Passage of an upper trough and weak shear and wind flow supported the development of thunderstorms with heavy rain on Wednesday, May 11th. Thunderstorms passed over locations in Ohio and West Virginia that were trained over the day before, causing additional flooding and a small mudslide.
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The episode as NWS PBZ wrote it up.
Passage of an upper trough and weak shear and wind flow supported the development of thunderstorms with heavy rain on Wednesday, May 11th. Thunderstorms passed over locations in Ohio and West Virginia that were trained over the day before, causing additional flooding and a small mudslide.
The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at May 11, 4:38 PM EST, 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 538 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Periodic shower and thunderstorm chances will persist until the passage of a Friday morning cold front. Another cold front will maintain shower chances Saturday. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... An area of clearing between the wave that moved through this morning with abundant clouds and a second wave now pushing into southeastern Ohio has allowed for some amount of destabilization of the column per the latest mesoanalysis. This has allowed for convection to develop with the trailing wave, which should gradually shift to the southeast as the wave does likewise into the evening. This will be the primary focus for organized development across the area this evening. Of most concern with this is that the northern portions of the system is not moving particularly fast, nor is shear particularly strong. This is allowing for slow-moving thunderstorms that are dropping a fair amount of rainfall in a short period in some small areas. At the moment, this seems to be concentrated in far eastern Ohio, however this will likely transition toward northern West Virginia and far southwestern Pennsylvania over the next few hours. Luckily, as the sun sets, convection should likewise weaken due to the very modest synoptic contribution to development. As the wave moves off to the east overnight, some amount of clearing will be evident behind it. However, with poor advection and mixing, a moist boundary layer will remain in its wake. This will mean a secondary development of fog and low clouds overnight as temperatures cool to the dewpoints. Fries && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... Precipitation chances will continue Thursday as a warm front lifts over the area. ridging will keep activity from developing much through the morning, but increasing dewpoints and a shortwave ahead the approaching cold front along with daytime heating will result in development by mid- afternoon. Scattered showers and storm chances will continue thursday night as the cold front crosses the region. The best chance for stronger storms will be over eastern Ohio zones late afternoon through early evening. The evening / overnight timing of frontal passage is unfavorable for continued thunderstorm activity through the night and expect mainly showers along the front. Friday will be largely dry except for a slight chance of seeing development over higher elevations east of Pittsburgh where moisture lingers longest. Another cold front will cross the region Saturday morning bringing another round of rain and cooler temperatures. With latest M-climate return interval values for heights and temperatures aloft ranging between 10 and 30, daytime max temperatures were forecast to be 15 degrees below normal on average. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A broad east coast trough is expected to result in well below average temperatures and low shower chances through late in the weekend. Ridging is progged to briefly build in Monday before a midwestern trough begins it's slow approach through mid week, returning shower chances to the forecast. After Sunday, temperatures should gradually nudge closer to seasonal levels through mid week. && .AVIATION /22Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Mainly VFR conditions are expected through this evening, though an upper level trough combined with marginal instability should result in scattered thunderstorms across the area this afternoon. Maintained a VCTS mention if the taf for now as coverage and timing remain in question. Otherwise, MVFR to IFR conditions in fog and stratus are possible again late tonight. These conditions should improve to VFR by late morning Thursday. Thunderstorm chances return late Thursday with an approaching cold front but left mention out of tafs for now. .OUTLOOK /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... Periodic restrictions are expected through Sunday with the approach and passage of a series of cold fronts, and subsequent upper troughing. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. OH...None. PA...None. WV...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 353 AM EDT WED MAY 11 2016 MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023- 029-031-073>076-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-120800- GARRETT-TUSCARAWAS-CARROLL-COLUMBIANA-COSHOCTON-HARRISON-JEFFERSON- MUSKINGUM-GUERNSEY-BELMONT-NOBLE-MONROE-MERCER-VENANGO-FOREST- LAWRENCE-BUTLER-CLARION-BEAVER-ALLEGHENY-ARMSTRONG-INDIANA- WASHINGTON-GREENE-WESTMORELAND-WESTMORELAND RIDGES-FAYETTE- FAYETTE RIDGES-HANCOCK-BROOKE-OHIO-MARSHALL-WETZEL-MARION-MONONGALIA- RIDGES OF EASTERN MONONGALIA AND NORTHWESTERN PRESTON-PRESTON- EASTERN PRESTON-WESTERN TUCKER-EASTERN TUCKER- 353 AM EDT WED MAY 11 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MARYLAND...EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency manager reported that Barton Road was flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 639184.