Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012
Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at May 8, 2012, 7:53 PM EDT for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr. 4 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 8, 2012, 7:53 PM EDT (23:53 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 2012, 10:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
County Westmoreland County, PA
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 8:11 PM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Nw Palmers, PA | FLOODING IN PERSONAL CARE HOME |
| May 8, 8:16 PM EDT | FLOOD | Greensburg, PA | ROAD AND BASEMENT FLOODING IN GREENSBURG... LATROBE... JEANETTE... NEW STANTON... LOWBER... HERMANIE. 1.30 INCHES STORM TOTAL. |
| May 8, 8:50 PM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | Greensburg, PA | NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED IN HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP |
| May 8, 9:10 PM EDT | HEAVY RAIN 3 | Luxor, PA | 24 HOURS |
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 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 59 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 515 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 61 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
295 WGUS51 KPBZ 082353 FFWPBZ PAC129-090245- /O.NEW.KPBZ.FF.W.0003.120508T2353Z-120509T0245Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 753 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... CENTRAL WESTMORELAND COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA... * UNTIL 1045 PM EDT * AT 748 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED MORE RAIN FROM A CLUSTER OF SHOWERS NEAR NEW STANTON...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. IN ADDITION...COUNTY OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTED FLOODING DEVELOPING IN PARTS OF JEANETTE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. FLOOD WATER IS USUALLY DEEPER THAN IT APPEARS...AND ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND... DONT DROWN. PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772. LAT...LON 4038 7916 4013 7940 4021 7974 4037 7967 $$ 15
3 follow-up statements
544 WGUS71 KPBZ 090018 FFSPBZ FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 818 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 PAC129-090245- /O.CON.KPBZ.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120509T0245Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ WESTMORELAND PA- 818 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 PM EDT FOR WESTMORELAND COUNTY... AT 809 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE AN AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CENTERED JUST SOUTH OF GREENSBURGH...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. RADAR ESTIMATES ARE THAT AN INCH...TO INCH AND A HALF OF ADDITIONAL RAIN HAS FALLEN THIS EVENING OVER COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING GREENSBURG. GIVEN EARLIER RAINFALL TODAY...THIS HAS BEEN SUFFICIENT TO SPAWN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODING ACROSS CENTRAL WESTMORELAND COUNTY. OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LATROBE AND DERRY PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. PERSONS RESIDING ALONG STREAMS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOWING WATER OR WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR AUTOMOBILE. PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772. && LAT...LON 4038 7916 4013 7940 4021 7974 4037 7967 $$ 15
423 WGUS71 KPBZ 090103 FFSPBZ FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 903 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 PAC129-090245- /O.CON.KPBZ.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120509T0245Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ WESTMORELAND PA- 903 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 PM EDT FOR WESTMORELAND COUNTY... AT 855 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WAS ENDING OVER CENTRAL WESTMORELAND COUNTY...HOWEVER...RUNOFF FROM THE EVENING RAIN WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS AS WILL FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS. RADAR ESTIMATES ARE THAT AN INCH...TO INCH AND A HALF OF ADDITIONAL RAIN HAS FALLEN THIS EVENING OVER COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING GREENSBURG. GIVEN EARLIER RAINFALL TODAY...THIS HAS BEEN SUFFICIENT TO SPAWN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODING AND ROAD CLOSURES ACROSS CENTRAL WESTMORELAND COUNTY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...MOVE QUICKLY TO HIGHER GROUND. PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772. && LAT...LON 4038 7916 4013 7940 4021 7974 4037 7967 $$ 15
831 WGUS71 KPBZ 090239 FFSPBZ FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1039 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 PAC129-090246- /O.EXP.KPBZ.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120509T0245Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ WESTMORELAND PA- 1039 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2012 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1045 PM EDT FOR WESTMORELAND COUNTY... FLOOD WATER WILL CONTINUE TO RECEDE AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. ALTHOUGH SHOWERS ARE FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY...ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL IS NOT EXPECTED. LAT...LON 4038 7916 4013 7940 4021 7974 4037 7967 $$ 15
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 8:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Lawrence, Mercer | 46 min |
| May 7, 8:36 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | PBZ | Mercer | 39 min |
| May 7, 9:24 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | PBZ | Lawrence, Mercer | 51 min |
| May 7, 9:33 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | PBZ | Mercer | 3 hr |
| May 7, 10:11 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | PBZ | Allegheny | 34 min |
| May 7, 10:32 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Mercer | 4 hr |
| May 8, 12:09 AM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | PBZ | Butler | 3 hr |
| May 8, 7:22 AM EDT | Flood Watch | PBZ | Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Forest and 5 more | 5 hr |
| May 8, 6:47 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | PBZ | Westmoreland | 58 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.