Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 23, 1996, 3:59 PM EDT for 4 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 46 min. 4 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
- Apr 23, 1996, 3:59 PM EDT (19:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 23, 1996, 4:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Columbia County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, Montour County, PA, Northumberland County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:03 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 4:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Lairdesville, PA | |
| Apr 23, 4:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Danville, PA | |
| Apr 23, 4:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Millville, PA | |
| Apr 23, 4:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Sunbury, 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 185 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
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -266 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1302 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 96 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 153 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 231959 SVRCTP PAC037-081-093-097-232045- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 359 PM EDT TUE APR 23 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 445 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...COLUMBIA COUNTY...EASTERN LYCOMING COUNTY...MONTOUR COUNTY ...NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY DOPPLER RADAR IN STATE COLLEGE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FROM NEAR MUNCY SOUTH TO JUST WEST OF SUNBURY. THE THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 40 MPH AND SHOULD CROSS HUGHESVILLE AND DANVILLE BEFORE 415 PM...AND REACH BLOOMSBURG BY 430 PM. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW~ WATER CROSSINGS.
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 Apr 23, 2:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 2:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 230 PM EDT TUE APR 23 1996 SHOWER ACTIVITY STARTING TO BLOSSOM OVER THE CTP COUNTIES DURING THE LAST HOUR OR SO. EXCEPTION IS THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY WHERE NO ECHOES HAVE BEEN SIGHTED YET. SO FAR...LDS HAS BEEN QUIET. DID HAVE THE BEGINNINGS OF AN INTERESTING CELL CLINTON COUNTY...BUT IT FIZZLED JUST AS FAST AS IT FORMED. WONDER IF THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT MUCH OF THE AREA JUST ISN/T QUITE RIPE ENOUGH YET FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SVR ATTM. OF COURSE ONCE AGAIN THE EXCEPTION IS THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY WHERE INSTABILITIES GREATEST AND MODERATE SVR IS OUTLOOKED BY SPC. HODOGRAPHS WOULD INDICATE THAT ATMOSPHERE WOULD SUPPORT MULIT-CELL LINEAR TYPE STORMS TODAY WITH BEST POTENTIAL OF SVR COMING FROM STRONG WINDS. CURRENT VAD WINDS AT CTP SHOW SOME VERY SLIGHT VEERING AT LOWEST LEVELS...BUT PROBABLY MORE IMPRESSIVE IS THE 50 KT WINDS AT 8000 FT. IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH TO MIX GUSTY WINDS TO SURFACE. CELLS ON KCCX HAVE BEEN MOVING AROUND 40 KTS. MODIFIED IAD SOUNDING FOR THIS AFTERNOON SHOWS LI/S IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AROUND -4...BUT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE STILL SEEMS TO BE LACKING SOMEWHAT. BEST 850 JET PROGGED TO BE ACROSS THE AREA NOW...BUT WILL BE WELL TO THE EAST BY 00Z. THIS MAY BE A BIT FAST...AS MODELS HAVE BEEN FAST WITH SURFACE WAVE AND FRONTAL PROGRESS TODAY. THINK BEST TIME TO GET SEVERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOON...OR WE MAY LOOSE THE BEST DYNAMICS. SAW THE PIT WORK ZONES AND THEY LOOK GOOD. JUNG
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 11:35 AM EDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-056>059-063>066-240200- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1130 AM EDT TUE APR 23 1996 THE STORMS PREDICTION CENTER IN KANSAS CITY SAYS THAT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXISTS OVER THE REST OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA INCLUDING THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE MIDDLE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...TRIGGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE... ESPECIALLY OVER THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. SKYWARN SPOTTER NETWORKS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. JUNG
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 3:47 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
PAZ006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-240100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 345 PM EDT TUE APR 23 1996 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER IN KANSAS CITY HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM EDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: ELK... CAMERON... CLEARFIELD... CENTRE... CAMBRIA... BLAIR... HUNTINGDON... SOMERSET... BEDFORD... FULTON... FRANKLIN... MIFFLIN... JUNIATA... POTTER... CLINTON... TIOGA... LYCOMING... SULLIVAN... UNION... NORTHUMBERLAND... MONTOUR... COLUMBIA... SNYDER... SCHUYLKILL... PERRY... DAUPHIN... LEBANON... CUMBERLAND... ADAMS... YORK... LANCASTER... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER OR LARGER...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. GET TO A SAFE PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE OPEN. STAY OFF THE PHONE AND KEEP AWAY FROM WINDOWS. LIGHTNING IS A KILLER IN THESE STORMS. DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES AND GET OUT OF ^OPEN AREAS. FITZGERALD
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 4:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Sullivan | 48 min |
| Apr 23, 4:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cambria, Somerset | 59 min |
| Apr 23, 4:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford, Blair | 57 min |
| Apr 23, 5:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Fulton, Huntingdon | 43 min |
| Apr 23, 5:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre, Mifflin | 63 min |
| Apr 23, 5:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Franklin, Perry | 63 min |
| Apr 23, 5:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Juniata | 63 min |
| Apr 23, 5:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams, York | 53 min |
| Apr 23, 5:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Snyder, Union | 58 min |
| Apr 23, 6:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams | 57 min |
| Apr 23, 6:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Northumberland | 57 min |
| Apr 23, 6:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 60 min |
| Apr 23, 6:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Montour | 60 min |
| Apr 23, 6:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 60 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.