Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 26, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 17, 1987, 8:54 PM EDT for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 56 min. 1 report 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
- Sep 17, 1987, 8:54 PM EDT (00:54 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 17, 1987, 9:50 PM EDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cumberland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 9:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cumberland, 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
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 135 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
- 1181 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -62 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1046 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 90 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 2.8
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 4:06 PM EDT, 4 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 400 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARDS THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY... THE HARRIBURG WEATHER RADAR AT 345 PM EDT WAS OBSERVING VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM CENTRE COUNTY SOUTH INTO HUNTINGDON AND MIFFLIN COUNTIES. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH AND WILL BE INTO THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY BY 430 PM EDT. HEAVY RAINS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. POEPLE IN THE ABOVE LISTED COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS UNTIL 500 PM EDT. WSO HAR NEFF
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 5:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 505 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN MIDDLE AND NORTHERN PORTION OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY... THE HARRIBURG WEATHER RADAR AT 455 PM EDT WAS OBSERVING VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM MONTOUR AND NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTIES SOUTH INTO DAUPHIN COUNTY. A SECOND AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHWESTERN HUNTINGDON AND CENTRAL PORTION OF CENTRE COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. THE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AT 25 TO 35 MPH. WSO HAR NEFF
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 5:56 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 550 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE MOVING RADIPLY EAST FROM THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY... AT 540 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS OBSERVING TWO CLUSTERS OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. THE FIRST CLUSTER WAS LOCATED FROM COLUMBIA COUNTY SOUTH INTO SCHUYLKILL...LEBANON AND DAUPHIN COUNTIES. A SECOND CLUSTER OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN MIFFLIN AND HUNTINGDON COUNTIES. AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH...THEY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...POSSIBLY CAUSING FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL. RESIDENTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS UNTIL 700 PM EDT. WSO HAR FITZSIMMONS
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 6:59 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 655 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... AT 650 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS INDICATING AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM CENTER COUNTY SOUTH INTO HUNTINGDON COUNTY. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED JUST EAST OF RAYSTOWN LAKE AND BETWEEN BELLEVILLE AND LEWISTON IN MIFFLIN COUNTY. AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO THE EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH...THEY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS POSSIBLY CAUSING FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. RESIDENTS IN THESE COUNTIES AND IN THE COUNTIES OF UNION...SYNDER... JUNIATA AND PERRY COUNTIES CAN EXPECT RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITION UNTIL 800 PM EDT WSO HAR FITZSIMMONS
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 7:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 655 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... AT 650 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS INDICATING AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM CENTER COUNTY SOUTH INTO HUNTINGDON COUNTY. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED JUST EAST OF RAYSTOWN LAKE AND BETWEEN BELLEVILLE AND LEWISTON IN MIFFLIN COUNTY. AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO THE EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH...THEY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS POSSIBLY CAUSING FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. RESIDENTS IN THESE COUNTIES AND IN THE COUNTIES OF UNION...SYNDER... JUNIATA AND PERRY CAN EXPECT RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITION UNTIL 800 PM EDT. WSO HAR FITZSIMMONS
Special weather statement, Sep 17, 8:19 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 810 PM EDT THU SEP 17 1987 ...CLUSTER OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS CUMBERLAND COUNTY... AT 815 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS OBSERVING AN INTENSE CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY. SPOTTERS IN THE NEWVILLE AREA HAVE REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO. THIS STORM WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH AND WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLY CAUSING FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE... GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND HAIL. RESIDENTS IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS UNTIL 900 PM EDT. END WSO HAR 9FITZSIMMONS
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 9:04 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland | 3 hr |
| Sep 17, 11:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams | 57 min |
| Sep 18, 5:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 64 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987
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.