Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 19, NWS State College, PA

July 19, 1996Franklin County, Fulton County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 19, 1996, 1:55 PM EDT for Franklin County, Fulton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 65 min. 2 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
Jul 19, 1996, 1:55 PM EDT (17:55 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 1996, 3:00 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:56 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
Jul 19, 2:00 PM EDTTornado F0Needmore, PA
Jul 19, 2:30 PM EDTTornado F1Waynesboro, 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 117 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 12:00Z on 1996-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 531 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1996-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 207 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
531 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-151 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
810 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCTP 191755
TORCTP
PAC055-057-191900-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
155 PM EDT FRI JUL 19 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY...FULTON COUNTY
 
AT 151 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED TWO STRONGLY ROTATING
THUNDERSTORMS. ONE STORM IS NEAR ST THOMAS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY AND IS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL PASS NEAR MARION BY 215 PM... AND
WAYNESBORO BY 230 PM...
 
THE SECOND STORM WAS JUST SOUTH OF BREEZEWOOD IN EXTREME WESTERN FULTON
COUNTY. THE STORM WILL PASS ABOUT 5 MI NORTH OF NEEDMORE BY 215 PM.
 
THESE STORMS HAVE STRONG POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...S,EEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
LA CORTE

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.

NWS State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 19, 9:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 9:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
945 AM EDT FRI JUL 19 1996

ZONE SUGGESTIONS...
...PIT/PHL...COLD FRONT WILL LIKELY TRIGGER ANOTHER ROUND OF
CONVECTION. SHOULD BE MORE OF A SEVERE THREAT THAN PAST 24HRS.
THINK BEST THREAT WILL BE SE SXNS.

...DISCUSSION...
OVERNIGHT HEAVY RAINS ARE A HUMBLING REMINDER OF THE POWER OF THE
MCS. ACTIVITY FIRED LATE IN DAY OVER WISCONSIN AND BLEW UP TO AN
MCS AS CROSSED LAKES INTO NRN PA. ACTIVITY WINDING DOWN RAPIDLY
LEAVING BEHIND A HUMID AIRMASS WAITING FOR THE COLD FRONT TO CRASH
INTO IT.

COLD FRONT WILL BE PASSING THROUGH DURING MAX HEATING FOR MOST
LOCATIONS. SHUD SEE RESPECTABLE AMOUNT OF SUN TODAY AS COMPENSATING
SUBSIDENCE BEHIND MCS DRIES US OUT AT LEAST TEMPORARILY. COLD FRONT
WILL BE HEADING INTO FAIRLY UNSTABLE VERY HUMID AIRMASS BUT AT
LEAST A COUPLE OF FACTORS WILL BE WORKING AGAINST WIDESPREAD
SEVERE. BIGGEST PLAYER WILL BE VERY WARM MID LEVEL TEMPS. NEXT
FACTOR WILL BE WESTERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS. POSITIVE FACTORS WILL BE
DEVELOPING LEFT EXIT REGION OF JET MOVING DOWN OVER REGION ON TOP
OF AT LEAST SOME MEASURE OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE. STRONG
P-VORT MAX DROPPING SE ACROSS REGION SHOULD AID IN SYNOPTIC SCALE
LIFT AHEAD OF FRONT. WUD DRAW LINE FROM ABOUT IPT TO AOO WITH BEST
CHC SEVERE SE OF THE LINE. MESO AND SYNOPTIC ETA PAINT LI/SSI'S IN
THE SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE RANGE...HOLDING BEST INSTABILITY BACK IN OHIO
VALLEY. W`ESTERLY LOW LEVEL JET FCST TO EXCEED 40KT. WINDS ARE
WESTERLY IN LOW LEVELS BUT FCST TO NW UP TO 500MB. GOOD SHEAR
PROFILES FOR ANYTHING THAT DOES MANAGE TO FIRE.

LA CORTE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 19, 10:14 AM EDT, 3 hours 41 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>05
3-056>059-063>066-191600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1015 AM EDT FRI JUL 19 1996

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 804 FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
HAS BEEN CANCELED.  THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS
DIMINISHED FOR THE TIME BEING.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DURING THE
AFTERNOON ACROSS THE~ REGION.  SKYWARN SPOTTER NETWORKS MAY NEED
TO BE REACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON.

HEAD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 19, 4:35 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPClearfield5 hr
Jul 19, 4:48 AM EDTTornado WarningCTPClearfield57 min
Jul 19, 5:09 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair, Cambria66 min
Jul 19, 5:09 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPCentre66 min
Jul 19, 5:09 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBlair, Cambria66 min
Jul 19, 5:09 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre66 min
Jul 19, 5:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPHuntingdon64 min
Jul 19, 5:56 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair, Cambria3 hr
Jul 19, 6:03 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPHuntingdon3 hr
Jul 19, 6:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPHuntingdon64 min
Jul 19, 6:35 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPJuniata, Mifflin3 hr
Jul 19, 7:37 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPFranklin, Fulton4 hr
Jul 19, 7:37 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford4 hr
Jul 19, 9:19 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPClearfield3 hr
Jul 19, 10:58 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair3 hr
Jul 19, 10:58 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPClearfield7 hr
Jul 19, 11:06 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClearfield54 min
Jul 19, 11:09 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClearfield51 min
Jul 19, 11:15 AM EDTTornado WarningCTPClearfield30 min
Jul 19, 11:27 AM EDTTornado WarningCTPBlair, Cambria48 min
Jul 19, 11:55 AM EDTTornado WarningCTPBlair50 min
Jul 19, 11:59 AM EDTTornado WarningCTPCambria61 min
Jul 19, 12:08 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPHuntingdon67 min
Jul 19, 12:30 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPBlair45 min
Jul 19, 12:36 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPMifflin39 min
Jul 19, 12:46 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair, Huntingdon3 hr
Jul 19, 12:46 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPCambria3 hr
Jul 19, 12:53 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPBedford52 min
Jul 19, 12:59 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPFranklin, Huntingdon61 min
Jul 19, 1:17 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPCumberland58 min
Jul 19, 1:28 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford, Fulton4 hr
Jul 19, 1:28 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPFranklin4 hr
Jul 19, 1:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPFulton55 min
Jul 19, 1:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBedford63 min
Jul 19, 1:47 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPAdams58 min
Jul 19, 2:31 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPAdams59 min
Jul 19, 2:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork54 min
Jul 19, 5:31 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPBedford, Somerset4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes 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.