Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998
Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 21, 1998, 3:43 AM EST for Franklin 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 21, 1998, 3:43 AM EST (08:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 21, 1998, 10:00 AM EST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Franklin County, PA
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:47 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, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 112 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 210843 FFWCTP PAC055-211500- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 343 AM EST SAT MAR 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 10 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ...FRANKLIN COUNTY FRANKLIN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED 15 TO 20 ROADS COUNTY-WIDE THAT ARE FLOODED AS OF 330 AM. SEVERAL OF THE SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS COUNTY-WIDE ARE SPILLING THEIR BANKS EARLY THIS MORNING AS WELL. EVEN THOUGH THE HEAVY RAIN HAS TAPERED TO A LIGHT RAIN... RUNOFF CONTINUES TO PUSH STREAMS AND CREEKS UPWARD. SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD CREST TOWARD SUNRISE. EXPECT FLOODING OF STREAMS AND CREEKS TO CONTINUE UNTIL MID-MORNING. ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS OVER... ADDITIONAL LIGHTER RAINFALL WILL ONLY AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING SITUATION. 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 21, 3:27 AM EST, 16 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 3:27 AM EST, 16 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 310 AM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...ALREADY COORD WITH PIT...PHL...BUF AND BGM CONCERNING EXPANDED WINT STM WARNINGS THROUGH THE CENTRAL COUNTIES AND LAURELS...ALONG WITH EXTENDED FLOOD WATCHES OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL COUNTIES THROUGH THIS MORNING... ...DISCUSSION... MAJOR EARLY SPRING SNOWSTORM IN THE WORKS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...FOLLOWING RATHER WIDESPREAD SMALL STREAM/POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING OVER PARTS OF SCENT PA THIS MORNING. 995 MB SFC LOW CURRENTLY JUMPING THE COOL AIR WEDGE EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS...AND REFORMING ALONG THE SE VIRGINIA COAST. UPR BLYR TEMPS PROGGED TO DROP RAPIDLY VIA DYNAMIC COOLING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON... AS UPPER LOW SLOWLY APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. IN THE MEANTIME...SHALLOW SUBFREEZING LAYER CONTINUES TO FILTER SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...LEADING TO A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN/SLEET THROUGH 12 TO 14Z. THE BLYR BECOMES COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT WET SNOW ACROSS ALL BUT THE LOWER SUSQ AND EXTREME SOUTHCENTRAL COUNTIES BY MID AFTERNOON. ETA APPEARS TO BEST HANDLE THIS RAPID TRANSITION TO A HEAVY WET SNOW WITH THE MESO ETA 950-900 MB WINDS A BIT TOO EASTERLY THROUGH 18Z (THUS LEADING TO A SOMEWHAT MILDER UPPER BLYR). AS HAS BEEN TYPICAL WITH PAST STORMS THIS WINTER...AND APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT MODEL DEFICIENCY WITH FULLY DEVELOPED EAST COAST STORMS... QPF/SNOWFALL IS HIGHLY UNDERESTIMATED OUTSIDE THE PRIMARY AREA OF WARM ADVECTION/ISENT LIFT IN THE LOW TO MID LEVELS. I LIKE THE MESO ETA'S DEPICTION AND ORIENTATION OF THE PRECIP SHIELD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND ERN COUNTIES OF OUR CWA...BUT WOULD STILL EXTEND THIS HIGHER QPF SHIELD APPROX 50 MILES FURTHER WEST WITHIN REGION OF STG MID/UPPER LVL DEFORMATION LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. PER CALLS TO PHL AND PIT WILL UP SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE MTNS N OF IPT TO MORE THAN 1 FOOT...AND GO WITH A GENERAL 6 TO 9 INCHES FURTHER SOUTH AND WEST INTO THE LAURELS. WILL GO WITH A WINT WEATHER ADVIS FOR THE LWR TERRAIN OF SCENT PA ...AND A FEW INCHES TWD DARK ACROSS THE LWR SUSQ. SOME OF THE PROJECTED ACCUMS ACROSS THE NCENT MTNS MAY EVEN BE ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE...CONSIDERING THE PERSISTENT DEEP EASTERLY FLOW OFF THE ATLANTIC THROUGH THE LATE NIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED TO SEE LOCAL 2 FT AMOUNTS IN SULLIVAN...TIOGA AND NRN LYCOMING COUNTIES OF OUR CWA BY SUNDAY MORNING. LAMBERT
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 10:00 PM EST, 5 hours 43 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, 5 hours 43 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 20, 11:29 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Adams | 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, 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.