Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

June 18, 2012Washington County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 18, 2012, 5:40 PM EDT for Washington County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 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: Jun 18, 2012, 5:40 PM EDT (21:40 UTC)
Expired: Jun 18, 2012, 8:30 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Washington County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:42 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
Jun 18, 5:45 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Claysville, PA	SEVERAL SMALL... UNAMED CREEKS OUT OF BANKS. CHAPEL HILL ROAD FLOODED.
Jun 18, 6:40 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 Nw Claysville, PA	SEVERAL ROADS FLOODED IN DONEGAL TOWNSHIP.

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, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 42 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: 308 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 41 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.

085 
WGUS51 KPBZ 182140
FFWPBZ
PAC125-190030-
/O.NEW.KPBZ.FF.W.0005.120618T2140Z-120619T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
540 PM EDT MON JUN 18 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 534 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH DOPPLER
  RADAR SHOWED A NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF
  CLAYSVILLE.  EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTS SEVERAL SMALL CREEKS
  IN EAST FINLEY, MORRIS, AND BUFFALO TOWNSHIPS ARE NEAR OR OVER     
  BANKFULL.  CHAPEL HILL ROAD IS FLOODED.

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 4018 8051 4016 8038 4003 8026 4000 8039

$$

1 follow-up statement

742 
WGUS71 KPBZ 182227
FFSPBZ

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
627 PM EDT MON JUN 18 2012

PAC125-190030-
/O.CON.KPBZ.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120619T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WASHINGTON PA-
627 PM EDT MON JUN 18 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 617 PM EDT...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WAS REPORTED 
NEAR CLAYSVILLE.  

WASHINGTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTS THAT CHAPEL HILL ROAD 
REMAINS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.  OTHER RURAL ROADS MAY BE FLOODED 
ACROSS PARTS OF EAST FINLEY, MORRIS, AND BUFFALO TOWNSHIPS WAS SMALL 
CREEKS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES OVERFLOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR
IN AUTOMOBILES...SO DO NOT CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...DIPS...OR
LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING
TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772.

&&

LAT...LON 4018 8051 4016 8038 4003 8026 4000 8039

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 17, 8:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Fayette	33 min
Jun 18, 3:28 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Washington	32 min
Jun 18, 4:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Washington	25 min
Jun 18, 5:02 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Washington	58 min
Jun 18, 5:07 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Westmoreland	38 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.