Flooding could rival Hurrican Ivan

[coriolis]

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

...FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 931 PM EST FRI APR 1 2005
... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS EXPANDED THE FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES...

WARREN... MCKEAN... POTTER... ELK... CAMERON AND CLEARFIELD.

... THE FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR FOLLOWING PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES...

ADAMS... BEDFORD... BLAIR... CAMBRIA... COLUMBIA... CUMBERLAND... DAUPHIN... FRANKLIN... FULTON... HUNTINGDON... JUNIATA... LANCASTER... LEBANON... MIFFLIN... MONTOUR... NORTHERN CENTRE... NORTHERN CLINTON... NORTHERN LYCOMING... NORTHUMBERLAND... PERRY... SCHUYLKILL... SNYDER... SOMERSET... SOUTHERN CENTRE... SOUTHERN CLINTON... SOUTHERN LYCOMING... SULLIVAN... TIOGA... UNION AND YORK.

A STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTHWARD ALONG THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY... REACHING EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA BY SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS STORM WILL BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN TO MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT... WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN LIKELY FALLING DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON SATURDAY.

THE GROUND IS ALREADY WET FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL... AND STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE RUNNING HIGH. SO... ANY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING. PEOPLE ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SHOULD PREPARE FOR FLOODING STARTING EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND LASTING THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

THE FLOODING THIS WEEKEND AND THIS UPCOMING WEEK WILL LIKELY BE WORSE THAN THE EVENT EARLIER THIS WEEK.

IF THE PROJECTED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OCCUR... MANY SMALLER UNGAGED STREAMS AND CREEKS WOULD EXCEED BANKFULL. LOCAL URBAN FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE PRACTICALLY A CERTAINTY WITH THIS EXPECTED HEAVY RAINFALL.

GENERALLY MINOR FLOODING WOULD RESULT ACROSS THE TRIBUTARIES OF THE JUNIATA AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. HOWEVER... ALONG THE MAIN STEM SUSQUEHANNA FROM BLOOMSBURG TO MARIETTA... MODERATE FLOODING WOULD OCCUR. THIS WOULD RESULT FROM THE COMBINATION OF THE LOCAL HEAVY RAINFALL... PLUS THE ADDED CONTRIBUTION OF SNOWMELT FROM THE UPPER SUSQUEHANNA REGION IN NEW YORK.

IF THE PROJECTED RAINFALL OCCURS... FLOODING ALONG THE MAIN STEM SUSQUEHANNA COULD RIVAL THE LEVELS REACHED DURING HURRICANE IVAN AT BLOOMSBURG AND DANVILLE... WITH LEVELS 3 TO 4 FEET LOWER THAN RECORDED DURING IVAN AT SUNBURY... HARRISBURG AND MARIETTA.

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA... BUT IS NOT IMMINENT. IF YOU ARE IN THE WATCH AREA... CHECK YOUR PREPAREDNESS REQUIREMENTS... ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE INTERESTS ALONG AREA RIVERS. KEEP INFORMED... AND BE READY FOR ACTION IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR IF A FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED.

[ohiostorm]

Definately not a good thing. We already have close to an inch here in Eastern Ohio with probably 1 to 3 more coming, especially if we get into the moderate to heavy bands that remain persistant. I know we are very saturated from earlier in the week and still seeing effects from Septembers flooding. Any rainfall we get will runoff quickly and cause flooding.

How much rain did you guys get during Ivan?

[coriolis]

If I remember correctly, it was like 5 inches, but I'd have to check. We had a flash flood in the creek behind our house and it came within 3" elevation of getting into our garage. After the creek went down, the main river (west branch susquehanna) relentlessly rose till the water was about 4 houses down from us. We got 30" of water in our basement but didn't lose anything.

[ohiostorm]

We had around 6 to 7 inches here with Ivan. Devestating flash flooding. Basement flooded some here but houses we destroyed in some parts. Hope we dont have flooding like that this time!