Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 8, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Sep 6, 1990, 5:06 PM EDT for Butler County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 54 min. 2 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
- Sep 6, 1990, 5:06 PM EDT (21:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 6, 1990, 6:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 5:10 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Butler, PA | |
| Sep 6, 5:10 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 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 58 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
- 58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -206 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 691 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 59 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 68 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 062106 TORPIT PAC019-062200- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 506 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA ...BUTLER COUNTY A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS BEEN REPORTED NEAR PORTERSVILLE AND WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH THROUGH BUTLER COUNTY UNTIL 600 PM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
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
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 2:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-062200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 245 PM EDT FRI SEP 6 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 800 PM THIS EVENING. AT 245 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAKE ERIE AND NORTHEASTERN OHIO. THE MOST POTENT STORMS WERE LOCATED JUST WEST OF ERIE PENNSYLVANIA TO NEAR CLEVELAND OHIO. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE ERIE AREA BY 300 PM. EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND HAIL AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH BETWEEN 300 AND 330 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL REACH THE FRANKLIN...MEADVILLE AND TITUSVILLE AREAS BETWEEN 330 AND 400 PM. MOTORISTS ON INTERSTATE 79 AND 90 NEAR ERIE AND MEADVILLE CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH THE PITTSBURGH...WHEELING AND BUTLER AREAS BETWEEN 500 PM AND 600 PM. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING 12 COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... ALLEGHENY...BEAVER...BUTLER...CRAWFORD...ERIE...FAYETTE...GREENE... LAWRENCE...MERCER...VENANGO...WASHINGTON...WESTMORELAND AND THE FOLLOWING 4 COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... BROOKE...HANCOCK...MARSHALL...OHIO A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IF THREATING APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. PALKO/HIGGINS
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 3:42 PM EDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-062300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 335 PM EDT FRI SEP 6 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS FOR ERIE AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM... AT 335 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTHEASTERN OHIO. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR ERIE PENNSYLVANIA...TO NEAR AKRON OHIO. THE SEVERE STORMS IN PENNSYLVANIA WERE NEAR ERIE...ALBION...LINESVILLE AND THE PYMATUNING RESERVOIR. EXPECT DAMAGING WINDS...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND LARGE HAIL AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH BETWEEN NOW AND 415 PM. IF YOU ARE BOATING AND SEE SKIES DARKEN...MOVE TO SHORE AT ONCE. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 800 PM THIS EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL REACH THE BEAVER FALLS...MORAINE STATE PARK AND KNOX AREAS BEWTEEN 500 PM AND 530 PM. MOTORISTS ON INTERSTATE 79 AND 90 NEAR ERIE AND MEADVILLE CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH THE PITTSBURGH...WHEELING AND BUTLER AREAS BETWEEN 600 PM AND 630 PM. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING 12 COUNTIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... ALLEGHENY...BEAVER...BUTLER...CRAWFORD...ERIE...FAYETTE...GREENE... LAWRENCE...MERCER...VENANGO...WASHINGTON...WESTMORELAND AND THE FOLLOWING 4 COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE... BROOKE...HANCOCK...MARSHALL...OHIO A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THCE WATCH AREA...WHILE A WARNING MEANS SEVERE WEATHER IS OR WILL OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IF THREATING APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. PALKO/HIGGINS
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 4:34 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-062200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 435 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR MUCH OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA... AT 430 PM PITTSBURGH WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WARREN COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA TO CARROLL COUNTY OHIO. SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED IN NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA AND A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED IN NORTHEAST OHIO. THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. AT THE PRESENT MOVEMENT THE STORMS WILL PASS THROUGH ALLEGHENY COUNTY...CITY OF PITTSBURGH...BETWEEN 6 AND 7 PM. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS WEATHER SITUATION. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HIGH GUSTY WINDS...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. THESE STORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE A TORNADO. ALL THOSE OUTDOORS SHOULD MOVE INSIDE AND REMEMBER NEVER EVER DRIVE THOUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. BOATERS...GET OFF THE WATER.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 4:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Beaver, Butler, Clarion | 85 min |
| Sep 6, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Armstrong | 100 min |
| Sep 6, 5:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland | 77 min |
| Sep 6, 5:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Indiana, Jefferson | 77 min |
| Sep 6, 5:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana | 98 min |
| Sep 6, 5:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Fayette, Greene | 98 min |
| Sep 6, 5:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Westmoreland | 98 min |
| Sep 6, 6:29 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | PBZ | Westmoreland | 61 min |
| Sep 6, 6:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | PBZ | Somerset | 69 min |
| Sep 6, 6:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Bedford, Blair | 64 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.