Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1997, 8:29 PM EDT for Dauphin County, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 61 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
- May 19, 1997, 8:29 PM EDT (00:29 UTC)
- Expired
- May 19, 1997, 9:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Dauphin County, PA, Schuylkill County, PA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 8:39 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 51 | Ashland, PA | Winds took down trees and 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 8:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 4 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 195 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
- 227 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -67 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2329 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 138 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
895 WUUS01 KCTP 200030 RRA SVRCTP PAC043-099-107-200130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 829 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN PENNSYLVANIA ...DAUPHIN COUNTY...PERRY COUNTY...SCHUYLKILL COUNTY AT 825 PM EDT STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM MT CARMEL SOUTHWEST TO MIFFLIN. THE LINE IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH AND WILL EXTEND FROM FRACKVILLE SOUTHWEST TO MILLERSBURG AND NEW GERMANTOWN BY 845 PM. THE LINE SHOULD REACH FROM POTTSVILLE SOUTHWEST TO HARRISBURG BEFORE 9 PM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DONT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. DUNHAM
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 19, 7:35 PM EDT, 54 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 19, 7:35 PM EDT, 54 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 735 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 IN BRIEF TERMS...LINE OF STORMS MOVING ALONG QUITE GOOD. SOUTHTERN END MAY SLOW SOME...AS UPPER LEVEL WINDS STILL WSW ...BUT SE PA HAS BEEN DRY LATELY...SO SHOULD BE NOT A PROBLEM. CLEARING LATE. A NICE MS TO PS DAY ON TUE. SC AND COOLER WX MOVE IN TUE NIGHT AND WED. MARTIN
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 19, 5:37 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056-200340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 537 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THE WATCH INCLUDES MUCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...EXCEPT THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PART. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKEELY IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVECD OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...SEEK SHELTER AT ONCE. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... WARREN...MCKEAN...POTTER...ELK...CLINTON... CAMERON...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE...CAMBRIA...BLAIR... HUNTINGDON...MIFFLIN...JUNIATA...SOMERSET...BEDFORD... FULTON...FRANKLIN...TIOGA...LYCOMING...SULLIVAN... UNION...MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...SNYDER...NORTHUMBERLAND... PERRY...AND CUMBERLAND COUNTY. MARTIN
Special weather statement, May 19, 5:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056-200340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 537 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THE WATCH INCLUDES MUCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...EXCEPT THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PART. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKEELY IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVECD OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...SEEK SHELTER AT ONCE. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... WARREN...MCKEAN...POTTER...ELK...CLINTON... CAMERON...CLEARFIELD...CENTRE...CAMBRI A...BLAIR... HUNTINGDON...MIFFLIN...JUNIATA...SOMERSET...BEDFORD... FULTON...FRANKLIN...TIOGA...LYCOMING...SULLIVAN... UNION...MONTOUR...COLUMBIA...SNYDER...NORTHUMBERLAND... PERRY...AND CUMBERLAND COUNTY. MARTIN
Special weather statement, May 19, 8:05 PM EDT, 24 minutes before
PAZ056>059-063>066-200400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 805 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE REST OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NOW IN A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH AREA... ...CUMBERLAND...DAUPHIN...YORK...LEBANON...LANCASTER... PERRY...ADAMS...AND SCHUYLKILL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKEELY IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVECD OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...SEEK SHELTER AT ONCE. MARTIN
Special weather statement, May 19, 8:08 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
PAZ056>059-063>066-200400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 805 PM EDT MON MAY 19 1997 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE REST OF THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NOW IN A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH AREA... ...CUMBERLAND...DAUPHIN...YORK...LEBANON...LANCASTER... PERRY...ADAMS...AND SCHUYLKILL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.%..WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKEELY IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVECD OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...SEEK SHELTER AT ONCE. MARTIN
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 8:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Northumberland | 45 min |
| May 19, 8:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Perry | 61 min |
| May 19, 8:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Franklin | 61 min |
| May 19, 8:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lebanon | 55 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.