Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998
Flash Flood Warning 43, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 1998, 11:29 PM EST for Adams 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
- Mar 20, 1998, 11:29 PM EST (04:29 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 21, 1998, 5:30 AM EST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Adams County, PA
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:32 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
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 104 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
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 448 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 255 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 420 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 210430 FFWCTP PAC001-041-099-211030- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1129 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ...PERRY COUNTY ...CUMBERLAND COUNTY ...ADAMS COUNTY DOPPLER RADARS FROM STATE COLLEGE PA AND STERLING VA SHOW A LARGE BAND OF HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS CUMBERLAND... PERRY AND ADAMS COUNTIES. THE BAND OF HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDED SOUTH WELL INTO VIRGINIA AND CONTINUES TO MOVE DUE NORTH. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS FOCUSING OVER THE RIDGES. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND 2 INCHES LIKELY WILL OCCUR OVERNIGHT IN THE WARNING AREA. RUNOFF FROM THE HEAVY RAIN LIKELY WILL CAUSE STREAMS AND CREEKS TO SPILL THEIR BANKS... ESPECIALLY NEAR STEEP TERRAIN. LOW-LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS ALSO WILL SEE FLOODING OVERNIGHT. THE RAIN SHOULD TAPER OFF IN INTENSITY AFTER 3 AM. STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD CREST TOWARD DAWN. 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
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 20, 9:15 PM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 9:15 PM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 915 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...WORK ZONES SENT TO PHL/PIT VIA ADMCTP AT 900 PM... ...DISCUSSION... SAT LOOPS SHOW UPPER LOW SPINNING EAST ACROSS KY. SFC LOW IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER NC. COLD AIR IS OOZING SOUTH FROM NY STATE...WITH ELM REPORTING ZR-. ALL THE INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR A MAJOR STORM ACROSS CENTRAL PA THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. ALL MODELS...NGM/ETA/MESO-ETA/AVN SHOW BASICALLY THE SAME TRACK WITH THE SFC AND UPR LOWS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...TAKING THE UPPER LOW ACROSS MD TO NJ BY SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH THE SFC LOW TRACKING TO CHESAPEKE BAY BY SATURDAY EVE. THE NGM IS THE WARMEST IN THE LOW-LVLS...BUT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE RESOLVING THE SHALLOW COLD AIR ALREADY PRESENT IN NY STATE. THE ETA AND ESPECIALLY THE MESO-ETA ARE COLDER...BUT EVEN THEY DO NOT SEEM COLD ENOUGH OVER NY STATE... WHICH WILL BE OUR SOURCE OF COLD AIR WITH THIS EVENT. FIRST...THE FLOODING. RADAR LOOPS SHOW MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN TRAINING NORTH TOWARD S CNTRL PA. OBVIOUSLY THE FLOOD WATCH WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE SOUTH AND WE MAY HAVE TO START ISSUING WARNINGS IF THE TRAINING DOES NOT END. THE TRAINING ECHOES LINE UP WELL WITH THE UPPER FLOW FROM THE SOUTH...SO TRAINING IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE. LDS SHOWS LIGHTNING STRIKES UP TO THE PA BORDER ACRS THE LOWER SUSQ...THE AFTERNOON FORECAST SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A GREAT HANDLE ON THAT AND WILL LEAVE MENTION OF THUNDER GOING FOR THE SOUTH. WITH FREEZING RAIN ALREADY AT ELM AND COLD AIR SLOWLY TRACKING SOUTH MIXED FREEZING PRECIP WILL BE STARTING SOON ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES. THEREFORE WILL GO WITH A WARNING FOR THE NORTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES AS BAD WX WILL BE STARTING IN THE FIRST PD. ETA/MESO ETA MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE TOO WARM IN THE BOUNDARY LYR ACROSS SRN NY ATTM...BUT EVEN THOSE MODELS WOULD CHANGE PRECIP TO ALL SNOW AROUND 12Z ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES...WITH SNOW AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. AMOUNTS COULD ACTUALLY BE GREATER THAN THAT AS SNOW IS PROGGED TO LINGER THROUGH ALL OF SATURDAY NIGHT. FARTHER SOUTH WILL EXTEND THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR SATURDAY TO THE LAURELS AND TO BLAIR AND BEDFORD COUNTIES...AS MESO-ETA SOUNDINGS INDICATE A CHANGE-OVER BY EARLY AFTERNOON...AND AGAIN THE MESO-ETA IS CURRENTLY RUNNING TOO WARM ACROSS SOUTHERN NY. ALSO WILL EXTEND THE WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AS WORST CONDITIONS MAY BE THEN AS SNOW BEGINS TO WIND DOWN BUT COLDER BNDRY TEMPS WILL ALLOW FOR GOOD ACCUMULATIONS EVEN ON ROADS. WILL KEEP FORECASTS OF LIGHTER SNOW IN THE LOWER COUNTIES EAST OF BLAIR CO. MSE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 10:00 PM EST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024-025-033-034-037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-058-211035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- WINTER STORM WARNING/WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1000 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR SATURDAY... AND THE WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO SATURDAY NIGHT... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY NIGHT... WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...WARREN...MCKEAN...POTTER... TIOGA...ELK...CAMERON...NORTHERN CLINTON...NORTHERN LYCOMING... AND SULLIVAN. WINTER STORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE...SOUTHERN CLINTON...SOUTHERN LYCOMING...UNION...SNYDER...NORTHUMBERLAND... MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...AND SCHUYLKILL. WINTER STORM WATCHES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...BLAIR...CAMBRIA... AND SOMERSET. A STORM DEVELOPING ALONG OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES TONIGHT WILL TRACK TO EASTERN MARYLAND BY SATURDAY NIGHT. OVER THE WARNING AREA...INCLUDING NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... RAIN WILL CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET TONIGHT...THEN TO HEAVY SNOW EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO A FOOT CAN BE EXPECTED BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH EVEN MORE POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN THE WATCH AREA...INCLUDING MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... PERIODS OF RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW ON SATURDAY. THE CHANGE-OVER WILL OCCUR BEFORE NOON ALONG I-80...AND DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON SOUTH TO THE ALTOONA AND JOHNSTOWN AREAS. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES INTO SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH AROUND 6 INCHES NEAR I-80... AND 3 TO 6 INCHES NEAR ALTOONA AND JOHNSTOWN. AGAIN...HIGHER ELEVATIONS MAY RECEIVE EVEN HEAVIER AMOUNTS. THIS HEAVY WET SNOWFALL MAY BRING DOWN TREE LIMBS...AND COULD ALSO CAUSE POWER OUTAGES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS...ADVISORIES...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THIS UPCOMING BOUT OF WINTER WEATHER. SIMILAR INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED VIA THE STATE COLLEGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT HTTP://IWIM/NWS.NOAA.GOV/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML MSE
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 10:00 PM EST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024-025-033-034-037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-058-211035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- WINTER STORM WARNING/WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1000 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR SATURDAY... AND THE WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO SATURDAY NIGHT... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY NIGHT... WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...WARREN...MCKEAN...POTTER... TIOGA...ELK...CAMERON...NORTHERN CLINTON...NORTHERN LYCOMING... AND SULLIVAN. WINTER STORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE...SOUTHERN CLINTON...SOUTHERN LYCOMING...UNION...SNYDER...NORTHUMBERLAND... MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...AND SCHUYLKILL. WINTER STORM WATCHES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...BLAIR...CAMBRIA... AND SOMERSET. A STORM DEVELOPING ALONG OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES TONIGHT WILL TRACK TO EASTERN MARYLAND BY SATURDAY NIGHT. OVER THE WARNING AREA...INCLUDING NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... RAIN WILL CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET TONIGHT...THEN TO HEAVY SNOW EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO A FOOT CAN BE EXPECTED BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH EVEN MORE POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN THE WATCH AREA...INCLUDING MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... PERIODS OF RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW ON SATURDAY. THE CHANGE-OVER WILL OCCUR BEFORE NOON ALONG I-80...AND DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON SOUTH TO THE ALTOONA AND JOHNSTOWN AREAS. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES INTO SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH AROUND 6 INCHES NEAR I-80... AND 3 TO 6 INCHES NEAR ALTOONA AND JOHNSTOWN. AGAIN...HIGHER ELEVATIONS MAY RECEIVE EVEN HEAVIER AMOUNTS. THIS HEAVY WET SNOWFALL MAY BRING DOWN TREE LIMBS...AND COULD ALSO CAUSE POWER OUTAGES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS...ADVISORIES...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THIS UPCOMING BOUT OF WINTER WEATHER. SIMILAR INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED VIA THE STATE COLLEGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT HTTP://IWIM/NWS.NOAA.GOV/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML MSE
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 9:54 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Franklin | 6 hr |
| Mar 20, 11:29 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Perry | 6 hr |
| Mar 21, 12:28 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Juniata, Snyder | 6 hr |
| Mar 21, 3:14 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lancaster, York | 6 hr |
| Mar 21, 3:43 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Franklin | 6 hr |
| Mar 21, 4:48 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Juniata, Perry, Snyder | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 4:48 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams, Cumberland | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 9:40 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Perry, York | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 9:40 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 9:53 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Perry, York | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 9:53 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 5 hr |
| Mar 21, 11:42 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Franklin | 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.