Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1990, 7:36 PM EDT for Dauphin County, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 54 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 13, 1990, 7:36 PM EDT (23:36 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 1990, 8:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Dauphin County, PA, Lancaster County, PA, Lebanon County, PA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 166 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
- 6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -272 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 668 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 235 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 315 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 KHAR 132337
SVRHAR
PAC043-071-075-140030-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
736 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HARRISBURG HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
...SOUTHERN DAUPHIN...NORTH CENTRAL LANCASTER...LEBANON
AT 730 PM RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH
NORTHERN LANCASTER...SOUTHERN DAUPHIN AND LEBANON COUNTIES. THESE
STORM HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN NORTHERN YORK
COUNTY. THESE ARE DAGEROUS STORMS. PERSONS SHOULD TAKE SHELTER WHEN
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOU LD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.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, May 13, 3:35 PM EDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
PAZ009-102100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 335 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990 ...LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY... AT 325 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HARRISBURG WAS SHOWING A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM SOUTHERN CENTRE COUNTY THROUGH FRANKLIN COUNTY AND DOWN INTO MARYLAND. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY IN PENNSYLVANIA WAS MODERATE SHOWERS...HOWEVER THERE WERE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS JUST SOUTH OF FRANKLIN COUNTY. THE STORMS IN MARYLAND WERE JUST WEST OF HAGERSTOWN AND MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. AT THIS RATE THEY COULD ENTER SOUTH ADAMS COUNTY SHORTLY. THESE STORMBS COULD BE ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS... DANGEROUS LIGHTENING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS. KEEP THIS IN MIND IF YOU SEE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING. STAY TUNED TO THE NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. WSO HAR
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:31 PM EDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PAZ009-102215- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 525 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM... ...CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES... AT 522 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST THROUGH BALTIMORE COUNTY IN MARYLAND. THEY WERE NEAR THE TOWN OF DELTA ON THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. THESE STORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED WIND DAMAGE IN CARROLL COUNTY MARYLAND....POSSIBLY A TORNADO. PERSONS IN SOUTHERN YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES OF PENNSYLVANIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS. THEY MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THEY WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AROUND 35 TO 40 MPH. PERSONS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. WSO HAR JORDAN
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
PAZ009-013-102230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA.
545 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990
...TORNADO WATCH FOR YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM...
...NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS TOWARD WESTERN PORTION OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...
AT 540 PM RADAR SHOWED A NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH
NORTHERN HUNTIGDON COUNTY AND SOUTH MIFFLIN COUNTY TOWARD THE WESTERN
PORTION OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY.
THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING MAINLY EAST
AROUND 35 MPH.
PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES AND COUNTIES TO THE EAST SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS.
WSO HAR JORDANSpecial weather statement, May 13, 6:10 PM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
PAZ009-012-102230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA.
600 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990
...TORNADO WATCH FOR YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM...
...A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST MARYLAND JUST
SOUTH OF LANCASTER COUNTY...
AT 555 PM RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH
HARTFORD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND. THESE STORMS PRODUCED WIND
DAMAGE WHEN THEY MOVED THROUGH CARROLL COUNTY EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.
THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING MAINLY EAST
AROUND 35 MPH. PERSONS IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND AND LANCASTER AND CHESTER
COUNTIES OF PENNSYLVANIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS.
THIS WILL BE THE HARRISBURGS LAST STATEMENT ON THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
WSO HAR JORDANSpecial weather statement, May 13, 6:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
PAZ009-013-102315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA. 620 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM... ...A NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN FRANKLIN AND SOUTHERN PERRY COUNTIES... AT 615 PM RADAR SHOWED A NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN FRANKLIN AND SOUTHERN PERRY COUNTIES. THEY WILL SOON MOVE INTO NORTHERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING MAINLY EAST AROUND 35 MPH. PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES AND COUNTIES TO THE EAST SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS. SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. WSO HAR JORDAN
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 7:19 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | York | 41 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.