Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 30, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1997, 9:30 PM EDT for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 60 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
- May 18, 1997, 9:30 PM EDT (01:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1997, 10:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Somerset County, PA
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:29 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 103 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
- 204 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -55 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 952 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 151 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 227 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
403 WUUS01 KCTP 190131 SVRCTP PAC111-190230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 930 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...SOMERSET COUNTY AT 925 PM RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF STRONG STORMS JUST WEST OF SOMERSET COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THESE STORMS LIKELY CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE BAND OF STORMS WILL QUICKLY MOVE ACROSS SOMERSET COUNTY WITHIN THE N THOUR. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL LIKELY PASS ACROSS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER... PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. MARTIN
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 May 18, 7:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 7:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 730 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997 IN SIMPLE TERMS...LEADING BAND OF STORMS HAS WEAKEN. MAIN MONSTERS OVER S C OH...WHILE MORE GOING UP WELL TO THE WEST. GIVEN LARGE SCALE FLOW...LOST OF HEATING...AND TENDENCY FOR MCS/S TO TURN TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE...THINK ACTION WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY WEAKEN...AND SLIDE MAINLY SOUTH OF CWA. MONDAY MAY START OFF NICE...BUT ADDITIONAL STORMS LIKELY BY LATE AFT/EVEN...EITHER ON FRONT...OR MORE LIKELY ON LEE-TROUGH. WILL DEPEND ON TIMING OF SYSTEM...LOOKS LIKE NGM HAS DECIDED TO BE FASTER WITH THIS RUN...MAYBE WE WILL LUCK OUT. WILL UPDATE AFD IF I SEE ANYTHING ELSE. IF PIT ORT PHL HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT MAJOR CHANGES...FEEL FREE TO CALL. MARTIN
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 18, 4:04 PM EDT, 5 hours 26 minutes before
PAZ004-190305- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 404 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... THE WATCH INCLUDES WARREN COUNTY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS WARREN COUNTY. THE GREATEST CHANCE WILL BE TOWARD MID TO LATE EVENING...AS STORMS MOVE IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. PERSONS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...THEN ONE SHOULD QUICKLY SEEK SHELTER. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MARTIN
Special weather statement, May 18, 4:06 PM EDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
PAZ004-190305- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 404 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... THE WATCH INCLUDES WARREN COUNTY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS WARREN COUNTY. THE GREATEST CHANCE WILL BE TOWARD MID TO LATE EVENING...AS STORMS MOVE IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. PERSONS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...THEN ONE SHOULD QUICKLY SEEK SHELTER. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MARTIN
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 4:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 69 min |
| May 19, 5:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | McKean | 55 min |
| May 19, 6:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clearfield, Elk | 67 min |
| May 19, 6:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cameron | 29 min |
| May 19, 6:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Clinton | 56 min |
| May 19, 6:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Centre | 65 min |
| May 19, 6:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cambria | 58 min |
| May 19, 7:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming | 56 min |
| May 19, 7:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Blair | 61 min |
| May 19, 7:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Sullivan | 64 min |
| May 19, 7:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Montour, Northumberland, Union | 64 min |
| May 19, 7:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Huntingdon, Mifflin | 59 min |
| May 19, 7:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Juniata, Snyder | 55 min |
| May 19, 7:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia | 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.