Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 164, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1997, 5:12 PM EDT for Fulton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 58 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 17, 1997, 5:12 PM EDT (21:12 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 1997, 6:10 PM EDT
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Fulton County, PA
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 4:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 125 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
- 129 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -282 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1590 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -40 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 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 172113 RRA SVRCTP PAC057-172210- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 512 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 610 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ...FULTON COUNTY AT 510 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY MOVING EAST TOWARD FULTON COUNTY. THE SEVERE STORMS WILL REACH NEEDMORE AND SALUVIA BETWEEN 530 AND 545 PM...AND REACH MCCONNELLSBURG BEFORE 6 PM. 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. 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 Aug 17, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 230 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 ...ZONE SUGGESTIONS... KEEP FFA FOR SOMERSET CNTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT. HOLD OFF ON ANY OTHER FFA/S FOR NOW. BEST PTNL FOR HVY RAINFALL IN CTP CWA... STILL SRN PA. CNVTN BREAKING OUT ACRS NRN PA W/ SFC FRNT STANDS TO GET STRGR AS IT WORKS S THIS AFTRN AND ERLY EVE AND PSBLY FOCUS HVY RAINFALL IN SRN PA AS MOIST 850 MB LLJ TRIES TO OVERRUN BNDRY THIS EVE. ...DISCUSSION... LIKE THE NGM BEST W/ QPF AND HNDLG OF SFC WV...FRNTL PSN ETC. MISSING GRIDS 6 AND 12 HR FCST GRIDS FROM ETA... BUT THINK ETA IS TOO FAR N W/ QPF MAX WHICH IS CLSE TO I-80 BTWN 0000 AND 0600 UTC. NGM HAS MAX QPF TONIGHT NR MD BR IN SRN PA AND LOOKS ON TRACK BASED ON LATEST SATL... RADAR AND ANALYSIS TRENDS. LATEST SFC ANLYS SHOWS A CD FRNTL BNDRY ACRS NRN PA AND ANTHR BNDRY CLSE TO THE SRN PA BRDR. IN BTWN... OVR THE BALANCE OF PA... THERE WAS A TRANSITION AIR MASS BETWEEN COOLER DRIER AIR TO THE N AND TRPCL AIR MASS TO THE S. KCCX 88D INDICATED THAT SHRA AND TSRA WERE FIRING OVR NRN PA IN ASSCTN WITH THE SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF THE CD FRNT. CAPE/S AHEAD OF THIS DVLPG SHRA/TSRA ARE FAR LESS THAN YSTA RUNNING BTWN 1000 AND 1500 J/KG ROUGHLY. WITH WV IMAGERY SHWG STRG SRLY AGEO FLO ALOFT AND A STRENGTHENING UPR LVL JET TO THE NW... LL AGEO FRCG WILL CONT TO PUSH THIS BNDRY S AND THUS... TSRA WILL WORK S ENCOUNTERING HIGHER CAPES IN SRN PA. IN ADDTN... WV SHOWS SOME DRYING WORKG INTO SRN/ERN PA WHICH WILL AIDE IN DOWNDRAFT DVLPMENT INCRSG LL BUOYANCY GRADIENTS FOR TSRA DVLPMENT. THESE SHRA AND TSRA SHUD INTENSIFY SOME AS A RESULT AS THEY WORK INTO SRN PA AND CONCUR W/ SPC SLGHT RISK SRN PA. STORMS WILL REACH SRN PA ERLY EVE. IN ADDTN TO THESE STORMS... MCS/S WERE FIRING OVR THE OH VLLY IN ASSCTN WITH AN ACCELERATING SWRLY LOW-LVL JET AHEAD OF SFC WV. THIS LLJ WAS TAPPING MID TO UPPR 70S DWPT AIR AND FUELING STORMS ASSCTD W/ MCS ACRS SRN OH. CAPES AT 17Z WERE TOPPING 3000 J/KG IN SERN OH AND WV. THIS MCS CONTS TO WORK E-NE WITH PREFERENTIAL DVLPMENT OF CELLS ON THE SRN PTN OF THE SYSTEM WHERE THE HIGHEST CAPES AND MOIST INFLO WERE FOUND. WV IMAGERY AND IR IMAGERY ALIKE HINT THAT THE DEEPEST CNVTN W/ THE MCS MISSES SRN PA ZONES FOCUSING HVY RAINFALL ACRS WV/MD. ANTHR MCS WAS APPARENT BEHIND THE FIRST ONE TAKING A SIMILAR TRACK TWD WVA. HVY RAIN THREAT FROM THESE MCS/S APPEARS TO BE NIL FOR SRN PA. THINK THREAT FOR HVY RAIN STILL THERE FOR SRN PA... BUT NO NEW FFA/S SUGGESTED YET. I THINK THREAT FOR HVY RAIN MAY NOT BE OVR YET FOR SRN PA FOR THESE REASONS: CD FRNTL BNDRY PUSHES S FROM NRN PA INTO MORE UNSTABL AIR MASS IN S PA... DRYING ON WV CHANNEL... W-SWRLY LOW-LVL JET WORKS CLSE TO SRN PA W/ ATTENDANT HIGH THETA-E AIR BTWN 0000 AND 0600 UTC AND A STRG UPR JET ENTRANCE CIRC OVR PA. THUS... FEEL WE SHOULD NOT DISCOUNT HVY RAINFALL FOR SRN PA YET. SUMMING UP... SCTRD SHRA AND TSRA OVR PA BCMES BETTER ORGANIZED AS IT WORKS INTO C/SRN PA BY EVE INTO A LINE. MORE WIDESPREAD LIGHT SHRA WORKS ACRS NRN PA BEHIND FRNTA THIS EVE ACCOMPANY JET ENTRANCE CIRC/UPR PV MAX. MOD/HVY RAINS AND TSRA WILL REMAIN CLSE TO CD FRNTL BNDRY IN SRN PA THIS EVE. WUD NOT ISSUE ANY MORE FFA/S AT THIS POINT AND LEAVE CURRENT FFA FOR FAR SW PA ALONE. FRNT PUSHES S OF PA MONDAY WITH A RETURN TO COOLER AND DRIER AIR FOR CWA. NICOSIA
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 11:45 AM EDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-172245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1145 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF I-80 IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT... ...FORECAST DETAILS... THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FROM THE MIDDLE TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THE STORMS WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BY EVENING AND INTENSIFY. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL MAINLY OVER AREAS SOUTH OF I-80. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS STRONG NORTH OF I-80. IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL... THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT. THE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT RISES ALONG SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS. AT THIS POINT... THE HIGHEST THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITHIN THE CENTRAL THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA IS OVER THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND SOUTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. ...WEATHER SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BY THIS EVENING AND SOUTH OF PENNSYLVANIA OVERNIGHT. THIS COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO A WARM AND HUMID AIR MASS THAT WAS TAKING SHAPE OVER PENNSYLVANIA TRIGGERING THE THUNDERSTORMS. THE AIR WILL BE WARMEST AND MOST HUMID OVER SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA... HENCE THE HIGHER THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. A SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST ALONG THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING REACHING SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA BY LATE EVENING. THIS SURFACE LOW WILL FOCUS ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO THE FRONTAL ZONE AND BRING THE THREAT FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR CABLE TV STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WATCHES CONCERNING THIS POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. OFFICIAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS...STATEMENTS... WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR PENNSYLVANIA CAN BE FOUND ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: HTTP://IWIN.NWS.NOAA/GOV/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML OR 140.90.6.254/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML NICOSIA
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 11:46 AM EDT, 5 hours 26 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-172245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1145 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF I-80 IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT... ...FORECAST DETAILS... THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FROM THE MIDDLE TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THE STORMS WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BY EVENING AND INTENSIFY. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL MAINLY OVER AREAS SOUTH OF I-80. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS STRONG NORTH OF I-80. IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL... THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT. THE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT RISES ALONG SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS. AT THIS POINT... THE HIGHEST THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITHIN THE CENTRAL THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA IS OVER THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND SOUTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. ...WEATHER SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BY THIS EVENING AND SOUTH OF PENNSYLVANIA OVERNIGHT. THIS COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO A WARM AND HUMID AIR MASS THAT WAS TAKING SHAPE OVER PENNSYLVANIA TRIGGERING THE THUNDERSTORMS. THE AIR WILL BE WARMEST AND MOST HUMID OVER SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA... HENCE THE HIGHER THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. A SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST ALONG THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING REACHING SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA BY LATE EVENING. THIS SURFACE LOW WILL FOCUS ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO THE FRONTAL ZONE AND BRING THE THREAT FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR CABLE TV STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WATCHES CONCERNING THIS POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. OFFICIAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS...STATEMENTS... WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR PENNSYLVANIA CAN BE FOUND ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: HTTP://IWIN.NWS.NOAA/GOV/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML OR 140.90.6.254/IWIN/PA/PA.HTML NICZOSIA
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 4:25 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
PAZ024>028-033>036-056-057-059-063>066-180325- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 425 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS... SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY UNTIL 11 PM... ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... CAMBRIA... BLAIR... HUNTINGDON... MIFFLIN... JUNIATA... SOMERSET... BEDFORD... FULTON... FRANKLIN... PERRY... DAUPHIN... LEBANON... CUMBERLAND... ADAMS... YORK AND LANCASTER. WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA. THUNDERSTORMS...SOME REACHING SEVERE LIMITS...ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THIS EVENING. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE A POSSIBILITY... NOT A CERTAINTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV OR CABLE TV STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. JUNG
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 4:26 PM EDT, 46 minutes before
PAZ024>028-033>036-056-057-059-063>066-180325- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT- SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 425 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 1997 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS... SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY UNTIL 11 PM... ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... CAMBRIA... BLAIR... HUNTINGDON... MIFFLIN... JUNIATA... SOMERSET... BEDFORD... FULTON... FRANKLIN... PERRY... DAUPHIN... LEBANON... CUMBERLAND... ADAMS... YORK AND LANCASTER. WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF PENNSYLVANIA. THUNDERSTORMS...SOME REACHING SEVERE LIMITS...ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THIS EVENING. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE A POSSIBILITY... NOT A CERTAINTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV OR CABLE TV STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. JUNG
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 8:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clearfield | 64 min |
| Aug 16, 8:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre | 60 min |
| Aug 16, 8:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre | 53 min |
| Aug 16, 9:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Schuylkill | 61 min |
| Aug 16, 9:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Schuylkill | 22 min |
| Aug 16, 10:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Mifflin | 50 min |
| Aug 16, 10:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 61 min |
| Aug 16, 11:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Montour | 64 min |
| Aug 17, 4:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Bedford, Somerset | 60 min |
| Aug 17, 5:25 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Bedford, Fulton | 35 min |
| Aug 17, 5:40 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Franklin | 50 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.