Alert archive / Pennsylvania / River Flood Warnings in 2008

River Flood Warning 43, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

December 12, 2008Chester County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this river flood warning at Dec 12, 2008, 3:46 AM EST for Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Dec 12, 2008, 3:46 AM EST (08:46 UTC)
Expired: Dec 12, 2008, 2:05 PM EST
In force: 10 hr
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Flood severity: Minor

County Chester County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 114 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:48 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 river

Written for the forecast point East Branch Brandywine Creek below Downingtown (DWNP1). The gauge peaked at 9.37 ft at Dec 12, 2008, 7:00 AM EST.

Action stage: 6 ft
Minor stage: 7 ft
Moderate stage: 9 ft
Major stage: 11 ft

This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests

Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 01480870, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.

The text

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

000 
WGUS41 KPHI 120846
FLWPHI
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY
346 AM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A FLOOD 
WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN PENNSYLVANIA... 

  EAST BRANCH BRANDYWINE CREEK BELOW DOWNINGTOWN AFFECTING CHESTER 
  COUNTY

...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING...

PAC029-121446-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FL.W.0043.081212T0846Z-081212T1911Z/
/DWNP1.1.ER.081212T0733Z.081212T1000Z.081212T1311Z.NO/
346 AM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A 

* FLOOD WARNING FOR 
  THE EAST BRANCH BRANDYWINE CREEK BELOW DOWNINGTOWN.
* UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON...OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED.
* AT 3:31 AM FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS 8.1 FEET. 
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 7.0 FEET. 
* FORECAST...THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 8.9 FEET EARLY 
  THIS MORNING. 

$$

                   FLD      OBSERVED          FORECAST
 LOCATION          STG    STG  DAY TIME       CREST

BRANDYWINE CREEK
  DOWNINGTOWN      7.0    8.15  FRI 4 AM     8.9  FRI 5 AM 

&&

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS41 KPHI 121202
FLWPHI
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY
702 AM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

...FORECAST FLOODING CHANGED FROM MINOR TO MODERATE SEVERITY FOR THE 
FOLLOWING RIVERS IN PENNSYLVANIA...
  EAST BRANCH BRANDYWINE CREEK BELOW DOWNINGTOWN AFFECTING CHESTER 
  COUNTY

...MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON THE 
BRANDYWINE CREEK...

PAC029-121802-
/O.EXT.KPHI.FL.W.0043.000000T0000Z-081212T2140Z/
/DWNP1.2.ER.081212T0733Z.081212T1145Z.081212T1540Z.NO/
702 AM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

...OBSERVED FLOODING INCREASED FROM MINOR TO MODERATE SEVERITY...
...FORECAST FLOODING INCREASED FROM MINOR TO MODERATE SEVERITY...
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR 
  THE EAST BRANCH BRANDYWINE CREEK BELOW DOWNINGTOWN.
* UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON...OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED.
* AT  6:45 AM FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS 9.4 FEET. 
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 7.0 FEET.
* FORECAST...THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO rise to about 9.4 feet
this morning, then begin to fall.

$$

                   FLD      OBSERVED          FORECAST
 LOCATION          STG    STG  DAY TIME       CREST

BRANDYWINE CREEK
  DOWNINGTOWN      7.0    9.37  FRI 7 AM     9.4  FRI 9 AM 

&&

000 
WGUS81 KPHI 121905
FLSPHI
FLOOD STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY
205 PM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

...THE FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN 
PENNSYLVANIA...
 
  EAST BRANCH BRANDYWINE CREEK BELOW DOWNINGTOWN AFFECTING CHESTER 
  COUNTY

PAC029-121935-
/O.CAN.KPHI.FL.W.0043.000000T0000Z-081212T2140Z/
/DWNP1.2.ER.081212T0733Z.081212T1145Z.081212T1355Z.NO/
205 PM EST FRI DEC 12 2008

* AT  1:45 PM FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS 5.0 FEET. 
* NO FLOODING IS CURRENTLY FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 7.0 FEET. 

$$

                   FLD      OBSERVED          FORECAST
 LOCATION          STG    STG  DAY TIME       CREST

BRANDYWINE CREEK
  DOWNINGTOWN      7.0    4.99  FRI 2 PM     5.9  FRI 3 PM 

&&

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 11, 9:32 PM EST	Areal Flood Warning	PHI	Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia	12 hr
Dec 11, 9:47 PM EST	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery	6 hr
Dec 12, 12:55 AM EST	Areal Flood Warning	PHI	Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery	12 hr
Dec 12, 2:12 AM EST	River Flood Warning	PHI	Berks, Schuylkill	13 hr
Dec 12, 2:41 AM EST	River Flood Warning	PHI	Montgomery	10 hr
Dec 12, 2:48 AM EST	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Carbon, Monroe, Northampton	6 hr
Dec 12, 7:45 AM EST	River Flood Warning	PHI	Bucks	7 hr
Dec 12, 8:34 AM EST	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Bucks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton	3 hr
Dec 12, 9:00 AM EST	Coastal Flood Advisory	PHI	Delaware, Philadelphia	6 hr
Dec 12, 9:02 AM EST	River Flood Warning	PHI	Montgomery, Philadelphia	6 hr
Dec 12, 11:17 AM EST	River Flood Warning	PHI	Chester, Delaware	9 hr

Nearby

River Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2008 Every river flood warning in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.