Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS State College, PA

August 4, 20124 counties in Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 4, 2012, 2:24 PM EDT for 4 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 117 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Aug 4, 2012, 2:24 PM EDT (18:24 UTC)
Expired: Aug 4, 2012, 4:21 PM EDT
In force: 117 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Cumberland County, PA, Dauphin County, PA, Perry County, PA, York County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:25 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 4, 3:15 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	York, PA	ONE INCH IN 20 MINUTES. NUMEROUS STREETS FLOODED IN THE CITY OF YORK.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 143 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2272 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 38 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.

661 
WGUS51 KCTP 041824
FFWCTP
PAC041-043-099-133-042130-
/O.NEW.KCTP.FF.W.0015.120804T1824Z-120804T2130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
224 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY...
  DAUPHIN COUNTY...
  NORTHEASTERN PERRY COUNTY...
  WESTERN YORK COUNTY...

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT...

* AT 216 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES   
  AND RAIN GAGE REPORTS INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM NUMEROUS
  TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...DAUPHIN... 
  NORTHEASTERN CUMBERLAND...NORTHEASTERN PERRY AND WESTERN YORK.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO HANOVER...
  PARKVILLE...WEIGELSTOWN...YORK...CAMP HILL...ENOLA...LEMOYNE...
  LOWER ALLEN...MECHANICSBURG...NEW CUMBERLAND...COLONIAL PARK...
  HARRISBURG...HERSHEY...HUMMELSTOWN...LINGLESTOWN...MIDDLETOWN...
  PROGRESS AND STEELTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR
IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...
DIPS...OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN! NEVER TRY
TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE
RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

&&

LAT...LON 3978 7698 3984 7699 3986 7695 3989 7699
      3994 7697 4001 7701 4007 7710 4060 7706
      4063 7696 4060 7692 4066 7670 4056 7654
      4048 7668 4024 7659 4017 7664 4013 7672
      4008 7667 3974 7682

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT/LA CORTE

1 follow-up statement

062 
WGUS71 KCTP 042021
FFSCTP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
421 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

PAC041-043-099-133-042027-
/O.CAN.KCTP.FF.W.0015.000000T0000Z-120804T2130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CUMBERLAND PA-DAUPHIN PA-PERRY PA-YORK PA-
421 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR WESTERN YORK...
EASTERN PERRY...DAUPHIN AND NORTHEASTERN CUMBERLAND COUNTIES...

THE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN...THAT CAUSED MAINLY MINOR FLOODING OF 
STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS THROUGHOUT URBAN AREAS...HAS DISSIPATED 
AND NO LONGER POSES A THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY. THEREFORE...THE 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

EVEN THOUGH THE WATER IS RECEDING...JUST SOME MINOR FLOODING 
PROBLEMS MAY CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT HOUR.

LAT...LON 3978 7698 3984 7699 3986 7695 3989 7699
      3994 7697 4001 7701 4007 7710 4060 7706
      4063 7696 4060 7692 4066 7670 4056 7654
      4048 7668 4024 7659 4017 7664 4013 7672
      4008 7667 3974 7682

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 4, 1:24 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Dauphin	51 min
Aug 4, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and 1 more	63 min
Aug 4, 1:52 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	York	38 min
Aug 4, 1:56 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Bedford, Cambria, Somerset	3 hr
Aug 4, 2:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union	70 min
Aug 4, 2:54 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	York	66 min
Aug 4, 3:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Dauphin, Lancaster, York	57 min
Aug 4, 3:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Sullivan, Union	65 min
Aug 4, 3:36 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lebanon	24 min
Aug 4, 3:56 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Clearfield	34 min
Aug 4, 3:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Schuylkill	63 min
Aug 4, 4:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Fulton	66 min
Aug 4, 4:53 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Cumberland, Juniata, Perry	112 min
Aug 4, 5:57 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Mifflin, Potter, Tioga	2 hr
Aug 4, 6:11 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	McKean	49 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2012 Every flash flood warning in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.