Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 33, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Nov 8, 1996, 8:48 AM EST for Fulton County, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 72 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
- Nov 8, 1996, 8:48 AM EST (13:48 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 8, 1996, 10:00 AM EST
- In force
- 72 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Fulton County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 9:15 AM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Huntingdon, PA | |
| Nov 8, 9:25 AM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Marklesburg, PA | |
| Nov 8, 9:30 AM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Warriors Mark, 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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 147 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
- 563 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 540 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 252 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 289 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 081348 RRA TORCTP PAC057-061-081500- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 848 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...FULTON COUNTY...HUNTINGDON COUNTY AT 845 AM EDT STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM ALTOONA AND BELLWOOD SOUTH THROUGH THE EVERETT AND BREEZEWOOD AREAS. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH AND WILL REACH FROM TYRONE THROUGH RAYSTOWN LAKE TO NEEDMORE BY BEFORE 915 AM AND TO HUNTINGDON AND MCCONNELLSBURG BETWEEN 915 AND 930 AM. A HOUSE WAS DESTROYED BY A POSSIBLE TORNADO 2 MILES WEST OF BEDFORD IN WOLFSBURG AND TREES AND WIRES WERE ALSO DOWN. RADAR SHOWED ROTATION WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO. 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...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. &
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 52 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 8, 1:56 AM EST, 6 hours 52 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 8:14 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Tioga | 3 hr |
| Nov 8, 8:41 AM EST | Tornado Warning | CTP | Bedford, Blair | 49 min |
| Nov 8, 9:02 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Blair, Centre | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 9:02 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Clinton, Lycoming | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 9:20 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre, Mifflin | 55 min |
| Nov 8, 9:20 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Juniata | 55 min |
| Nov 8, 9:51 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Potter, Tioga | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 9:58 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton, Lycoming | 62 min |
| Nov 8, 10:06 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Tioga | 69 min |
| Nov 8, 10:11 AM EST | Tornado Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Tioga | 49 min |
| Nov 8, 10:29 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Snyder, Union | 46 min |
| Nov 8, 10:29 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Perry | 46 min |
| Nov 8, 10:45 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Dauphin, Montour, Northumberland | 60 min |
| Nov 8, 11:09 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Sullivan | 66 min |
| Nov 8, 11:30 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lebanon, Schuylkill | 60 min |
| Nov 8, 1:48 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Tioga | 3 hr |
| Nov 8, 2:19 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster, York | 56 min |
| Nov 8, 3:46 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 59 min |
| Nov 8, 3:59 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | York | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 4:05 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lebanon, Schuylkill | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 4:05 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 4 hr |
| Nov 8, 4:23 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Tioga | 5 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.