Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 21, 2009Chester County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this flash flood warning at Aug 21, 2009, 10:49 PM EDT for Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 55 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2009, 10:49 PM EDT (02:49 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2009, 11:44 PM EDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Chester County, PA

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:50 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, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 160 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2009-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 669 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2009-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
669 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KPHI 220249
FFWPHI
PAC029-220645-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FF.W.0045.090822T0249Z-090822T0645Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1049 PM EDT FRI AUG 21 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WEST CHESTER...

* UNTIL 245 AM EDT

* AT 1047 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  HOMEVILLE...COCHRANVILLE...PARKESBURG...MARSHALLTON...DOWNINGTOWN
  AND COATESVILLE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ANOTHER INCH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA.

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. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

&&

LAT...LON 3978 7607 3980 7607 3984 7603 3985 7603
      3987 7601 3991 7602 4003 7595 4005 7595
      4005 7553 3973 7579 3974 7610

$$

RNS
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS71 KPHI 220344
FFSPHI

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1144 PM EDT FRI AUG 21 2009

PAC029-220354-
/O.CAN.KPHI.FF.W.0045.000000T0000Z-090822T0645Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CHESTER PA-
1144 PM EDT FRI AUG 21 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHERN CHESTER
COUNTY...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED. HOWEVER, A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN 
EFFECT AND IF THE HEAVY RAINS RETURN, ANOTHER FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
COULD BE NEEDED.

LAT...LON 3978 7607 3980 7607 3984 7603 3985 7603
      3987 7601 3991 7602 4003 7595 4005 7595
      4005 7553 3973 7579 3974 7610

$$

RNS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 10:14 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIChester3 hr
Aug 22, 1:40 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIBucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia3 hr
Aug 22, 1:51 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIMontgomery, Philadelphia77 min
Aug 22, 6:03 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIMontgomery, Philadelphia3 hr
Aug 22, 6:21 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIBucks, Northampton3 hr
Aug 22, 7:00 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIBucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2009Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.