Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 8, 1986, 8:55 PM EDT for Beaver County, Butler County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 65 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 8, 1986, 8:55 PM EDT (00:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 8, 1986, 10:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Beaver County, PA, Butler County, PA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 9:00 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Beaver, PA | |
| Jul 8, 9:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Beaver, PA | |
| Jul 8, 9:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Butler, PA | |
| Jul 8, 9:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Butler, PA |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 43 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 73 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -155 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1274 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 105 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 112 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPIT 090056 TORPIT PAC037-019-005-090200- BULLETIN BROADCAST IMMEDIATELY TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 855 PM EDT TUE JUL 08 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 1000 PM FOR THESE COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...ARMSTRONG..BEAVER..AND BUTLER COUNTIES. AT 845 PM NATIONAL WEATHER RADAR AT PITTSBURGH INDICATED TWO TORNADOES. ONE NEAR BIG BEAVER BOROUGH AND THE SECOND SOUTHEAST OF BUTLER. BOTH WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH WHICH WILL MOVE THEM ACROSS EASTERN BEAVER..SOUTHERN BUTLER..AND SOUTHERN ARMSTRONG COUNTIES. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THESE TORNADOES COULD ENTER NORTHERN ALLEGHENY AND NORTHERN WESTMORELAND COUNTIES.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Jul 8, 3:31 PM EDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
257 PM EDT TUE JUL 08 1986
DATE TIME EDT COUNTY EVENT
JUL 8 1249PM BEAVER TREES DOWN AND POWER LINES DOWN
IN BADEN AND ROCHESTER
JUL 8 1250PM ALLEGHENY POWER LINES DOWN TARENTUM
JUL 8 215PM BEAVER GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL ALLIQUIPALocal storm report, Jul 8, 6:51 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA 647 PM EDT TUE JUL 08 1986 DATE TIME EDT COUNTY EVENT JUL 8 420PM BEAVER HOOKSTOWN..POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN JUL 8 ^ 430PM WESTMORELAND PENN TOWNSHIP..TREES DOWN
Special weather statement, Jul 8, 8:18 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA 818 PM EDT WED JUL 08 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS CONTINUING THE FLOOD WATCH AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS UNTIL MIDNIGHT. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING AMOUNTS OF HIGH WIND..HAIL..AND LIGHTNING. IF YOU ARE IN FLOOD PRONE AREA..BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING FROM REPEATED HEAVY RAIN. MOST OF THE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON HAD TRACKED THROUGH BEAVER.. ALLEGHENY..WESTMORELAND..FAYETTE AND SOMERSET COUNTIES. SO THESE AREAS ARE MORE PRONE TO FLOODING THAN OTHER AREAS. HOWEVER..AT 815 PM PITTSBURGH WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM OVER BUTLER COUNTY HEADING INTO ARMSTRONG COUNTY. SO FLOODING IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY ELSEWHERE. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER ADVISORIES. RWH/LG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 8:55 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | PBZ | Armstrong | 65 min |
| Jul 9, 12:40 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Beaver, Butler | 50 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.