Flooding and the impact it can have throughout Western Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Flooding -- It's one our area's most common and deadly weather threats thanks to our terrain and location near the jet stream, and it can happen during any season at any time.
So are we seeing more of these flooding events? Yes we are.
"If you look at that last 22 years, we've had 5 instances of 3" an hour rain rates observed at Pittsburgh. From 1950-2000 we've only had 4", said Fred McMullen with the National Weather Service.
You're probably thinking of events like Ivan in 2004 or the South Hills flooding in June of 2018.
Most recently, Westmoreland County communities were hit hard with stagnant rain that washed out the Steelers' Friday Night Lights and damaged numerous homes, some even on hilltops.
"It was just overwhelming to see something like that happen," said Wanda White, a Munhall resident.
Wanda watched as water rushed down the street in her Munhall neighborhood then eventually burst into her basement like an aquarium.
"It filled up so much it would break through the pane of my window and flowed in. It was just an avalanche of craziness," said.
And it when comes to flash flooding...
"So it's not necessarily about the total amount of rain that you get, it's about how fast, the rate of that rain. That's really what causes these issues," said Ken Graham, Director of the National Weather Service.
So what's new? What is being done now about the communication aspect? And how can you know faster when the next event is happening? It all starts with the verbiage.
"We could have a perfect forecast right? If it's not understood, if it's too confusing whether it's terminology or the language that we use, then it doesn't do any good. You have to have words that are actionable," Graham said.
Thanks to this cool technology, alerts will be sent straight to your phone in the case flooding is considered "considerable" or "catastrophic."
"So Ivan of 2004, South Hills flood June of 2018, those are events we would set your phones off for," McMullen said.
It always important to have a plan in place in case there's flooding, but before you do that, you need to know your risk.
"If you don't know your risk, how are you going to know what to plan for?" Graham asked.
When a flood watch is issued, have that plan in place. When a flash flood warning is issued, take that plan into action.
"But the most important thing is people stay vigilant have multiple ways to receive flash flood warnings and know what to do when it happens," McMullen said.
And with powerful flooding can be, remember that it's up to you and how you plan on saving your life and your family's lives.
"You try to push forward but it was just like 'wow'. It was just unbelievable," White said.
