Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 35, NWS State College, PA

January 9, 1998Lycoming County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 9, 1998, 11:00 AM EST for Lycoming County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. 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
Jan 9, 1998, 11:00 AM EST (16:00 UTC)
Expired
Jan 9, 1998, 2:00 PM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lycoming County, PA, Sullivan County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:03 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

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 222 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 1998-01-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 309 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 1998-01-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
309 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
799 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
167 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCTP 091601
FFWCTP
PAC081-113-091900-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1100 AM EST FRI JAN 9 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED
A FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  200 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...LYCOMING COUNTY...SULLIVAN COUNTY
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED THE FLOOD WARNING FOR
SULLIVAN AND LYCOMING COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
 
BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTHWARD
ACROSS THE REGION.  EASTERN LYCOMING AND SULLIVAN COUNIES
RECEIVED VERY HEAVY RAIN SINCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN SOME CREEKS OVERSPILLING
THEIR BANKS.
 
MOST OF THE HEAVY RAIN SHOULD TAPER OFF BY EARLY AFTERNOON.
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE 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.
 
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 Jan 9, 9:05 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 9, 9:05 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
905 AM EST FRI JAN 9 1998

...DISCUSSION...

LOOKS LIKE SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY INTO EARLY TO MID AFT.  WORSE OF
THE STORMS ARE OUT OF THE AREA.  CAN DROP FLOOD WATCH FOR NW PA.

MAY BE SOME CLEARING FROM S TO N BY LATE AFT...BUT WILL LOOK AT
NEW INFO THIS AFT.

MARTIN

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 9, 7:25 AM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
725 AM EST FRI JAN 9 1998

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

355 AM     5 MI SW CARLISLE          PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   CUMBERLAND                     TREES DOWN

420 AM     DILLSBURG                 PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   YORK                           TREES DOWN

433 AM     MIDDLETOWN AIRPORT        PA   TSTM WIND GUST 60 MPH(52 KTS)
01/09/98   DAUPHIN

500 AM     LICKDALE                  PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   LEBANON                        TREE DOWN

NICOSIA
Local storm report, Jan 9, 7:25 AM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
725 AM EST FRI JAN 9 1998

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

355 AM     5 MI SW CARLISLE          PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   CUMBERLAND                     TREES DOWN

420 AM     DILLSBURG                 PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   YORK                           TREES DOWN

433 AM     MIDDLETOWN AIRPORT        PA   TSTM WIND GUST 60 MPH(52 KTS)
01/09/98   DAUPHIN

500 AM     LICKDALE                  PA   TSTM WIND DAMAGE
01/09/98   LEBANON                        TREE DOWN

NICOSIA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 8, 10:01 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Union6 hr
Jan 9, 2:42 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPWarren6 hr
Jan 9, 3:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Cumberland55 min
Jan 9, 4:17 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, York63 min
Jan 9, 4:44 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLebanon, Schuylkill61 min
Jan 9, 4:44 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPNorthumberland61 min
Jan 9, 5:26 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Sullivan6 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.