Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 6, NWS State College, PA

August 28, 1992Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Aug 28, 1992, 6:53 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 37 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 1992, 6:53 PM EDT (22:53 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 1992, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Lancaster County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 157 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1992-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 368 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1992-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
368 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 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 KHAR 282255
TORHAR
PAC071-282330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
653 PM EDT FRI AUG 28 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HARRISBURG HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...SOUTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY
 
AT 650 PM DOPPLER RADAR IN STERLING VIRGINIA SHOWED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING INTO SOUTHERN LANCASTER
COUNTY FROM MARYLAND. SPOTTERS RECENTLY SIGHTED A TORNADO WITH THIS
STORM.
 
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.
 
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE
INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET TO
A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE.  AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR
BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.

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, Aug 28, 4:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
PAZ006-009-013-282300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
430 PM EDT FRI AUG 28 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE APPROACHING SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 425 PM EDT HARRISBURG RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAINSHOWERS WITH SOME EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM
THE ALTOONA AREA IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA DOWN TO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE
OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE AROUND MARTINSBURG...WV AND MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH.

IF YOU LIVE IN FRANKLIN OR ADAMS COUNTY...BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE STORMS AS
THEY MOVE THROUGH BETWEEN 5 AND 6 PM. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS
...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY HAIL. OTHER COUNTIES THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY
THE STORMS BETWEEN 5 AND 8 PM INCLUDE HUNTINGDON...CENTRE...MIFFLIN...JUNIATA
...PERRY AND CUMBERLAND.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER INDOORzS BY STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

RODGERS
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 5:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
PAZ007-008-014-282300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLIAMSPORT PA
540 PM EDT WED AUG 26 1992

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CLINTON...LYCOMING...AND
SULLIVAN COUNTIES UNTIL 1100 PM EDT TONIGHT...

AT 530 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA.  HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAIN WERE FALLING FROM THE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH BETWEEN A HALF /.50/ TO ONE /1.00/ INCHES REPORTED
IN ONE HOUR OVER NORTHERN LYCOMING AND CLEARFIELD COUNTIES.  ALSO A
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS BETWEEN
PHILLIPSBURG AND HAGARSTOWN MARYLAND.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD
BECOME SEVERE AS THEY MOVE INTO NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.  DAMAGING
WINDS UP TO AND GREATER THAN 58 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED AS THEY MOVE
THROUGH NORTHCENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BETWEEN 630 PM EDT AND 900 PM EDT
THIS EVENING.

HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE MINOR FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.  ALSO
PREPARE TO TIE DOWN LOOSE OBJECTS ON YOUR PROPERTY.  IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES...MOVE INDOORS TO A SAFE PLACE...PREFERABLY AN
INTERIOR ROOM OF YOUR HOME.  ABANDON MOBILE HOMES...THEY DO NOT ALWAYS
PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION FROM STRONG WINDS.

KJF
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 5:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
PAZ006-009-013-008-282300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
530 PM EDT FRI AUG 28 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 525 PM EDT HARRISBURG RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAINSHOWERS WITH SOME EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM
NEAR STATE COLLEGE IN CENTRE COUNTY SOUTH CHAMBERSBURG IN FRANKLIN COUNTY
AND FURTHER INTO NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED
5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHAMBERSBURG IN FRANKLIN COUNTY AND 15 MILES SOUTH OF
LEWISTOWN IN MIFFLIN AND JUNIATA COUNTIES.

IF YOU LIVE IN FRANKLIN...CUMBERLAND...PERRY...JUNIATA...AND MIFFLIN COUNTIES
BE ALERT FOR THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH BETWEEN 530 PM AND 600 PM.
THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY
HAIL.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HUNTINGDON COUNTY UNTIL 700 PM. A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
UNTIL 1100 PM.

PRA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Franklin58 min
Aug 28, 6:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClinton69 min
Aug 28, 7:23 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPLebanon37 min
Aug 28, 7:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLycoming33 min
Aug 28, 7:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBradford68 min
Aug 28, 7:47 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPBerks, Schuylkill28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.