Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 32, NWS State College, PA

November 8, 1996Bedford County, Blair County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Nov 8, 1996, 8:41 AM EST for Bedford County, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 49 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
Nov 8, 1996, 8:41 AM EST (13:41 UTC)
Expired
Nov 8, 1996, 9:30 AM EST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bedford County, PA, Blair County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:40 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
Nov 8, 9:00 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50Martinsburg, 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, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 144 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 12:00Z on 1996-11-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1996-11-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -178 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
518 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
77 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 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 081337 RRA
TORCTP
PAC009-013-081430-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
841 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...BEDFORD COUNTY...BLAIR COUNTY
 
AT 830 AM EDT BEDFORD EMA REPORTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 2 MILES WEST OF
BEDFORD NEAR WOLFSBURG. THE STORMS ARE MOVINGS NORTHWEST AT 45 MPH AND
WILL REACH FROM OSTERBURG THROUGH ROARING SPRINGS AND WOODBURY EVERET
AND BREEZEWOOD BEFORE 9 AM.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SrHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
 
 
&

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 Nov 8, 1:56 AM EST, 6 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 8, 1:56 AM EST, 6 hours 45 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
155 AM EST THU NOV 8 1996

...ZONE SUGGESTIONS/COORDINATION...
...PIT/PHL...NO SIG CHANGES TO SUGGEST. AGREE BEST RAIN THREAT ERN
ZONES WHERE HIGHEST PWATS AND BEST DYNAMICS SET TO CLASH. ONCE
AGAIN CONCERN IS FOR STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS TO MIX DOWN WITH
ISOLATED CONVECTION AND CAUSE THINGS TO FALL DOWN HERE AND THERE.
WUDN'T GO HIGHER THAN WIND ADV FOR GENERAL CONDITIONS AND EVEN THAT
IS "IFFY" AS CONDITIONS ARE FAIRLY TRANQUIL THUS FAR. DO THINK SE
SXNS WILL BE UNDER MORE CONVENTIONAL SVR THREAT LATER TODAY AS
PARAMETERS COME TOGETHER A BIT BETTER. WUD MENTION POSSIBLE STRONG
THUNDER IN SE ZONES.

...DISCUSSION...
INGREDIENTS SEEM TO BE FALLING INTO PLACE FOR BIG PRECIP MAKER.
STRONG ANAFRONT MOVING EAST INTO APPALACHIANS ACCOMPANIED BY 10-15
DEG TEMP DROPS AND HEAVY PRECIP. ALMOST 5 INCHES OF RAIN IN KY FROM
STORM AND DYNAMICS ARE STRENGTHENING.

SATELLITE SHOWS CONNECTION TO DEEP TROPICS ON WATER VAPOR WITH
PRECIP WATER ANALS IN EXCESS OF 1.5" POISED TO SURGE INTO CENTRAL
AND ERN SXNS DURING DAY. ALSO EVIDENT ON SATELLITE IS DEVELOPING
ANTICYCLONIC BULGE ON BACKSIDE OF MASSIVE BAROCLINIC ZONE WHICH
EXTENDS FROM WRN FL TO JUST EAST OF JAMES BAY. THIS SUPPORTS MODEL
IDEAS OF MULTIPLE WAVES SURGING NORTH ALONG FRONT AS DAY WEARS ON.

WAVY FRONT AT 05Z WAS JUST WEST OF YTR-PIT-HTS-CHA LINE. CONTINUITY
AND PROGS PUTS IT FROM ABOUT COUDERSPORT TO JOHNSTOWN BY 12Z AND
JUST EAST OF ERN CTP CWA BY AROUND 00Z. SYSTEM BEARS A PASSING
RESEMBLANCE TO OCT 20-22 SYSTEM WHICH BROUGHT WIDESPREAD R+ TO
REGION. DEEPENING UPPER TROF IS PROGGED TO DROP INTO ERN GR LAKES
AREA STEEPENING UPPER HGHTS AND CAUSING SFC FRONT TO SLOW
CONSIDERABLY UNDER INCREASINGLY PARALLEL UPPER FLOW WHILE WAVES
FORM AND MOVE UP ALONG IT. AS UPPER LOW DEEPENS AND CUTS OFF...
UPSTREAM RIDGE PUMPS UP BIG TIME ALLOWING JET STREAK ON ERN SIDE OF
TROF TO STRENGTHEN CONSIDERABLY. RESULT IS STRONG NEG TILT TROF AND
POTENT RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION JET CIRCULATION SETTING UP AND MOVING
INTO NERN US. THIS IS A RELIABLE BIG RAIN PRODUCER AS SFC FRONT
RESPONDS TO STRONG FRONTOGENETIC FORCING ON LOWER BRANCH OF
THERMALLY DIRECT JET CELL. MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCT 20-22 CASE
AND THIS ONE...IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT...OCT CASE DEVELOPED SFC
LOW ON COAST AND MOVED IT MORE SLOWLY UP TWD NEW ENG WHERE MORE
THAN A FOOT AND A HALF OF RAIN RESULTED. PROGS HANGING MORE ENERGY
BACK WEST WITH THIS SYSTEM WHICH SHUD PRECLUDE SLOW MOVING COASTAL
LOW...BUT STILL MAKE FOR A BIG RAIN.

AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY OF THESE TYPE SYSTEMS...CONCERN BECOMES
POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE AS FRONT NEARS AND CONVECTION
STARTS TO MIX ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS DOWN TO SFC. GRIDDED DATA SHOW
50-60KT AT 850 ENTRENCHED THRU PM HOURS. SE PA IS PROGGED TO GET
MODERATELY UNSTABLE AS DAYTIME HEATING AND ALMOST SUMMER LIKE
HUMIDITY COMBINE IN WARM AIR. WUD THINK THAT AREA VULNERABLE TO
MORE TRADITIONAL TYPE OF SEVERE OUTBREAK. TIME OF YEAR AND CLOUDS
IN WARM SECTOR WILL LIMIT INSTABILITY...BUT SUPERIOR DYNAMICS CAN
OVERCOME THIS. MODELS PAINT FAIR AMOUNT OF SHEAR IN LOWER ATMOS.
NEED TO BE AWARE OF TORNADO THREAT AS MESO SCALE FORCING EXERTS
ITSELF IN THE FORM OF SFC WAVES RIDING ALONG FRONT AND POSSIBLY
ENHANCING LOW LEVEL VORTICITY FIELDS.

...LAKE SNOW OUTLOOK...
THU 7AM - 7PM...N
THU 7PM - 7AM...N
FRI 7AM - 7PM...N

LA CORTE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 8, 8:14 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPTioga3 hr
Nov 8, 8:48 AM ESTTornado WarningCTPFulton, Huntingdon72 min
Nov 8, 9:02 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPBlair, Centre4 hr
Nov 8, 9:02 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPClinton, Lycoming4 hr
Nov 8, 9:20 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Mifflin55 min
Nov 8, 9:20 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPJuniata55 min
Nov 8, 9:51 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPPotter, Tioga4 hr
Nov 8, 9:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClinton, Lycoming62 min
Nov 8, 10:06 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPTioga69 min
Nov 8, 10:11 AM ESTTornado WarningCTPLycoming, Tioga49 min
Nov 8, 10:29 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSnyder, Union46 min
Nov 8, 10:29 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPPerry46 min
Nov 8, 10:45 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, Montour, Northumberland60 min
Nov 8, 11:09 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPColumbia, Sullivan66 min
Nov 8, 11:30 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLebanon, Schuylkill60 min
Nov 8, 1:48 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPTioga3 hr
Nov 8, 2:19 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster, York56 min
Nov 8, 3:46 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster59 min
Nov 8, 3:59 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPYork4 hr
Nov 8, 4:05 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLebanon, Schuylkill4 hr
Nov 8, 4:05 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPLancaster4 hr
Nov 8, 4:23 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningCTPTioga5 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.