Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Apr 9, 1991, 9:36 PM EDT for Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 54 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
- Apr 9, 1991, 9:36 PM EDT (01:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 9, 1991, 10:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Bedford County, PA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 10:00 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Bedford, 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 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 144 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
- 1083 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1382 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 56 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 80 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 3.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPIT 100131 TORPIT PAC009-100230- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 936 PM EDT TUE APR 9 1991 THIS IS A REAL WARNING. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...BEDFORD COUNTY. A SKYWARN OBSERVER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD OVER THE VILLAGE OF HOOVERSVILE...7 MILES NORTH OF SOMERSET PENNSYLVANIA...AT 910 PM. THE FUNNEL CLOUD MAY TOUCH DOWN AND BECOME A TORNADO AS IT MOVES INTO BEDFORD COUNTY. 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.
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, Apr 9, 6:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 640 PM EDT TUE APR 9 1991 ...STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... AT 630 PM...THE PITTSBURGH WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN OHIO STARTING TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE CURRENTLY OVER EXTREME EASTERN OHIO... MIANLY 50 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST OF CLEVELAND OHIO TO NORTH OF CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL ...STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE SHOWER<S AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OVER WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA BY 735 PM...AROUND THE SAME TIME AS THE PIRATES BASEBALL GAME. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA. KOHLHAGEN/REHAK
Special weather statement, Apr 9, 7:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
740 PM EDT TUE APR 9 1991
...STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
AT 730 PM...THE PITTSBURGH WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING FROM EASTERN OHIO INTO AND
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER EXTREME EASTERN OHIO...AND
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...40 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES
EAST OF ERIE PA TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF ELKINS WEST VIRGINIA.
SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL
...STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
THESYE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH BY
8 PM. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN
THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA.
KOHLHAGEN/REHAKSpecial weather statement, Apr 9, 8:45 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 840 PM EDT TUE APR 9 1991 ...STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CROSSING WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... AT 840 PM...THE PITTSBURGH WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 20 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM EAST BRADY PENNSYLVANIA SOUTH TO CONFLUENCE PENNSYLVANIA. THE LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 55 MILES AN HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE WILL BE IN THE CLARION...INDIANA...LATROBE AND MYERSDALE AREAS BY 9 PM. THEN THE STORMS WILL BE INTO THE RIDGEWAY... CLEARFIELD...EBENSBURG AND BEFORD AREAS BY 930 PM. SOME OF THESE ARE SEVERE AND MAY PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS...HAIL... DAMAGING WIND=S AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA. REHAK/KOHLHAGEN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 8:13 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, Washington | 3 hr |
| Apr 9, 8:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Cambria, Indiana, Somerset | 54 min |
| Apr 9, 8:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | PBZ | Fayette | 119 min |
| Apr 9, 9:10 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Armstrong, Butler | 2 hr |
| Apr 9, 9:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Bedford, Blair | 66 min |
| Apr 9, 9:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Clearfield, Jefferson | 66 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes 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.