Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS State College, PA

April 12, 1996Elk County, McKean County, Warren County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 12, 1996, 8:25 PM EDT for Elk County, McKean County, Warren County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 65 min. 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
Apr 12, 1996, 8:25 PM EDT (00:25 UTC)
Expired
Apr 12, 1996, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Elk County, PA, McKean County, PA, Warren County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:25 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 12, 8:29 PM EDTThunderstorm WindWarren, PA
Apr 12, 8:40 PM EDTThunderstorm WindRussell City, PA
Apr 12, 8:55 PM EDTThunderstorm WindBradford, 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

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 139 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1996-04-13Temperature 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 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 00:00Z on 1996-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -26 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
527 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-14 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 12, 2:42 PM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 12, 2:42 PM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:00 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>026-045-130400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
759 PM EDT FRI APR 12 1996

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... WARREN... MCKEAN... POTTER... ELK... CAMERON
CLINTON...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE... CAMRIA...BLAIR AND HUNTINGDON....

A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS OHIO EARLIER THIS
EVENING AND PRODUCED DAMAGE DUE TO HIGH WINDS.  THIS LINE HAS MOVED
INTO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND WILL TRACK ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT.

AS OF 8 PM THUNDERSTORMS WERE ENTERING WARREN COUNTY.  SOME OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL.

TON(E ALERT YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR STAY TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE
STATION FOR WEATHER INFORMATION IN CASE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
ARE ISSUED.
GRUMM
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:05 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>026-045-130400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
805 PM EDT FRI APR 12 1996

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... WARREN... MCKEAN... POTTER... ELK... CAMERON
CLINTON...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE... CAMRIA...BLAIR...MIFFLIN AND HUNTINGDON....

A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS OHIO EARLIER THIS
EVENING AND PRODUCED DAMAGE DUE TO HIGH WINDS.  THIS LINE HAS MOVED
INTO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND WILL TRACK ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT.

AS OF 8 PM THUNDERSTORMS WERE ENTERING WARREN COUNTY.  SOME OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL*.

TONE ALERT YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR STAY TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE
STATION FOR WEATHER INFORMATION IN CASE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
ARE ISSUED.
CORRECTED TO ADD MIFFLIN COUNTY.
GRUMM/SKEEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 12, 9:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCameron, Clearfield70 min
Apr 12, 9:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPPotter70 min
Apr 12, 9:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPTioga62 min
Apr 12, 9:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCambria62 min
Apr 12, 9:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Clinton62 min
Apr 12, 10:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLycoming61 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.