Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 9, NWS State College, PA

July 21, 1994York County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 21, 1994, 8:19 PM EDT for York County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 41 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 1994, 8:19 PM EDT (00:19 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1994, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County York County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 122 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 00:00Z on 1994-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1239 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1994-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 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
1239 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KHAR 220019 RRA
TORHAR
PAC133-220100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
819 PM EDT THU JUL 21 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HARRISBURG HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...NORTHERN YORK COUNTY
 
YODK COUNTY EOC REPORTS TWO TORNADOES IN DOVER TOWNSHIP AND THE BROUGH
OF DOVER TO THE WEST OF RT 74. ROOFS OFF A NUMBER OF HOMES.
 
 
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 CUrSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.
 
 
 
NNNN

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 21, 4:00 PM EDT, 4 hours 19 minutes before
PAZ018-019-027-028-035-036-049>053-056>058-063>066-212200
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
400 PM EDT THU JUL 21 1994

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOIUTHCENTRAL AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS UNTIL
   400 AM FRIDAY MORNING...

AT 400 PM HARRISBURG WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING      NORTH THROUGH THE CENTRAL MOUNTIANS AND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. ;ONE OF THE
STORMS THAT PASSED THROUGH DAUPHIN COUNTY AROUND 3 PM HAD A WIND GUST TO 63 MPH.MOST OF THE HEAVIEST STORMS AT THE PRESENT ARE IN THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY.
ANY OF THE STORMS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS ANDLOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE RAIN COULD CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRANIAGEAREAS.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEAN FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY...NOT A CERTAINTY.  BE
PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR FLOODING IS
OBSERVED.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. DO
NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND ENCOUNTER ANY STANDING OR FLOWING WATER ACROSS
ROADS...PLEASE AVOID THEM AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

HURLEY
Special weather statement, Jul 21, 8:00 PM EDT, 19 minutes before
PAZ018-019-027-028-035-036-049>053-056>058-063>066-220300
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
800 PM EDT THU JUL 21 1994

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTHCENTRAL AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF PA
UNTIL 400 AM FRIDAY MORNING...

AT 800 PM HARRISBURG WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING NORTH THROUGH THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. MOST OF THE HEAVIEST STORMS AT THE PRESENT ARE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. ANY OF THE STORMS THROUGH THE
EVENING HOURS COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE RAIN COULD CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRANIAGE AREAS.  THE ACTIVITY IS
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 TO 35 MPH.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEAN FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY...NOT A CERTAINTY.  BE
PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR FLOODING IS
OBSERVED.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. DO
NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND ENCOUNTER ANY STANDING OR FLOWING WATER ACROSS
ROADS...PLEASE AVOID THEM AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.  DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS
ROADWAYS THAT ARE COVERED WITH WATER.

HURLEY

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.