Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Albany, NY

May 17, 1991Columbia County, New York

NWS Albany, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1991, 5:14 PM EDT for Columbia County, New York. It was in force for 46 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
May 17, 1991, 5:14 PM EDT (21:14 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1991, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Whole counties

County Columbia County, NY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 5:20 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Columbia, NY

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

Albany, NY (KALB), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 52 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1991-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1991-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 171 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
171 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KALB 172118
SVRALB
NYC021-172200-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
514 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY NY  HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN EAST NEW YORK
 
   ...COLUMBIA COUNTY
 
AT 515 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF
CHATHAM. IT WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH AND WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF
CANAAN BETWEEN 530 AND 545 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUWNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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 17, 3:17 PM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
NYZ009-010-012-018>020-171930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
315 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR
FULTON...HERKIMER...MONTGOMERY...HAMILTON...SARATOGA...SCHENECTADY...
SCHOHARIE...WARREN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN NEW YORK...

AT 300 PM A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM NEAR RUTLAND
VERMONT TO ONEONTA.  THE STORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND POSSIBLY
HAIL WAS FROM ROCK CITY FALLS IN SARATOGA COUNTY TO TRIBES HILL
IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.  ANOTHER VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WAS 10 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF GLOVERSVILLE IN FULTON COUNTY.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY EAST AT AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR.  THEY
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE IMMEDIATE CAPITAL DISTRICT CITIES OF SCHENECTADY
...ALBANY AND TROY BETWEEN 400 PM AND 430 PM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE.  IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES
...YOU SHOULD GO INDOORS IMMEDIATELY AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THESE STORMS
CLOSELY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO
OR TELEVISION STATION FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS.

SL
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:54 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
NYZ009-010-012-018>020-171930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
355 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR
FULTON...HERKIMER...MONTGOMERY...HAMILTON...SARATOGA...SCHENECTADY...
SCHOHARIE...WARREN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN NEW YORK...

AT 345 THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE IN SOUTHERN SARATOGA
COUNTY FROM ROUND LAKE TO CLIFTON PARK.  THE STORMS EXTENDED INTO
THE CITY OF SCHENECTADY.  THEY WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 45 MILES AN
HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CAPITAL DISTRICT UNTIL 430 PM.
THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS.  IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES...YOU SHOULD GO INDOORS IMMEDIATELY AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

SL
Local storm report, May 17, 4:23 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
FRIDAY MAY 17, 1991

1620 EDT...HOOSIC /20 ENE ALB/ WIRES DOWN (FROM POLICE DEPT)

LJM
Local storm report, May 17, 4:24 PM EDT, 50 minutes before
STROM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY, NY
425 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991

1620 EDT...HOOSIC /20 ENE ALB/ WIRES DOWN (FROM POLICE DEPT)

LJM
Local storm report, May 17, 4:35 PM EDT, 39 minutes before
STROM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY, NY
425 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991

1620 EDT...HOOSIC /20 ENE ALB/ WIRES DOWN (FROM POLICE DEPT)

1625 EDT...EASTON /EXTREME SW WASHINGTON CO/ WIRES DOWN
       I    (SHERIFF)

LJM
Local storm report, May 17, 4:49 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
STROM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY, NY
448 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 1991

1620 EDT...HOOSIC /20 ENE ALB/ WIRES DOWN (FROM POLICE DEPT)

1625 EDT...EASTON /EXTREME SW WASHINGTON CO/ WIRES DOWN
           (SHERIFF)

1645 EDT...COUPLE OF TREES DOWN VICINITY OF TOMHANNOCK RESEVOIR
           (13 ENE ALB) AND TOWN OF MELROSE (9 NE ALB) ABOUT
           425 PM

LJM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 4:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYRensselaer67 min
May 17, 4:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYWashington38 min
May 17, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYUlster60 min
May 17, 6:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYDutchess64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.