Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 17, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Sep 26, 1994, 8:49 PM EDT for Cameron County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 56 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
- Sep 26, 1994, 8:49 PM EDT (00:49 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 26, 1994, 9:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cameron County, PA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 9:20 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Emporium, PA | A tornado touched down in the Elk State Forest. Many trees were downed. At Prospect Park, golf ball-size hail was observed. A storm survey was conducted by the National Weather Service and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. Due to the rugged terrain, path |
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
Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 43 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -42 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 860 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 123 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 KCTP 270049 TORCTP PAC023-270145- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 849 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...CAMERON COUNTY AT 845 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR DENTS RUN IN EXTREME EASTERN ELK COUNTY. THE TORNADO WILL PASS NEAR THE TOWNS OF STERLING RUN AND CAMERON IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. B WINTHER
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, Sep 26, 4:01 PM EDT, 4 hours 48 minutes before
PAZ012-018>019-025>028-034>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-262100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 401 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LANCASTER...LEBANON AND SCHUYKILL COUNTIES... ...A FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL STREAMS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS IN EFFECT FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY.... AT 355 PM THE STATE COLLEGE WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS INDICATING SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING NORTH-SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. ONE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM MILLERSBURG...SOUTH TO CAMP HILL THEN FURTHER SOUTH TO NEAR GETTYSBURG. ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM BATH...NEW YORK SOUTH THROUGH THE STATE COLLEGE AREA AND THEN SOUTH TO THE LARUEL HIGHLANDS THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND...SHOULD FLOOD WATERS THREATEN. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WIND...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN CAPABLE OF FLOODING LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 6:08 PM EDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
PAZ006-036-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-262310- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 608 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...THE FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE COUNTIES OF TIOGA...SULLIVAN...LYCOMING AND SOUTHERN CLINTON... ...A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY TIL 645 PM... ...A FLOOD WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN DAUPHIN COUNTY TIL 8 PM... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS UPDATED THE FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE MUCH OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AT 605 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR WAS INDICATING SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM THE WELLSBORO AREA SOUTH TO WILLIAMSPORT THEN FURTHER SOUTH TO WILLIAMSBURG AND GETTYSBURG. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS FOR THE NEXT HOUR. IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND...SHOULD FLOOD WATERS THREATEN. WINTHER
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 6:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
PAZ004-005-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>036-270035- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND SHORT TERM FORECAST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 630 PM EDT MON SEP 26 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS... AT 1025 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR FROM STATE COLLEGE SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER WARREN... MCKEAN... AND ELK COUNTIES. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH AND WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS FOR THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS. THE STORMS WILL EXIT ELK COUNTY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... IT WILL REMAIN DRY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WIND...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN CAPABLE OF FLOODING LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. NICOSIA
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 8:01 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Clearfield, Elk | 59 min |
| Sep 26, 9:10 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Columbia, Lycoming, Sullivan | 4 hr |
| Sep 26, 9:10 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Montour, Northumberland | 4 hr |
| Sep 26, 9:10 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Union | 4 hr |
| Sep 26, 9:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | McKean, Potter | 57 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994
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.