Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 122, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 28, 1997, 4:20 PM EDT for Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 65 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 28, 1997, 4:20 PM EDT (20:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 28, 1997, 5:25 PM EDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Franklin County, PA
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:19 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 28, 4:30 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 51 | Waynesboro, PA | Thunderstorms moved southeast across Waynesboro taking down powerlines. |
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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 112 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
- 405 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -131 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 988 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -22 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -1 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 282017 RRA SVRCTP PAC055-282125- BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 420 PM EDT MON JUL 28 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 525 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ...FRANKLIN COUNTY AT 419 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR 10 MILES SOUTH OF CHAMBERSBURG OR 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF WAYNESBORO MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THE STORM WILL PASS NEAR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... WAYNESBORO BY 430 PM EDT SOUTH MOUNTAIN BY 435 PM EDT BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT BY 455 PM EDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH... DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY. DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. DUNHAM WINTHER
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 28, 1:20 PM EDT, 3 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 1:20 PM EDT, 3 hours before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 120 PM EDT MON JUL 28 1997 ...SUGGESTIONS... TONIGHT...CHC OF AN EVENING TSTM S 1/4 OF PA OTHERWISE PTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER. TUESDAY...EARLY MORNING CLOUDS WILL GIVE WAY TO LOWER HUMIDITY AND MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES (PREFER THE SLIGHTLY COOLER FAN GUID). TUESDAY NIGHT...CLEAR AND QUITE COOL WITH LOWS IN THE 40S N TO 50S S. WEDNESDAY...SUNNY AND PLEASANT. ...DISCUSSION... PREFRONTAL TROF MOVED THRU THE N TIER COUNTIES THIS MORNING. THIS ACTIVITY WAS ENHANCED BY DEPARTING RR QUAD OF 2H JET. ACTUAL COLD FRONT MOVING INTO NW PA ATTM WITH CELLS FIRING ACROSS S OH AND FAR W PA. THIS ACTIVITY WILL CLIP OUR S CWA LATER THIS AFTN. TONIGHT...5H VORT AXIS SLIDES S THU FCST/A AND THIS WILL KEEP SCT-BKN MID HI CLDS ACROSS AREA. X-SECTS FCST DRY AIR AT ALL LEVELS TO SLIDE INTO CWA BY TUE AFTN. HENCE...CLDS WILL QUICKLY GIVE WAY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES TUE MORNING. LARGE CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TAKE HOLD ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PERIOD. SVR TSTM WATCH FOR SW PA GOT TO RUN...... WINTHER
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 11:09 AM EDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-056>059-063>066-282200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1110 AM EDT MON JUL 28 1997 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS UPDATED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK TO INCLUDE JUST THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. MUCH OF SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA COULD SEE THUNDERSTORMS BUT...ONLY SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA WHICH INCLUDES THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS COULD REACH SEVERE L>IMITS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE REGION. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. WINTHER
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 11:10 AM EDT, 5 hours 10 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-056>059-063>066-282200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1110 AM EDT MON JUL 28 1997 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS UPDATED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK TO INCLUDE JUST THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. MUCH OF SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA COULD SEE THUNDERSTORMS BUT...ONLY SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA WHICH INCLUDES THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE REGION. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. WINTHER
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 1:42 PM EDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
PAZ024>026-033>036-282300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 130 PM EDT MON JULY 28 1997 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA UNTIL 7 PM... THE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE: FOR THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS... SOMERSET... BEDFORD... FULTON. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME THAT MAY BE SEVERE... WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. AS A RESULT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 700 PM FOR THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. HAVE A SAFE SHELTER NEARBY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE READY TO MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. STAY UPDATED WITH THE LATEST FORECASTS FROM NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE RADIO...TV OR CABLE TV STATION. WINTHER
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2:19 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Somerset | 61 min |
| Jul 28, 3:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford | 62 min |
| Jul 28, 4:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams | 61 min |
| Jul 28, 5:06 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | York | 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.