Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS State College, PA

May 27, 2012Bedford County, Cambria County, Somerset County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at May 27, 2012, 10:11 PM EDT for Bedford County, Cambria County, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 2 hr. 2 reports 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
May 27, 2012, 10:11 PM EDT (02:11 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 2012, 12:12 AM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Bedford County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Somerset County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:11 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 27, 10:30 PM EDTFLASH FLOODJohnstown, PA8 ROADWAYS FLOODED...2 ROADS CLOSED...19 BASEMENTS FLOODED
May 27, 10:50 PM EDTFLASH FLOODEast Conemaugh, PANUMEROUS ROADS AND BASEMENTS FLOODED

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

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 111 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 2012-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1275 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 2012-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1275 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-93 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
751 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

554 
WGUS51 KCTP 280211
FFWCTP
PAC009-021-111-280515-
/O.NEW.KCTP.FF.W.0006.120528T0211Z-120528T0515Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1011 PM EDT SUN MAY 27 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY...
  SOUTHWESTERN CAMBRIA COUNTY...
  NORTHEASTERN SOMERSET COUNTY...

* UNTIL 115 AM EDT...

* AT 1006 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTH CENTRAL BEDFORD...
  NORTHEASTERN SOMERSET AND SOUTHWESTERN CAMBRIA COUNTIES.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WINDBER...
  BELMONT...ELIM...JOHNSTOWN AND WESTMONT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 4042 7896 4032 7859 4029 7853 4018 7871
      4030 7905

$$

FORECASTER: KF
1 follow-up statement
284 
WGUS71 KCTP 280412
FFSCTP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1212 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012

PAC009-021-111-280415-
/O.CAN.KCTP.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120528T0515Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BEDFORD PA-CAMBRIA PA-SOMERSET PA-
1212 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR NORTHEASTERN
SOMERSET...SOUTHWESTERN CAMBRIA AND NORTH CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTIES...

THE WATERS FROM THE EARLIER HEAVY RAINS ARE RECEDING AND FLOOD WATERS
NO LONGER POSE A THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY. THEREFORE...THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. 

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDED BUT WERE NOT LIMITED TO WINDBER...
BELMONT...ELIM...JOHNSTOWN AND WESTMONT.

OVER ONE DOZEN BASEMENTS WERE REPORTED TO BE FLOODED AND 2 ROADS 
WERE CLOSED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR LATE SUNDAY EVENING...THROUGHOUT 
CONEMAUGH AND RICHLAND TOWNSHIPS ON THE EAST SIDE OF JOHNSTOWN. 

LAT...LON 4042 7896 4032 7859 4029 7853 4018 7871
      4030 7905

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 8:23 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPColumbia, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill112 min
May 27, 9:09 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPColumbia, Montour, Northumberland3 hr
May 27, 9:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPBedford60 min
May 27, 9:38 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPCambria3 hr
May 27, 9:56 PM EDTFlash Flood WatchCTPBedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Somerset117 min
May 27, 10:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSomerset45 min
May 27, 11:14 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSomerset46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2012Every 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.