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Central PA Spring 2022


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Continued light to moderate rainfall currently. 3.58” is the total rainfall so far as measured by my gauge (Ambient WS-5000 station). 2.7” through midnight yesterday and 0.88” so far today since midnight. A check of other stations on the network around town have similar amounts as well (generally within a couple tenths of my amount). It looks like CCX radar has been low balling its precip estimates with this event. It has seemed mostly like a very efficient type rainfall and I wonder if a different VCP setting would be more accurate in that regard.  Either way a really impressive synoptic event with the signature highly anomalous easterly fetch drawing in a boatload of moisture.. 

Minor flooding issues in the usual spots are ongoing, but definitely concerned this afternoon if that enhanced stuff lurking in between Harrisburg and Williamsport manages to back its way back into here. We’re at a point where a period of heavy rainfall is going to escalate flooding issues pretty quick. 

 

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59 minutes ago, Superstorm said:


That is scary. Must have been surreal.

I worked at a nuclear power plant in Berwick in my young engineering career. Definitely had a sense of feeling safe, but there was that presence of danger.


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Nice. My step dad worked at Exelon’s (formerly PECO) plant in Peach Bottom his whole career, just retired. 

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That is scary. Must have been surreal.

I worked at a nuclear power plant in Berwick in my young engineering career. Definitely had a sense of feeling safe, but there was that presence of danger.


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Interesting! The company I work for now is involved with the SSES Berwick plant.. the lore of the TMI incident was one of the things that got me interested in the power industry growing up.. Vivid memories of going out on my uncle’s boat on the Susquehanna down by Middletown and being fixated on the massive amount of steam ascending from the cooling tower, fascinated by the amount of energy that a single reactor could produce and the responsibility associated with harnessing that force of nature.. the fact that it was surrounded by armed guards and layers of security added to the sense of mystery and really made me want to see the inter-workings….

Lo and behold, decades later I’ve gotten to scratch that itch.. And to be honest, the scope and scale of the whole operation of commercial nuclear plants still amazes me…(Snowstorms might be the only other thing in life for which I’ve never lost my child-like sense of awe)..

I also binge watched the TMI documentary while the Sixers were laying an egg the other night in game 2.. I guess there’s always some level of sensationalism to hook the viewer, but I thought they did a really nice job at capturing the series of events and the very real confusion and fear at the time of a truly unprecedented event. I tried to check my benefit of hindsight at the door when watching and keep in mind that in the moment there were legitimate disagreements among renowned nuclear engineers and physicists as to what was going on within the core and what level of danger the suspected hydrogen bubble imposed… terrifying… and that confusion funneled down to an absolute PR/communications debacle from Met-Ed and NRC officials throughout the week.. the fact that the China Syndrome was released just days prior and had already worked it’s way into the public psyche was an eerie coincidence too..I felt so bad watching the Middletown residents relive that.. I could talk for hours on this stuff because the history and implications of the accident still fascinate me but I’ll stop here and bring it back to weather.. Just cracked 3 inches for the event around 12:30!


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15 minutes ago, Anduril said:

Huh didn't think we'd gotten that much rain

Screenshot 2022-05-07 133317.png

No wonder you guys have flood warnings out there.

As it is, I'm surprised that advisories haven't advanced eastward into the coal region. Mt Holly hoised them this afternoon for Carbon County and the Poconos.

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37 minutes ago, Superstorm said:

46F….I bet there is some wet snow in the poconos.


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I was down as low as 43.2 a little while ago, so perhaps a few flakes mixed in up there? Anyway, looking at radar, the coastal low is quite apparent with the banding features that seem to be setting up now. Although we, too, are in a bit of a lull. I'm sure some heavier bands will occasionally pivot on through.

Up to 3.30" in the backyard gauge as of 3:50pm.

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58 minutes ago, Superstorm said:

46F….I bet there is some wet snow in the poconos.


.

 

18 minutes ago, Voyager said:

I was down as low as 43.2 a little while ago, so perhaps a few flakes mixed in up there? Anyway, looking at radar, the coastal low is quite apparent with the banding features that seem to be setting up now. Although we, too, are in a bit of a lull. I'm sure some heavier bands will occasionally pivot on through.

Up to 3.30" in the backyard gauge as of 3:50pm.

Temp here has been slowly but steadily falling all day - from 50.2 at 8am to the current 45.6

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Well, I obviously would have rather seen a storm like this in the frozen form in Dec-Feb but I did score some flooding pics. This was in the next valley over from Altoona (Sinking Valley). Definitely lots of runoff coming out of that valley. These flooding pics are from a minor tributary, not the river it eventually feeds into. 

3BE9A090-C3A6-4E7E-8D8E-97CA94199F99.thumb.jpeg.697c2f2a5e30a33793b7c4da42ead7e4.jpeg

2ECDBEB9-670B-4966-8F5F-84DA64739734.thumb.jpeg.13a16aa76622003fe21ae41976b38de5.jpeg

C845148B-975C-4D08-B1FC-6CC8F9A3300A.thumb.jpeg.011e38a04a5560a939c237afe9b2bc9a.jpeg

 

Fortunately that heavy enhanced stuff did stay east this afternoon or this would have been a much more significant river flooding event around here. The local stuff is currently cresting mostly in the minor category.

Rain totals here at home are up to 3.71” for the event and also 5.07” for the week with the rain/thunderstorms we got Tues eve into Wed morning. That additional rain earlier in the week was likely a factor in why the Juniata basin was the more vulnerable area for this event. 

 

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Todays high of 50 in Millersville would be the record low high temp if it were yesterday or tomorrow.  But alas, today record low high temp is 46 so no soup there.  But good lawd, it is butt ugly outside (I believe that is the official term). 

  3.29" storm total so far.    

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11 minutes ago, Anduril said:

Weather station now reporting 4.99in of rain for the event and still raining. Not sure I really buy that number but...its alot of water

That seems a bit overdone but it has been windy so def a thing. 3.7” give or take for me. 

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