Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 239, NWS State College, PA

October 20, 1995Clearfield County, Elk County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 20, 1995, 8:33 PM EDT for Clearfield County, Elk County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 20, 1995, 8:33 PM EDT (00:33 UTC)
Expired
Oct 20, 1995, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clearfield County, PA, Elk County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:36 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1995-10-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 00:00Z on 1995-10-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -280 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
631 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-280 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
176 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 KCTP 210033 RRA
SVRCTP
PAC033-047-210130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
833 PM EDT FRI OCT 20 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...CLEARFIELD COUNTY...ELK COUNTY
 
AT 830 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTROMS ENTERING WESTERN CLEARFIELD COUNTY AND WESTERN ELK COUNTY
NEAR HALTON. THESE STORMS WILL PASS THROUGH RIDGEWAY AND DUBOIS BETWEEN
845 PM AND 9 PM AND CLEARFIELD AND SAINT MARYS BETWEEN 9 AND 915 PM.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
 
NICOSIA/MICHAUD

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.

NWS State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Oct 20, 3:02 PM EDT, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 20, 3:02 PM EDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
240 PM EDT FRI OCT 20 1995

VAD WINDS FROM CCX RADAR INDICATING 50 KT WINDS AT 6 THSD FT.
SUNSHINE ACROSS WESTERN PA ALLOWED ATMOS TO MIX WINDS TO SFC. GOT
REPORTS OF TREES DOWN ACROSS ERIE COUNTY. CORD WITH PIT FOR HIGH
WIND WARNING ACROSS N MTNS AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS.

LOW CLDS QUICKLY INVADING ALL OF PA WITH SHOWERS CLOSE BEHIND.
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT NXT 24 HRS. LOW INTENSIFIES ACROSS GRT
LAKES WITH TRAILING FRONT MOVING INTO CENTRAL PA ARND 10Z.
(CURRENT MODEL RUN APPEARS TO BE SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN PREVIOUS
RUN). APPEARS SECONDARY LOW MAY TRY TO DEVELOP ALONG COAST (QPF
SHOWS TO SEPARATE QPF MAXES AS A RESULT). MOISTURE CURRENTLY
ACROSS VA WILL RACE NORTH ON HEELS OF 8H JET THIS EVE.

EXPECT RAIN OCNL R+ TO SLIDE INTO THE AREA THIS EVE AND THEN
TAPER TO SHOWERS FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY MORNING.

INSTABILITY SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS REGION INTO SAT EVE
UNDER MO CLDY SKIES.

WINTHER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 20, 4:47 PM EDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-210245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - HIGH WINDS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
447 PM EDT FRI OCT 20 1995

...A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

WARREN... MCKEAN... ELK... CLEARFIELD... CAMBRIA... AND SOMERSET.

...STRONG WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA AND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS EVENING...

AN INTENSIFYING COLD FRONT OVER OHIO WILL CROSS PENNSYLVANIA
OVERNIGHT.  AHEAD OF THE FRONT...STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL
PREVAIL.  OVER THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND MUCH OF CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA...WINDS WILL BE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH.
SOME AREAS OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA WILL SEE GUSTS TO 35 MPH.

OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HOWEVER...INCLUDING
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...WINDS MAY GUST IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DOWNING TREES AND POWER LINES.  FOR THIS REASON...
HIGH WIND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR THE ABOVE COUNTIES.

SECURE LAWN FURNATURE...GARBAGE CANS...OR OTHER OBJECTS WHICH COULD BE
BLOWN ABOUT BY THE WIND.

ALSO ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT WILL BE RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS.
THE RAIN WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY LATER TONIGHT AS THE FRONT
CROSSES THE STATE.  SOME PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS
POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST ON THIS WEATHER
SITUATION.

JUNG
Special weather statement, Oct 20, 4:48 PM EDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-210245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - HIGH WINDS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
447 PM EDT FRI OCT 20 1995

...A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

WARREN... MCKEAN... ELK... CLEARFIELD... CAMBRIA... AND SOMERSET.

...STRONG WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA AND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS EVENING...

AN INTENSIFYING COLD FRONT OVER OHIO WILL CROSS PENNSYLVANIA
OVERNIGHT.  AHEAD OF THE FRONT...STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL
PREVAIL.  OVER THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND MUCH OF CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA...WINDS WILL BE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH.
SOME AREAS OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA WILL SEE GUSTS TO 35 MPH.

OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HOWEVER...INCLUDING
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...WINDS MAY GUST IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DOWNING TREES AND POWER LINES.  FOR THIS REASON...
HIGH WIND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR THE ABOVE COUNTIES.

SECURE LAWN FURNATURE...GARBAGE CANS...OR OTHER OBJECTS WHICH COULD BE
BLOWN ABOUT BY THE WIND.

ALSO ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT WILL BE RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS.
THE RAIN WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY LATER TONIGHT AS THE FRONT
CROSSES THE STATE.  SOME PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS
POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST ON THIS WEATHER
SITUATION.

JUNG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 21, 1:27 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPClearfield, Elk4 hr
Oct 21, 4:22 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPCentre, Clinton4 hr
Oct 21, 4:28 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster, Lebanon, York4 hr
Oct 21, 4:34 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPFranklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin4 hr
Oct 21, 4:40 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPCameron, Potter4 hr
Oct 21, 4:40 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPLycoming, Tioga4 hr
Oct 21, 4:55 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair4 hr
Oct 21, 5:11 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPSnyder, Union4 hr
Oct 21, 5:38 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPSchuylkill4 hr
Oct 21, 6:09 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPAdams, Cumberland4 hr
Oct 21, 6:09 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPDauphin, Perry4 hr
Oct 21, 6:15 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPColumbia, Sullivan4 hr
Oct 21, 6:15 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPMontour, Northumberland4 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1995Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1995

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.