOWS 50-60KT 850 JET INTO SOUTHERN PA BY 12Z TO KEEP PRECIP GOING. NICE UPPER JET LIFTING NORTH OF GREAT LAKES AND COUPLED WITH WEAKER JET ALIGNED ALONG SPINE OF APP. MTNS. MODELS AGAIN DIFFER ON TRACK OF LOW WITH MOST LIKELY SCENARIO BEING THE AVN/NGM. AFTER DAYBREAK, JET STRUCTURE BEGINS TO MOVE EASTWARD, AND HOPEFULLY WILL MOVE HEAVIEST RAINFALL EAST PRODUCING A MORE SHOWERY TYPE OF PRECIP OVER CENT PA. ONDREJIK
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 10:36 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Warren | 7 hr |
| Jan 8, 5:55 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Warren | 3 hr |
| Jan 8, 7:39 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams, York | 66 min |
| Jan 8, 8:09 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 8:09 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams, York | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 8:09 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 8:50 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Warren | 5 hr |
| Jan 8, 9:20 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | McKean | 5 hr |
| Jan 8, 10:35 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Franklin, Perry | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 11:42 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams, York | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 11:42 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 12:04 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Potter | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 12:26 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Juniata, Northumberland, Snyder | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 12:26 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Columbia, Montour | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 12:26 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Union | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 1:28 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Sullivan | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 1:31 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | McKean, Warren | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 2:02 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Bedford, Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 2:02 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Centre, Clinton | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 2:02 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Mifflin | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 2:42 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Franklin, Perry | 4 hr |
| Jan 8, 3:36 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 3:36 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams, York | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 3:52 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Potter | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:17 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cameron | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:27 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:27 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Union | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:27 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Perry and 2 more | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:27 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Sullivan | 6 hr |
| Jan 8, 4:27 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams, Cumberland | 6 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998
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.