Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS State College, PA

January 8, 1998Adams County, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 8, 1998, 4:27 PM EST for Adams County, Cumberland 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, 4:27 PM EST (21:27 UTC)
Expired
Jan 8, 1998, 10:00 PM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adams County, PA, Cumberland County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 115 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, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 1998-01-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 55 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 1998-01-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 326 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
55 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
533 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
326 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 082128
FFWCTP
PAC001-027-035-037-041-043-067-071-075-081-087-093-097-099-107-
109-113-119-133-090330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
427 PM EST THU JAN 8 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED THE
* FLOOD WARNING FOR
  CLINTON COUNTY
  CENTRE COUNTY
  MIFFLIN COUNTY
  JUNIATA COUNTY
  LYCOMING COUNTY
  SULLIVAN COUNTY
  UNION COUNTY
  SNYDER COUNTY
  NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY
  MONTOUR COUNTY
  COLUMBIA COUNTY
  SCHUYLKILL COUNTY
  PERRY COUNTY
  CUMBERLAND COUNTY
  ADAMS COUNTY
  DAUPHIN COUNTY
  LEBANON COUNTY
  YORK COUNTY
  LANCASTER COUNTY

* UNTIL 10 PM EST

* RAINFALL CONTINUES OVER THE AREA...BUT WILL BEGIN TO WIND DOWN
  THIS EVENING. BETWEEN ADDITIONAL RAIN EXPECTED...AND RUNOFF FROM
  EARLIER HEAVY RAINS...STREAMS AND CREEKS CAN BE EXPECTED TO
  REMAIN HIGH WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING LIKELY.

NUMEROUS ROAD CLOSURES AND STREAMS RUNNING OUT OF THEIR BANKS HAVE
BEEN REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS.


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
Q~UICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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 Jan 8, 12:52 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 12:52 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1255 AM EST THU JAN 8 1998

...ZONE SUGGESTIONS...

PIT/PHL...CALL IF SIG. CHANGES PLANNED.  SEE BELOW FOR MY
2 CENTS WORTH.

...DISCUSSION...

MAIN AREA OF HEAVY RAIN OVER SE PA LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING NEG
TILT AND LIFTING OUT.  SOME HEAVY RAIN OVER SW NY...BUT MAY BE
SOME BRIGHT BANDING.  ALSO MOVING N OUT OF N PA.

ANOTHER AREA OF HEAVIER SHOWERS OVER SW PA...BUT MOVING FAIRLY
FAST.

THUS THE WORSE LOOKS LIKE IT IS OVER...THUS DID NOT GO TOO CRAZY
WITH NEW QPS.  MOST LIKELY WILL STILL NEED TO KEEP WATCHES UP
INTO THIS EVENING...BASED ON SPOTTY HEAVY RAIN...AND CURRENT
PATCH WORK OF WARNINGS...UNLESS ECHOES ON RADAR DRY UP AND
WARNINGS CAN DIE BY 4 PM.

MARTIN

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 8, 2:50 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-090400-

FLOOD STATEMENT - FLOOD WATCH/WARNINGS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
250 PM EST THU JAN 8 1998

...FLOOD WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT THIS EVENING FOR ALL
THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA...THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS...CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...
AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS OF PENNSYLVANIA...

FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE REGION.

OVERALL...BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS OCCURRED
SINCE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA.  SLIGHTLY HEAVIER
RAIN FELL ACROSS MCKEAN AND WARREN COUNTIES...AND SCHUYLKILL
COUNTIES WITH THESE AREAS GETTING CLOSE TO 3 INCHES IN SPOTS.

BANDS OF RAIN...SOME HEAVY...WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING.
THE HEAVY RAIN SHOULD TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST LATER THIS
EVENING.

MANY SMALL STREAMS ARE NEAR BANKFULL OR SLIGHTLY OVER...AND WILL
CONTINUE TO OVERSPILL THEIR BANKS IN SOME AREAS INTO THIS EVENING.

PERSONS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR
A WARNING IS ISSUED.

A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTRY
WILL KEEP SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE AREA INTO THIS EVENING.

LISTEN FOR LATER INFORMATION AND FORECAST ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO
...TV OR CABLE TV...OR YOUR FAVORIATE RADIO STATION.

IN ADDITION...AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE...REFER TO
RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFOMATION.

MARTIN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 7, 10:36 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPWarren7 hr
Jan 8, 2:42 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPSomerset6 hr
Jan 8, 5:55 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPWarren3 hr
Jan 8, 7:39 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, York66 min
Jan 8, 8:09 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPDauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill4 hr
Jan 8, 8:09 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPAdams, York4 hr
Jan 8, 8:09 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster4 hr
Jan 8, 8:50 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPWarren5 hr
Jan 8, 9:20 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPMcKean5 hr
Jan 8, 10:35 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCumberland, Franklin, Perry4 hr
Jan 8, 11:42 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPAdams, York4 hr
Jan 8, 11:42 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPDauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill4 hr
Jan 8, 12:04 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPPotter4 hr
Jan 8, 12:26 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPJuniata, Northumberland, Snyder4 hr
Jan 8, 12:26 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPColumbia, Montour4 hr
Jan 8, 12:26 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPUnion4 hr
Jan 8, 1:28 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Sullivan4 hr
Jan 8, 1:31 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPMcKean, Warren4 hr
Jan 8, 2:02 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford, Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon4 hr
Jan 8, 2:02 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCentre, Clinton4 hr
Jan 8, 2:02 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPMifflin4 hr
Jan 8, 2:42 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCumberland, Franklin, Perry4 hr
Jan 8, 3:36 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPDauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill6 hr
Jan 8, 3:36 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPAdams, York6 hr
Jan 8, 3:52 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPPotter6 hr
Jan 8, 4:17 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCameron6 hr
Jan 8, 4:27 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPDauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York6 hr
Jan 8, 4:27 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPCentre, Clinton, Mifflin, Union6 hr
Jan 8, 4:27 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPColumbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Perry and 2 more6 hr
Jan 8, 4:27 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPSullivan6 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.