Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

July 5, 20265 counties in Pennsylvania; Hancock County, West Virginia

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 5, 2026, 4:22 PM EDT for 5 counties in Pennsylvania; Hancock County, West Virginia. It was in force for 2 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 5, 2026, 4:22 PM EDT (20:22 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 2026, 6:23 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Allegheny County, PA, Beaver County, PA, Butler County, PA, Washington County, PA, Westmoreland County, PA, Hancock County, WV

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 11 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:23 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

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 12 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 425 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 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
425 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
802 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 5, 1:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • 1) Thunderstorms, favoring afternoon/evening periods, remain likely through Monday while posing a decreasing damaging wind threat but steady localized flooding risk. 2) Ensembles trending toward a fairly active week featuring limited "dry" periods but with low hazard probabilities.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 1:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
139 PM EDT Sun Jul 5 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Updated key messages text

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Thunderstorms, favoring afternoon/evening periods, remain
likely through Monday while posing a decreasing damaging wind
threat but steady localized flooding risk.

2) Ensembles trending toward a fairly active week featuring
limited "dry" periods but with low hazard probabilities.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...
Potential for localized flash flooding through this evening as
the atmosphere becomes moist evident by a plume of PWATS
nearing two inches. Storm motion is around 20 knots, so training
will be the main culprit of any flooding that happens. Not so
excited about severe weather given the lack of dry air that we
had the past two days, which has dropped the dcape by a factor
or two.

For Monday:
Latest high resolution guidance continues to decrease the aerial
coverage of showers and storms. This decreases the confidence in
the need for a flash flood watch for Monday. We will wait and
see who gets hit today then go from there.

Potential differentiating factors...potential for extra cloud
cover to limit heating and reducing buoyancy development
(maintain the flood threat but further eroding wind/hail
threats)...and/or subtle mid-level ridging working around the
upper trough that offers enough subsidence to displace
convective activity to the north/east. Like today, hi-res
modeling favors areas southeast of Pittsburgh to maximize the
environmental parameters to reach those severe/flood risks but
confidence is low on this occuring.

KEY MESSAGE 2...
The sagging trough slowly shifts east the region through the
latter portion of the week, acting to limit airmass changes to
escape the daily potential for diurnally driven thunderstorms.
Favored areas are more likely to be dictated by the subtle areas
of jet-induced lift/sink around the trough as well as residual
storm outflows because surface frontogenesis and wind is
expected to remain fairly non- existent. There is variance in
how quickly the upper trough becomes positioned to the east,
meaning variance on when the "lull" period may occur. Quicker
solutions offer lower PoPs by Wednesday afternoon and
temperature climbing a few degrees above normal; slower
solutions result in a continuation of "chance" or so PoPs for
Wednesday as temperature sits near average.

Of higher confidence is that a more progressive upper trough is
favored to cross Thursday into Friday and continue the broken
record of shower/thunderstorm chances. Machine learning guidance
for Thursday has the highest probability for storms with
between 5 to 15 %. CIPS analog is a touch higher.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
The afternoon will feature some scattered showers and
thunderstorms at the terminals by the 18Z to 23Z timeframe
today. Some afternoon cumulus is developing at 2 KFT to 3 KFT
making some MVFR cigs at some TAF sites. Have used some TEMPO
groups for the onset on convection this afternoon mainly between
19Z and 22Z. This will result in some MVFR/IFR conditions at
the terminals. Expect a down tick in convection after 00Z
tonight. A few showers are expected to linger through the night.

For tonight, dense fog is expected again with sites dropping
down to field mins in some cases. After another day of warm and
muggy conditions with scattered showers and thunderstorms,
another night of impacts to vis and cigs are expected.

A few TAF sites will see some renewed convection tomorrow
afternoon. Some ensemble data suggests that some terminals could
see activity as soon as 16Z tomorrow.

Outlook...
Morning fog and stratus restrictions giving way to MVFR/VFR cu
and diurnally driven thunderstorms can be expected through
Wednesday as the upper trough driving the weather slowly shifts
east.

&&

.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...Flood Watch until 10 PM EDT this evening for PAZ007-013-014-
     020>022-029-073>078.
OH...Flood Watch until 10 PM EDT this evening for OHZ041.
WV...Flood Watch until 10 PM EDT this evening for WVZ001>003.

&&

DISCUSSION...Frazier/McMullen
AVIATION...Shallenberger
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 5, 11:05 AM EDT, 5 hours 17 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1105 AM EDT Sun Jul 5 2026

OHZ039-040-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ008-009-015-016-031-WVZ004-012-
021-509>514-061515-
Tuscarawas-Carroll-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH-Muskingum-
Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Venango-Forest-Clarion-Jefferson PA-
Greene-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia-
Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston-
Eastern Preston-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker-
1105 AM EDT Sun Jul 5 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western
Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Diurnally driven thunderstorms may offer low probabilities for
damaging winds and large hail this afternoon and evening.
Potentially more impactful is the risk of localized flash flooding
for any storms that train or sit at a location for too long of a
period.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Additional thunderstorms, mainly posing a flash flood risk though
wind/hail threats can't be ruled out, are expected Monday afternoon
and evening.

Though storm chances remain in the forecast the rest of the week,
the probability of severe/flood risks appear low at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

OHZ041-PAZ007-013-014-020>022-029-073>078-WVZ001>003-061515-
Columbiana-Mercer-Lawrence-Butler-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-
Washington-Westmoreland-Higher Elevations of Westmoreland-Fayette-
Higher Elevations of Fayette-Indiana-Higher Elevations of Indiana-
Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-
1105 AM EDT Sun Jul 5 2026

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western
Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Flood Watch.

Diurnally driven thunderstorms may offer low probabilities for
damaging winds and large hail this afternoon and evening.
Potentially more impactful is the risk of localized flash flooding
for any storms that train or sit at a location for too long of a
period.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Additional thunderstorms, mainly posing a flash flood risk though
wind/hail threats can't be ruled out, are expected Monday afternoon
and evening.

Though storm chances remain in the forecast the rest of the week,
the probability of severe/flood risks appear low at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

98

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 5, 3:56 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 5, 4:01 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 5, 4:02 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 5, 4:08 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 5, 4:13 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 5, 4:19 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 5, 2:44 AM EDTDense Fog AdvisoryPBZClarion, Forest, Jefferson, Venango6 hr
Jul 5, 11:03 AM EDTFlood WatchPBZAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette and 8 more11 hr
Jul 5, 2:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatPBZLawrence36 min
Jul 5, 2:35 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZArmstrong, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango3 hr
Jul 5, 2:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZBeaver, Butler, Lawrence38 min
Jul 5, 3:51 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZArmstrong, Clarion, Jefferson3 hr
Jul 5, 4:01 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZBeaver2 hr
Jul 5, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZAllegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Westmoreland44 min
Jul 5, 4:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZArmstrong, Butler, Indiana, Jefferson3 hr
Jul 5, 5:02 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZArmstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland2 hr
Jul 5, 5:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZIndiana20 min
Jul 5, 5:44 PM EDTTornado WarningPBZIndiana16 min
Jul 4, 8:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZMonroe, Noble3 hr
Jul 4, 11:03 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningPBZMonroe, Noble117 min
Jul 5, 3:14 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZMonroe, Noble2 hr
Jul 5, 5:34 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPBZTuscarawas101 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2026Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 2026Every flash flood warning in 2026

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.