Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2016

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS State College, PA

July 13, 2016Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 13, 2016, 6:31 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 3 hr. 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
Jul 13, 2016, 6:31 PM EDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired
Jul 13, 2016, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Lancaster County, PA

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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
Jul 13, 8:15 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD1 Se Smoketown, PASMALL STREAMS OUT OF BANKS. 3 SINKHOLES CLOSED PORTION OF RTE 30 WEST OF RTE 30 AND RTE 896 JUNCTION.

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, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 12:00Z on 2016-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 19 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 12:00Z on 2016-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 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
19 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
700 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

515 
WGUS51 KCTP 132231
FFWCTP
PAC071-140130-
/O.NEW.KCTP.FF.W.0004.160713T2231Z-160714T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
631 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT.

* AT 630 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED HEAVY
  RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. OVER THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAVE
  ALREADY FALLEN IN THE PAST THREE HOURS. FLASH FLOODING IS ALREADY
  OCCURRING ALONG ROUTE 30 NEAR DUTCH WONDERLAND.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  WILLOW STREET...LANCASTER...MILLERSVILLE...SMOKETOWN...LAMPETER...
  BIRD-IN-HAND AND DUTCH WONDERLAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3999 7633 4003 7635 4005 7619 4001 7618
      3999 7624

$$

DEVOIR
1 follow-up statement
010 
WGUS71 KCTP 132331
FFSCTP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
731 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2016

PAC071-140130-
/O.CON.KCTP.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-160714T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LANCASTER PA-
731 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2016

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR
CENTRAL LANCASTER COUNTY...

AT 727 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED FLASH FLOODING WAS
BEGINNING TO RECEDE...AS HEAVY RAINFALL ENDS ACROSS THE AREA.

LOCALLY THREE INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN FELL SOUTH OF LANCASTER,
PRODUCING STREET FLOODING AND ROAD CLOSURES. RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH MID EVENING...THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL REMAIN
IN EFFECT DESPITE DIMINISHING RAINFALL. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH AREAS
WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD!

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
WILLOW STREET...LANCASTER...MILLERSVILLE...SMOKETOWN...LAMPETER...
BIRD-IN-HAND AND DUTCH WONDERLAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3999 7633 4003 7635 4005 7619 4001 7618
      3999 7624

$$

DEVOIR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 13, 4:34 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPTioga56 min
Jul 13, 4:56 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPPerry34 min
Jul 13, 5:05 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPLancaster55 min
Jul 13, 5:52 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPLancaster, York3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2016Every flash flood warning in 2016

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.