Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 1988, 6:33 PM EDT for Bradford County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 27 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
- Jul 16, 1988, 6:33 PM EDT (22:33 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 16, 1988, 7:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Bradford 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 16, 6:40 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Bradford, 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
Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 220 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
- 17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -395 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1194 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 75 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 155 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 KIPT 162236 SVRIPT PAC015-162300- BULLETIN-IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA 633 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...BRADFORD AT 630 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST BRADFORD COUNTY. NUMEROUS TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN AND POWER OUT IN CENTRAL BRADFORD COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS..HAIL..HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH AND/OR HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER IN DIAMETER. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CALL THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORcT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. HM
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, Jul 16, 2:45 PM EDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA 245 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDEERSTORM WATCH FOR CLINTON...TIOGA AND BRADFORD COUNTIES IN NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA EFFECTIVE FROM 300 PM EDT TO 1000 PM EDT THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE COUNTIES. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STSTEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. PMG
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 5:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA 515 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR CLINTON...TIOGA AND BRADFORD COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN TIOGA COUNTY... AT 510 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF TIOGA COUNTY. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS NEAR ELKLAND AND WELLSBORO. ALL OF THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL CROSS THE REMAINDER OF TIOGA COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. PERSONS LIVING IN TIOGA COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT TO CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR CLINTON...TIOGA AND BRADFORD COUNTIES. ALL &PERSONS SHOULD STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THEIR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS. JPD
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 5:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton | 35 min |
| Jul 16, 6:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bradford | 27 min |
| Jul 16, 6:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming | 60 min |
| Jul 16, 6:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton | 30 min |
| Jul 16, 7:17 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming | 28 min |
| Jul 16, 7:54 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Northumberland | 36 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988
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.