Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

May 2, 1992Ohio County, West Virginia

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 1992, 7:31 PM EDT for Ohio County, West Virginia. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 2, 1992, 7:31 PM EDT (23:31 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 1992, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Ohio County, WV

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 56 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1992-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1992-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 282 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
1142 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
347 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 KPIT 022329
SVRPIT
PAC003-125-WVC069-030030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
731 PM EDT SAT MAY 2 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...ALLEGHENY COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
 
IN THE WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE
 
   ...OHIO COUNTY
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PITTSBURGH SHOWED A LINE OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEIRTON TO WHEELING. THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING..8.AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 2, 4:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
440 PM SAT MAY 2 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HEADING TOWARD WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 440 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING HARD DOWNPOURS...
DEADLY LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 55 MILES AN HOUR...AND HAIL HAD FORMED
IN THE WARM MOIST AIR OVER NORTHERN OHIO AND WILL BE IN THE KEYSTONE
STATE WITHIN THE HOUR.

THIS LINE OF STORMS EXTENDED FROM ASHTABULA OHIO SOUTHWEST TO MANSFIELD
OHIO.  THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS CENTERED BETWEEN SANDUSKY AND CLEVELAND
AND ALSO OVER MANSFIELD OHIO.  MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS EAST AT
50 MILES AN HOUR.

WITH THIS PROJECTED SPEED...THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE IN THE ERIE AREA
AROUND 5 PM...IN THE FRANKLIN AREA AROUND 545 PM...PITTSBURGH WHEELING
AND DUBOIS BY 630PM.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.  IF YOU
ARE OUT IN AN OPEN FIELD...LIE DOWN IN A CROUCHED POSITION.  DO NOT
USE THE TELEPHONE EXCEPT IN AN EMERGENCY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL END LATE THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY VERY COOL
WEATHER THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

KOHLHAGEN/LEONARDON
Special weather statement, May 2, 5:39 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
540 PM SAT MAY 2 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 540 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING HARD DOWNPOURS...
DEADLY LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 55 MILES AN HOUR...AND HAIL HAD FORMED
IN THE WARM MOIST AIR OVER NORTHERN OHIO AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

THIS LINE OF STORMS EXTENDED FROM JAMESTOWN NEW YORK SOUTHWEST TO
ZANESVILLE OHIO.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN OVER PYMATUNING
RESERVOIR...20 MILES WEST OF CANTON OHIO...10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
MT. VERNON OHIO...AND JUST SOUTH OF ERIE.

WITH THIS PROJECTED SPEED...THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE IN THE FRANKLIN
AREA BY 615 PM...IN THE PITTSBURGH AND WHEELING AREAS BY 645PM...AND IN
DUBOIS BY 715 PM.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...GET AWAY FROM WINDOWS.  IF CAUGHT
OUT IN THE OPEN...DO NOT STAND UNDERNEATH A TALL TREE.  THE SAFEST
PLACE IN A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR HALLWAY.
DO NOT USE A TELEPHONE EXCEPT IN AN EMERGENCY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL END LATE THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY VERY COOL
WEATHER THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

LEONARDON/KOHLHAGEN
Special weather statement, May 2, 6:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-030300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UPDATE...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
605 PM EDT SAT MAY 2 1992

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND
   THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE TIL 9 PM...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ALL
   OF THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS TIL 11 PM...

A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM OHIO...WITH POTENTIALLY DAMAGING
WIND...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL
COME THROUGH THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE AND WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA AREA THIS EVENING.

WHEN THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...TAKE COVER INDOORS...PREFERABLY
WITHIN THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STRONG BUILDING...AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING RAPIDLY AT 40 TO 50 MPH WILL COME THROUGH
FRANKLIN BY 630...THEN BRADFORD...DUBOIS...PITTSBURGH...AND WHEELING
BY AROUND 730 PM...AND JOHNSTOWN FALTOONA AND STATE COLLEGE BY AROUND
9 OR 10 PM.

GIORDANO/ALESSI/REED/LEONARDON/KOHLHAGEN/WAGNER
Special weather statement, May 2, 6:40 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-030300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UPDATE...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
630 PM EDT SAT MAY 2 1992

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIL 9PM AND
   THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE TIL 10 PM...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ALL
   OF THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS TIL 11 PM...

A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM OHIO...WITH POTENTIALLY DAMAGING
WIND...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL
MOVE THROUGH THE WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN PANHANDLE AND WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

WHEN THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...TAKE COVER INDOORS...PREFERABLY
WITHIN THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STRONG BUILDING...AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING RAPIDLY AT 40 TO 50 MPH IS APPROACHING
FRANKLIN AND BRADFORD CURRENTLY.  THE STORMS WILL REACH PITTSBURGH AND
WHEELING BY 7 PM...AND WILL REACH JOHNSTOWN AROUND 9 PM AND THEN
ALTOONA AND STATE COLLEGE AROUND 930 PM.

SOME OF THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS JUST SOUTH OF YOUNGSTOWN OHIO
...AND WILL MOVE OVER THE MERCER AND LAWRENCE COUNTY BORDER LINE.

GIORDANO/LEONARDON/KOHLHAGEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZBrooke, Hancock55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1992Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.