Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 57, NWS State College, PA

August 28, 1990Clinton County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 28, 1990, 3:44 AM EDT for Clinton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 46 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 1990, 3:44 AM EDT (07:44 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 1990, 4:30 AM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Clinton 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

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 208 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1990-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 663 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1990-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
663 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-184 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1181 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KIPT 280744
SVRIPT
PAC035-117-280830-

BULLETIN-IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA
344 AM EDT TUE AUG 28 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...CLINTON AND TIOGA

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTHWEST TIOGA COUNTY INTO WESTERN
CLINTON COUNTY.  THESE THUNDERTSORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF EXTREMELY
HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AS THEY PASSED THROUGH WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

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 REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

HM/KF

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, Aug 28, 3:10 AM EDT, 34 minutes before
PAZ006-013-280800-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 258 AM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HARRISBURG WAS SHOWING
A 5 MILE WIDE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM SOUTHWEST JEFFERSON
COUNTY...ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DUBOIS...TO WEST POTTER COUNTY AND NORTH
INTO NEW YORK.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. AT THIS RATE
STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN COUNTY BY AROUND 330 AM. BY 430 AM THE
LINE OF STORM SHOULD EXTEND FROM JUST SOUTH OF ALTOONA TO 15 MILES NORTHWEST
OF BLOOMSBURG.

GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING COULD ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

WSO HAR RBH
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 3:10 AM EDT, 34 minutes before
PAZ007-008-014-280755

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA
310 AM EDT TUE AUG 28 1990

AT 300 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN ROCHESTER AND PITTSBURGH.  HEAVIER
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHWESTERN POTTER COUNTY.  BRADFORD
PENNSYLVANIA REPORTED WIND GUSTS OF OVER 50 MPH WHEN THE STORMS PASSED
BY THEM.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 40 MPH AND
SHOULD ENTER CLINTON COUNTY BY 320 AM...AND WILL BE NEAR WILLIAMSPORT
BY 330 AM EDT.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS
AND HEAVY RAIN.  IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...GO TO A SAFE
PLACE...PREFERABLY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

KF
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 3:15 AM EDT, 29 minutes before
PAZ006-013-280800-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 258 AM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HARRISBURG WAS SHOWING
A 5 MILE WIDE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM SOUTHWEST JEFFERSON
COUNTY...ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DUBOIS...TO WEST POTTER COUNTY AND NORTH
INTO NEW YORK.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. AT THIS RATE
STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN CENTRE COUNTY BY AROUND 330 AM. BY 430 AM
THE LINE OF STORM SHOULD EXTEND FROM JUST SOUTH OF ALTOONA TO 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF BLOOMSBURG.

GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING COULD ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

WSO HAR RBH

The office that day

Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 3:44 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPTioga46 min
Aug 28, 3:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLycoming64 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.