Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 111, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 1997, 6:34 PM EDT for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 46 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 18, 1997, 6:34 PM EDT (22:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 18, 1997, 7:20 PM EDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Mifflin County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:33 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 18, 6:50 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 51 | Lewistown, 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 4:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 186 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
- 298 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -144 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1618 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 106 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 182234 RRA SVRCTP PAC087-182320- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 634 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 720 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ...MIFFLIN COUNTY AT 630 PM...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON THE MIFFLIN/HUNTINGDON COUNTY LINE. THE STORM WILL MOVE TO STRODES MILLS BY 645 PM...AND TO NEAR LEWISTOWN BY 650 PM. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY pRAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. JUNG
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 Jul 18, 12:44 PM EDT, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 12:44 PM EDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1240 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997 ...SUGGESTIONS... .PIT/PHL...CURRENT ZNS LOOK GOOD SO FAR. ...DISCUSSION... NOT MUCH YET...WNW FLOW AND LOW DEWPTS DONT SUPPORT MUCH...BUT STILL SOME FAIRLY HI DEWPTS FEEDING E FROM S. ONT/MI INTO NY. FIRST FRONT IS NEAR LAKE ONT...WAITING FOR VERY STRONG SECONDARY FRONT/STRONG MID LEVEL WIND MAX TO CATCH IT. LOOKS LIKE THERE IS SOME NICE LOOKING T/CI BANDS OVER LAKE ONT. FEW CELLS TRYING TO GET GOING NOW OVER W NY/AND E NY. THINK BEST CHC FOR ANY ACTION WOULD BE NE PA AND PTS N AND E...GIVEN THE ABOVE FACTORS...AND FCST TRACK OF FIRST VORT LOBE. HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SIT. WILL NOT SET OFF SOME REALY UGLY STORMS. WITH ACTION NEAR MAX HEATING...AND LOTS OF DRY AIR AT LOWER LEVELS...IF THERE IS MUCH MID LEVEL MOISTURE...THEN STRONG DAMAGING WINDS LIKELY...GIVEN MID LEVEL WIND MAX. MAIN FRONT AND SHOT OF COLD AIR DOES NOT CLEAR PA TO LATE TONIGHT. MUCH COOLER ON SAT. HEIGHTS ARE NOT REAL LOW ON SAT...THUS MOST OF THE CU/SC SHOULD BE ACROSS NE PA AND PTS N AND E. A COOL NIGHT SAT NIGHT FOR N PA...AS WINDS DIE DOWN. A NICE DAY ON SUN. ENJOY. ^LONG TERM NOT A BIG CHANGE IN THE PATTERN. SMALL CHC THAT REMAINS OF DANNY COULD BRUSH S PA...AS NEXT FRONT HEADS SE BY ABOUT MID WEEK...BUT I WOULD NOT COUNT ON IT. MARTIN
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:10 PM EDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-190300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 505 PM EDT FRI JULY 18 1997 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED AN UPDATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TO INCLUDE MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA VALID UNTIL 11 PM. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: ADAMS... BLAIR... CAMBRIA... CENTRE... CLINTON... DAUPHIN... FRANKLIN... MCKEAN... NORTHUMBERLAND... SNYDER... BEDFORD... CAMERON... FULTON... LANCASTER... MIFFLIN... MONTOUR... PERRY... POTTER... SOMERSET... TIOGA... CLEARFIELD... CUMBERLAND... ELK... HUNTINGDON... JUNIATA... LEBANON... LYCOMING... SCHUYLKILL... SULLIVAN... UNION... YORK... A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WARM HUMID AIR IN PLACE OVER THE REGION WILL SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WHICH WILL CAUSE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS. THE COLD FRONT WILL SETTLE SOUTH OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT BRINGING AN END TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS. WINTHER
Local storm report, Jul 18, 5:51 PM EDT, 43 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
551 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0351 PM PORT ALLEGANY PA .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97 MCKEAN
0351 PM CROSBY PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 MCKEAN TREES DOWN
0425 PM NORTH BEND PA POSSIBLE TORNADO
07/18/97 CLINTON SIGHTED
MANY TREES DOWN
0426 PM RENOVO PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CLINTON TREES DOWN
0445 PM EMPORIUM PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CAMERON TREES DOWN
0450 PM AVIS PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CLINTON TREES DOWN
0915 PM LEWISBURG PA TORNADO
07/18/97 UNION POSSIBLE TORNADO SIGHTED
0915 PM MILTON PA TORNADO
07/18/97 NORTHUMBERLAND POSSIBLE TORNADO SIGHTED
0936 PM MILLVILLE PA 58 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97 COLUMBIA TREES DOWN
FITZGERALDLocal storm report, Jul 18, 5:56 PM EDT, 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
551 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0351 PM PORT ALLEGANY PA .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97 MCKEAN
0351 PM CROSBY PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 MCKEAN TREES DOWN
0425 PM NORTH BEND PA POSSIBLE TORNADO
07/18/97 CLINTON SIGHTED
MANY TREES DOWN
0426 PM RENOVO PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CLINTON TREES DOWN
0445 PM EMPORIUM PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CAMERON TREES DOWN
0450 PM AVIS PA WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97 CLINTON TREES DOWN
0915 PM LEWISBURG PA TORNADO
07/18/97 UNION POSSIBLE TORNADO SIGHTED
0915 PM MILTON PA TORNADO
07/18/97 NORTHUMBERLAND POSSIBLE TORNADO SIGHTED
0936 PM MILLVILLE PA 58 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97 COLUMBIA TREES DOWN
FITZGERALDThe office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 3:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cameron, McKean, Potter | 58 min |
| Jul 18, 3:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton | 65 min |
| Jul 18, 3:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford | 79 min |
| Jul 18, 4:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | McKean, Potter | 79 min |
| Jul 18, 4:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cameron | 61 min |
| Jul 18, 4:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton, Lycoming | 63 min |
| Jul 18, 4:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cambria | 65 min |
| Jul 18, 4:44 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Clinton | 36 min |
| Jul 18, 4:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Montour, Northumberland | 62 min |
| Jul 18, 4:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Union | 62 min |
| Jul 18, 5:07 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Union | 48 min |
| Jul 18, 5:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Schuylkill | 60 min |
| Jul 18, 5:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre, Clearfield | 61 min |
| Jul 18, 6:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Juniata | 45 min |
| Jul 18, 7:04 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Perry | 46 min |
| Jul 18, 7:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cambria | 50 min |
| Jul 18, 7:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Dauphin | 64 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997
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.