Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1992
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 24, 1992, 10:00 PM EDT for Somerset County, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 2 hr. 3 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
- Jul 24, 1992, 10:00 PM EDT (02:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 25, 1992, 12:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 2 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Somerset County, PA, Westmoreland County, PA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 10:00 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Westmoreland, PA | |
| Jul 24, 10:15 PM EDT | Hail 1.75 | Westmoreland, PA | |
| Jul 24, 11:30 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Westmoreland, 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, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 78 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
- 1032 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 828 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -2 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 49 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 250159 TORPIT PAC111-129-250400- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1000 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 1992 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA ...SOMERSET COUNTY...WESTMORELAND COUNTY RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE STORM AND TORNADO NEAR DERRY IN EASTERN WESTMORELAND COUNTY MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 30 MPH INTO SOMERSET COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING. THE BEST SHELTER FROM THIS STORM...IS INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING...LOWEST FLOOR...AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF FLOODING BEGINS...GO TO HIGHER GROUND. AVOID FLOOD WATERS. YOU COULD GET SWEPT AWAY. DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. FIF NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT...BUT LOOKOUT FOR FLOODING...AS YOU MAY HAVE TO TAKE HIGHER GROUND.
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, Jul 24, 5:57 PM EDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-250000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 555 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 1992 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA UNTIL 8 PM. AT 530 PM RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERES AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN OHIO AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE OVER MAHONING COUNTY IN OHIO AND COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...HAIL AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE JUST SOUTH OF ZANESVILLE IN OHIO AND ALSO JUST SOUTH OF JOHNSTOWN IN PENNSYLVANIA. WHEN EVER THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN...REMEMBER THESE SAFETY RULES. SEEK SHELTER INDOORS...LIGHTNING KILLS...HEAVY RAINS CAN CAUSEv FLOODING SO AVOID FLOOD WATERS. WATERS OF ONLY 1 TO 2 FEET DEEP CAN SWEEP YOU AWAY. ROLINSKI/REHAK
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 6:52 PM EDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-250000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 655 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 1992 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BEAVER COUNTY TIL 745 PM... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA UNTIL 8 PM... AT 640 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING OUT OF LAWRENCE COUNTY INTO NORTHERN BEAVER COUNTY. BEAVER FALLS IS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM. WHEN STORMS THREATEN...TAKE SHELTER INDOORS FROM THE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND HAIL AND LIGHTNING. AVOID FLOODING... SWIFT CURRENTS AS SHALLOW AS 1 OR 2 FEET CAN SWEEP YOU AWAY. RADAR SHOWED OTHER STORMS ACROSS LAWRENCE AND BUTLER COUNTIES...AND OVER SOMERSET COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA...AND IN GUERNSEY...PERRY AND MORGAN COUNTIES IN OHIO. ALL MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. GIORDANO/REHAK
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 7:53 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
PAZ001>006-013>015-WVZ001-250145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND WEATHER RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 750 PM EDT FRI JUL 24 1992 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BUTLER COUNTY TIL 815 PM... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA TIL 11 PM THIS EVENING.. AT 750 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAD MOVED OUT OF BEAVER COUNTY INTO BUTLER COUNTY...TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THE MAIN BRUNT OF THE STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN BUTLER COUNTY. TAKE SHELTER INDOORS FROM THE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL AND LIGHTNING WHEN STORMS THREATEN. AVOID FLOODING...SWIFT CURRENTS AS SHALLOW AS 1 OR 2 FEET...CAN SWEEP YOU AWAY. RADAR ALSO SHOWED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN BUTLER COUNTY. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WAS IN NORTHEAST INDIANA COUNTY MOVING TOWARD BARNESBORO. A FEW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN BEDFORD COUNTY. A GROUP OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS CLUSTERED IN A SMALL AREA IN SOUTHEAST OHIO OVER NOBLE...WASHINGTON AND MONROE COUNTY. ALL THIS PRECIPITATION WAS HEADED EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. ALESSI/GIORDANO/REHAK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 8:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland | 65 min |
| Jul 24, 9:18 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Indiana, Westmoreland | 117 min |
| Jul 24, 9:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland | 117 min |
| Jul 24, 10:00 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Somerset, Westmoreland | 2 hr |
| Jul 24, 11:50 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Bedford, Somerset | 4 hr |
| Jul 24, 11:50 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | PBZ | Fayette, Westmoreland | 4 hr |
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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.