Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2017

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 18, 2017Berks County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this flash flood warning at Aug 18, 2017, 4:02 PM EDT for Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 4 hr. 6 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: Aug 18, 2017, 4:02 PM EDT (20:02 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2017, 8:00 PM EDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Berks County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:01 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 18, 4:07 PM EDT	FLOOD	Springmont, PA	STREET FLOODING AT INTERSECTION OF PENN AND CECIL IN WEST LAWN. VIDEO FOOTAGE PROVIDED ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
Aug 18, 4:25 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 N Reading, PA	SIXTH STREET CLOSED BETWEEN BUTTONWOOD STREET AND GREENWICH STREET FROM HIGH WATER. A VEHICLE WAS STUCK IN WATER AT THE INTERSECTION OF GREENWICH STREET AND RAILROAD STREET.
Aug 18, 4:25 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Spring Twp, PA	OCCUPIED VEHICLE STUCK IN WATER AT STATE HILL ROAD AND REEDY ROAD. PENN AVENUE AND REIGAL STREET ARE CLOSED OWING TO FLOODING.
Aug 18, 4:35 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Shillington, PA	SEVERAL CARS STUCK IN WATER UP TO HOOD LEVEL AT INTERSECTION OF STATE HILL ROAD AND PENN AVENUE IN WYOMISSING.
Aug 18, 4:35 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Shillington, PA	SEVERAL CARS STUCK IN WATER UP TO HOOD LEVEL AT INTERSECTION OF STATE HILL ROAD AND PENN AVENUE IN WYOMISSING. WATER RESCUE IN PROGRESS.
Aug 18, 4:35 PM EDT	HEAVY RAIN 2.6	Sinking Spring, PA	A TOTAL OF 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN IN 18 MINUTES AND 2.6 INCHES OF RAIN IN 50 MINUTES IN WEST WYOMISSING. SOME STREET FLOODING ALSO REPORTED.

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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 208 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: 746 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 651 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

081 
WGUS51 KPHI 182002
FFWPHI
PAC011-190000-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FF.W.0048.170818T2002Z-170819T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
402 PM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania...

* Until 800 PM EDT

* At 400 PM EDT...Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Up to one inch of rain has 
  already fallen. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly in the 
  areas of heaviest rain.

* Some locations that could experience flooding include...
  Reading, Wyomissing, Birdsboro, Kutztown, Fleetwood, Sinking
  Spring, Laureldale, Womelsdorf, Wernersville, Topton, Leesport,
  Bally, Bechtelsville, Lyons, New Morgan, Spring Ridge, Fairview
  Hgts, Shillington, West Reading and Boyertown.

Additional rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches are possible in the 
warned area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

&&

LAT...LON 4058 7574 4045 7553 4025 7569 4014 7587
      4031 7614 4036 7620

$$

Iovino

2 follow-up statements

758 
WGUS71 KPHI 182109
FFSPHI

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
509 PM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017

PAC011-190000-
/O.CON.KPHI.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-170819T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Berks PA-
509 PM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN BERKS COUNTY...

At 506 PM EDT...Doppler radar indicated that the heaviest of the 
rain was moving eastward and out of Berks County. However..residual 
flooding continues in parts of southern and eastern Berks 
County...especially in and around Reading. From one to two and a 
half inches of rain fell in a short amount of time.

Some locations that could continue to experience flooding 
include...
Reading, Wyomissing, Birdsboro, Kutztown, Fleetwood, Sinking Spring, 
Laureldale, Topton, Leesport, Bally, Bechtelsville, Lyons, New 
Morgan, Spring Ridge, Fairview Hgts, Shillington, West Reading, 
Boyertown, Mount Penn and Mohnton.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

&&

LAT...LON 4058 7574 4045 7553 4025 7569 4014 7587
      4026 7606 4042 7607

$$

Iovino

175 
WGUS71 KPHI 182135
FFSPHI

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
535 PM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017

PAC011-182145-
/O.CAN.KPHI.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-170819T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Berks PA-
535 PM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR EASTERN BERKS COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

The heavy rain has ended. Additional flooding is no longer expected 
to pose a threat. Please continue to heed any remaining road 
closures.

LAT...LON 4058 7574 4045 7553 4025 7569 4014 7587
      4026 7606 4042 7607

$$

Iovino

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 3:39 AM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	PHI	Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery and 2 more	18 hr
Aug 18, 4:48 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Berks, Lehigh, Northampton	4 hr
Aug 18, 2:10 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Berks, Carbon, Lehigh	4 hr
Aug 18, 2:21 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Berks	24 min
Aug 18, 2:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks, Lehigh	42 min
Aug 18, 3:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Berks, Lehigh	31 min
Aug 18, 3:15 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Berks	4 hr
Aug 18, 3:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Northampton	26 min
Aug 18, 3:37 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Carbon	38 min
Aug 18, 3:43 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Berks	32 min
Aug 18, 3:45 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton	4 hr
Aug 18, 3:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton	44 min
Aug 18, 4:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks, Bucks, Montgomery	51 min
Aug 18, 4:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks, Chester, Montgomery	61 min
Aug 18, 4:57 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Bucks, Chester, Montgomery	3 hr
Aug 18, 5:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Chester	42 min
Aug 18, 5:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia	49 min
Aug 18, 5:20 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia	3 hr
Aug 18, 5:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia	66 min
Aug 18, 5:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia	66 min
Aug 18, 6:38 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Delaware, Philadelphia	37 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2017 Every flash flood warning in 2017

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.