Alert archive / Maryland / Flash Flood Warnings in 2020
Flash Flood Warning 22, NWS Baltimore/Washington
NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood warning at Jul 24, 2020, 6:11 PM EDT for Baltimore County, City of Baltimore, Maryland. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 24, 2020, 6:11 PM EDT (22:11 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 24, 2020, 8:44 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Baltimore/Washington
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Damage threat
- Considerable
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Baltimore County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:14 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 82 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
- 161 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -30 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 725 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 23 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 30 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 24, 2:54 PM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 2:54 PM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 254 PM EDT Fri Jul 24 2020 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will drop south across our region tonight before dissipating on Saturday. High pressure will then dominate over the weekend. Another cold front will move across the area during the middle portion of next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Multiple scattered segments of heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms are developing across the Mason-Dixon region and parts of northwest Virginia. These segments are dropping southward ahead of a surface cold front and its upper level supported trough of low pressure. Heavy downpours and lightning are the main threats with this activity. Additional showers and thunderstorms will develop in the central Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Piedmont and eastern and southern Maryland late this afternoon and early evening. Damaging wind gusts and isolated incidences of flash flooding will be the main concerns with this near future shower and thunderstorm activity. Temperatures will reach the middle to upper 80s over the next hour or so, before leveling off just ahead of the surface and upper air fronts and trough of low pressure. Drier air in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere will accompany the surface front tonight. Low temperatures tonight will drop into the lower 70s with middle to upper 60s in the northwest. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... A surface front will stall then dissipate on Saturday. An upper level ridge of high pressure will build into the mid-Atlantic region. There could be some spotty showers or a thunderstorm Saturday afternoon mainly south of U.S. 50 due to residual moisture and instability. Otherwise, there will be a warming trend Saturday through Sunday night. Humidity will be lower Saturday through Sunday night. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Conditions should remain fairly dry Monday with upper level ridging still hanging on to the area for the afternoon and evening. A steep upper level trough will be migrating from the Central CONUS and just over the Canadian border towards the east Monday into Tuesday. A cold front associated with this trough will be dropping to the southeast and will be bringing the chance for unsettled weather Tuesday in particular. Any variation of a shortwave pushing through the area in conjunction with higher temperature and humidity values will be pressing our chances for convection across the CWA. Convective parameters are favoring initiation with 0-6km shear values reaching upwards of 30 kts and CAPE values reaching 2000+ j/kg. PWAT values are also concerning with values exceeding 2.0 inches possible which could lead to a hydro problem with the chance for flash flooding. Track and intensity will be reliant on shortwave energy, eastward momentum of the upper level trough and a moist/warm airmass overhead. After Tuesday, the cold front should start to migrate out of our area by late Wednesday allowing for drier conditions to take over for the later part of the work week. Temperatures during the long term look to be above normal in the early part of next week with the chance for Heat Advisories possible Monday and Tuesday with that warm humid air ahead of the cold front associated with the upper level trough taking residence. We will start to taper back to seasonal conditions in the later part of the week with lower humidity values coming along with it. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Scattered heavy showers and embedded thunderstorm segments will drop southward later this afternoon into early evening. MRB, IAD and CHO are the terminals to stand the best chance of getting one of these segments to pass overhead. DCA and BWI would be a close second. Either way and either terminal could encounter brief MVFR or IFR conditions with this activity. CIGS could drop to 1000ft to 1500ft while visibility falls between 3sm and 5sm. Drying will take place tonight with fair weather conditions expected Sat into early next week. No significant impacts expected for terminals Monday through Tuesday. Isolated sub-VFR conditions possible Tuesday with any storms that initialize in the area. && .MARINE... The Potomac River from Washington D.C. to the tidal waters stand the best chance to encounter brief wind gusts of 30 knots or greater. By late this afternoon and early evening, the Chesapeake Bay could encounter a gusty thunderstorm. There are no current long fuse advisory or warnings out at this time. However; any shower or thunderstorm segment moving over the waters could kick up the winds and waters leading to an SMW or two. Fair weather expected Saturday through Monday. SCA criteria is not expected to be reached Monday and Tuesday but the possibility for some marine headlines is possible Tuesday with initiation of thunderstorms over the waters. && .CLIMATE... Aside from the one day last week that broke the streak of consecutive 90+ F days at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), every day this month has had a high of at least 90 F. As of Thursday afternoon, that total (for July) was up to 22 days. The most 90+ F days ever in any month in the immediate Washington, DC, area is 25 days (set in July 2011). Looking at the pattern over the next 7 days, as well as probabilities for above normal temperatures from our colleagues at the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) out to 14 days, it seems it will be very difficult to NOT break that record. For the Baltimore, Maryland, and Dulles, Virginia long-term climate records, the record most 90+ F days in a month is 24 days (also set in July 2011). As of Wednesday afternoon, Baltimore site had hit 90 F 18 times so far this month, and the Dulles site had hit 90 F 16 days. Temperature records have been kept at what is now KDCA since 1941. The official temperature records for the immediate Washington, DC, area consist of data from KDCA starting in 1945, and observations taken in downtown Washington, DC, extend the region's period of record back to 1872. Temperature records for the Baltimore, Maryland, area have been kept at what is now Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI) since 1950. Additional temperature records observed in downtown Baltimore extend the period of record back to 1872. Temperature records for the Sterling-Dulles, Virginia, area have been kept at what is now Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) since 1960. All climate data are considered preliminary until reviewed by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...KLW NEAR TERM...KLW SHORT TERM...KLW LONG TERM...ADM AVIATION...KLW/ADM MARINE...KLW/ADM CLIMATE...KLW
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 24, 6:04 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
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</html>In the hours before
Local storm report, Jul 24, 4:06 PM EDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
406 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0337 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 WNW OPAL 38.63N 77.82W
07/24/2020 FAUQUIER VA TRAINED SPOTTER
A LARGE TREE WAS BLOWN DOWN BLOCKING THE ROADWAY NEAR
THE INTERSECTION OF VA-687 OPAL ROAD AND VA-651 LEES
MILL ROAD.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LWX2001688
DHLocal storm report, Jul 24, 4:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
435 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0435 PM TSTM WND DMG LIGNUM 38.42N 77.83W
07/24/2020 CULPEPER VA 911 CALL CENTER
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF VA-3
GERMANNA HIGHWAY AND VA-647 BATNA ROAD/REVERCOMB ROAD.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LWX2001689
DHThe office that day
Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 8:13 PM EDT | Flash Flood Watch | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church | 4 hr |
| Jul 23, 8:28 PM EDT | Areal Flood Warning | LWX | Fairfax, Prince William, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, City of Manassas and 1 more | 5 hr |
| Jul 23, 8:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, City of Alexandria, City of Falls Church | 44 min |
| Jul 23, 9:45 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 29 min | |
| Jul 23, 9:46 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | LWX | Prince William | 4 hr |
| Jul 23, 9:46 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 33 min | |
| Jul 23, 10:14 PM EDT | Areal Flood Warning | LWX | Arlington | 4 hr |
| Jul 23, 10:36 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 45 min | |
| Jul 24, 3:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Fauquier | 13 min |
| Jul 24, 3:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange | 47 min |
| Jul 24, 4:28 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Orange | 21 min |
| Jul 24, 4:42 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 81 min | |
| Jul 24, 5:08 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 82 min | |
| Jul 24, 5:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Nelson, City of Charlottesville | 48 min |
| Jul 24, 6:10 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 74 min | |
| Jul 23, 9:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Anne Arundel, Prince George's | 25 min |
| Jul 24, 6:01 PM EDT | Flash Flood Watch | LWX | Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Prince George's, City of Baltimore | 3 hr |
| Jul 24, 6:06 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Baltimore, Harford, City of Baltimore | 28 min |
| Jul 24, 6:19 PM EDT | Areal Flood Warning | LWX | Baltimore, City of Baltimore | 2 hr |
| Jul 24, 6:34 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | LWX | Baltimore, City of Baltimore | 2 hr |
| Jul 24, 7:32 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | LWX | Baltimore, City of Baltimore | 72 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Maryland, 2020Every flash flood warning in 2020
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.