Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 24, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 30, 1996, 5:43 PM EDT for Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 47 min. 1 report 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 30, 1996, 5:43 PM EDT (21:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 30, 1996, 6:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clearfield County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 5:45 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Bishtown, 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
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 152 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
- 464 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 665 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 118 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 2.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 302143 TORCTP PAC033-302230- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 543 PM EDT TUE JUL 30 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...EASTERN CLEARFIELD COUNTY AT 540 PM STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A STRONGLY ROTATING THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST OF SURVEYOR NEAR RTE 80. THIS STORM WILL APPRAOCH FRENCHVILLE BY 6PM. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HAN DS. 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 30, 1:23 PM EDT, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 30, 1:23 PM EDT, 4 hours 20 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 125 PM EDT TUE JUL 30 1996 ...ZONE SUGGESTIONS... FFA/S MIGHT BE NEEDED. CUD HOLD ON FOR NOW AS SYS IS STILL PROGRESSING EWRD AT A DECENT PACE. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER IF THE SYS SLOWS DOWN. TONIGHT... RW/TRW FOR THIS EVE... HIGHLIGHTING HVY DOWNPOURS/GUSTY WINDS. CLDY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH PATCHY FOG. WED INTO WED EVE... CHC POPS MORE TRW... OTHRW BECMG PS. ...DISCUSSION... KCLE 88D SHOWS LINE OF CNVTN WORKG TWD WRN PA ATTM IN ASSCTN WITH A PERSISTANT MCS THAT HAS TRACKED ACR NRN OH VLLY. THE MID-LVL WINDS WERE QUITE IMPRESSIVE IN ASSCTN WITH THIS FEATURE AS PER SPC DSCN AND THUS DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM BOW-ECHO LIKE ELEMENTS INTO PA. VSBL IMAGERY SHOWS SCT-BKN CU ACRS WRN 1/2 OF PA WITH AMS DESTABILIZING DUE TO SFC HEATING. CAPES SHUD TOP 2000 J/KG AS THE COMPLEX REACHED WRN PA LATER THIS AFTRN AND SUPPORT CONTINUED DVLPMENT OF CONVECTION. ANTHR FEATURE OF INTEREST IS THE BNDRY/CNVRGNCE ZONE (OLD WARM FRONT) THAT WAS SETTING UP OVR CNTRL PA AS SEEN IN LATEST SFC ANYLS. VSBL IMAGERY SHOWS THIS BNDRY WELL WITH DEEPER CLDS IN ERN 1/2 OF PA AS SERLY FLO ASCENDS INTO MTNS. THESE CLDS SHUD TEND TO MIX OUT THIS AFTRN SOME. THE MAIN EFFECT OF THE PERSISTANT SERLY SFC FLO ACRS ERN PA IS THAT IT WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE CONV ACRS CNTRL PA THIS EVE AS A MORE SSW FLO CONTINUES TO FLO ACRS WRN PA. NGM/ETA BOTH HV STRG LOW-LVL MOISTURE CONV ACRS CNTRL PA THRU THIS EVE. MCS WILL WORK INTO CNTRL PA AND SHUD INTERSECT THIS BNDRY W/ CUD LEAD TO PTNLLY HVY RAINFALL AGAIN THIS EVE. ALSO... NOTICED SOMEWHAT OF A DIFFLUENT THICKNESS PATTERN ACRS PA AT 00Z ON ETA/NGM WHICH CUD SLOW DOWN OF THE PROGRESSION OF THE MCS. THIS MCS WILL REACH ERN PA THIS EVE AND LIKELY WILL STRATIFORM OUT IN TIME AS IT BEGINS TO OVERRUN THE MORE STBL AIR IN FAR ERN PA. THE SUS VLLY STILL WILL BE VULNERABLE TO SVR CVTN HOWEVER. THE LARGE SCALE SET-UP ASSCTD WITH THIS MCS IS ALSO QUITE FAVORABLE TO SUPPORT CNVTN INTO PA THIS AFTRN/EVE. MODELS INDICATE THAT AN UPR JET CORE WILL SHIFT E TWD PA BY 00Z WITH PA NEAR THE LEFT FRONT QUAD. THIS WILL ENHANCE UPR LVL DRVG AS THE LOW-LVL/S RESPONSE WITH CONVERGENCE SRLY AGEO FLO INTO PA. THIS MCS PASSES E OF A CTP CWA LATE THIS EVE. A LOOP OF THE UPR LVL PVOR FIELDS FOR LATE TONIGHT THRU WED SUGGESTS THAT THE UPR LVL PV MAX DOESN/T PUSH THRU PA TONIGHT OR WED... THUS A WRINKLE IN THE TROP WILL EXIST IN A SW-NE AXIS ACRS PA THRU WED AND THUS SUPPORT AN UPR LVL JET CORE OVR PA. THIS WILL KEEP INTENSE UPR LVL DRVG S OF PA FOR WED/WED NGT AND SUPPORT LOW-LVL CYCLONIC DVLPMENTS ASSCTD WITH THE THERMALLY DIRECT CIRC NR ANTHR FRNTL BNDRY THAT STAYS S OF PA. THUS THINK MAIN ACVTY WED/WED NGT WILL BE S OF PA (MAYBE CLIPPING FAR SERN PA). THE COOL FRNT AND LEADING EDGE OF DRIER AIR WILL STILL NOT REACH THRU PA WED GIVEN THE POSITIONING OF THE UPR JET OVR PA. THE NGM SUGGESTS DRIER AIR WORKS IN BY WED EVE WITH ETA A LITTLE SLOWER IN BRINGING IN THE DRIER AIR. AMS WILL BECOME UNSTBL AGAIN WED INTO WED EVE SO WUD HV STILL CHC POPS FOR TRW ALL ZONES WED INTO WED EVE. NICOSIA
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 30, 1:44 PM EDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017-024-033-045-310000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 880 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 145 PM EDT TUE JUL 30 1996 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FROM THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS TO LAUREL HIGHLANDS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM EDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: WARREN... ELK... MCKEAN... SOMERSET... CAMERON... CLEARFIELD... CLINTON... POTTER AND CAMBRIA. 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. NICOSIA
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 3:28 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Clearfield | 4 hr |
| Jul 30, 4:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford | 61 min |
| Jul 30, 4:48 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Bedford | 42 min |
| Jul 30, 4:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Blair, Huntingdon | 68 min |
| Jul 30, 5:02 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Blair, Huntingdon | 58 min |
| Jul 30, 5:12 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Fulton | 63 min |
| Jul 30, 5:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clearfield | 67 min |
| Jul 30, 5:59 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Franklin | 61 min |
| Jul 30, 6:16 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Juniata, Mifflin | 59 min |
| Jul 30, 6:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Perry | 60 min |
| Jul 30, 7:06 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Franklin | 69 min |
| Jul 30, 7:19 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Mifflin | 41 min |
| Jul 30, 7:32 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Adams | 58 min |
| Jul 30, 7:46 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Cumberland | 3 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.