Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 1999

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS State College, PA

January 18, 1999Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 18, 1999, 7:10 PM EST for Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 5 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 18, 1999, 7:10 PM EST (00:10 UTC)
Expired
Jan 19, 1999, 12:00 AM EST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lancaster County, PA, Lebanon County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 266 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 1999-01-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 1999-01-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -306 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-306 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-150 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 190010
FFWCTP
PAC071-075-190510-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
710 PM EST MON JAN 18 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONTINUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LEBANON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
  LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

* UNTIL 1200 AM EST.

* AT 700 PM MOST OF THE RAIN HAD ENDED ACROSS THE
  LOWER SUSQUEHENNA VALLEY OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
  HOWEVER...EMERGENCY OFFICIALS INDICATE THAT FLOODING
  PROBLEMS WERE CONTINUING ON MANY ROADWAYS. AUTOMATED
  STREAM GAGES IN LANCASTER COUNTY INDICATED THAT MANY
  SMALL STREAMS WERE OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

* NOTHING MORE THAN A FEW SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS A2RE
  EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE NIGHT. CONDITIONS WILL
  GRADUALLY IMPROVE OVERNIGHT.

IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS...DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER COVERING
THE ROAD.

.END/MSE



&

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 18, 3:30 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 3:30 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
330 PM EST MON JAN 18 1999

...WORK ZONES OUT AT 245 AS PHLADMCTP...
...ZONES OUT BY 4 PM AS PHLZFPCTP...

CDFRNT WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY THIS EVENING TAKING THE HEAVY
RAIN WITH IT. HOWEVER...WILL KEEP THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH GOING
THROUGH THE EVENING IN LOWER SUSQ VALL...WHERE FLOODING IS PRESENTLY
OCCURRING.

TONIGHT...AS UPPER LOW PASSES TO OUR NORTH...WRAP AROUND MOISTURE
WILL ASCEND THE APPALACHIANS RESULTING IN SNOW SHOWERS FROM THE NW
MTNS SOUTHWARD THRU THE LAURELS. LATEST RUC SUGGESTS POSSIBLE
ADDITIONAL ACCUMS AROUND 1 INCH. TO THE EAST...DRY SLOT CURRENTLY
ENTERING W PA...WILL CLEAR THINGS OUT RAPIDLY IN THE SUSQ VALL THIS
EVENING. FOR THE RIDGE/VALLEY REGION...WILL USE VARIABLY CLDY
OVERNIGHT WITH SCT FLURRIES.

TUESDAY...SOUNDINGS SHOW INVERSIONS LOWERING AS COLD POOL LIFTS OUT
OF THE AREA. UPSLOPE CLOUDINESS AND FLURRIES OVER THE N AND W MTNS
WILL ERODE TO MSUNNY SKIES BY AFTN. ELSEWHERE...SOUNDINGS SUPPORT
MSUNNY FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY.  HOURLY ETA 2-METER TEMPS FRM PSU
SUGGEST AFTN HIGHS FM THE M 30S NW MTNS TO THE M 40S LOWER SUSQ.

WK DISTURBANCES IN ZONAL FLOW THEN PROGGED TO AFFECT THE AREA LATE
TUES NITE AND WEDNESDAY. MODEL CONSENSUS WUD PLACE S PA IN LINE FOR
THE CHANCE OF SOME LIGHT SNOW OR RAIN TUES NITE AND WED.

.CTP...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MIDNIGHT FOR THE SUSQ VALLEY.

FITZGERALD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 18, 5:10 PM EST, 2 hours before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
610 PM EDT MON JAN 18 1999

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

1250 PM    WESTMONT                  PA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
01/18/99   CAMBRIA                        LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
                                          DOWN

0110 PM    COLVER                    PA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
01/18/99   CAMBRIA

0125 PM    BURNSIDE                  PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   CLEARFIELD                     TREES AND WIRES DOWN.

0135 PM    BEDFORD                   PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   BEDFORD                        POSSIBLE TORNADO. ROOF OFF
                                          HOUSE. TREES DOWN.

0135 PM    EVERETT                   PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   BEDFORD                        TORNADO SIGHTED ALONG
                                          ROUTE 30 BETWEEN BEDFORD
                                          AND EVERETT.

0135 PM    ALTOONA                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   BLAIR                          TREES DOWN. TREE ON HOUSE.

0210 PM    3E WAYNESBORO             PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   FRANKLIN                       TORNADO SIGHTED IN
                                          WASHINGTON TWP. WINDOWS
                                          BLOWN OUT. TREES DOWN.

0250 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   SCHUYLKILL                     ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0250 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   COLUMBIA                       ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0255 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   LEBANON                        ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0300 PM    SELINSGROVE               PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   SNYDER                         WIRE DOWN.

0330 PM    LEACOCK                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   LANCASTER                      TELEPHONE POLE SNAPPED
                                          OFF.

OSTUNO/EVANS
Local storm report, Jan 18, 6:08 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
610 PM EDT MON JAN 18 1999

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

1250 PM    WESTMONT                  PA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
01/18/99   CAMBRIA                        LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
                                          DOWN

0110 PM    COLVER                    PA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
01/18/99   CAMBRIA

0125 PM    BURNSIDE                  PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   CLEARFIELD                     TREES AND WIRES DOWN.

0135 PM    BEDFORD                   PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   BEDFORD                        POSSIBLE TORNADO. ROOF OFF
                                          HOUSE. TREES DOWN.

0135 PM    EVERETT                   PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   BEDFORD                        TORNADO SIGHTED ALONG
                                          ROUTE 30 BETWEEN BEDFORD
                                          AND EVERETT.

0135 PM    ALTOONA                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   BLAIR                          TREES DOWN. TREE ON HOUSE.

0210 PM    3E WAYNESBORO             PA   TORNADO
01/18/99   FRANKLIN                       TORNADO SIGHTED IN
                                          WASHINGTON TWP. WINDOWS
                                          BLOWN OUT. TREES DOWN.

0250 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   SCHUYLKILL                     ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0250 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   COLUMBIA                       ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0255 PM    COUNTYWIDE                PA   FLOODING
01/18/99   LEBANON                        ROADS AND BASEMENTS
                                          FLOODED.

0300 PM    SELINSGROVE               PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   SN`YDER                         WIRE DOWN.

0330 PM    LEACOCK                   PA   WIND DAMAGE
01/18/99   LANCASTER                      TELEPHONE POLE SNAPPED
                                          OFF.

OSTUNO/EVANS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 18, 10:25 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster, Lebanon6 hr
Jan 18, 11:10 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork5 hr
Jan 19, 1:38 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming5 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1999Every flash flood warning in 1999

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.