Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 79, NWS State College, PA

July 8, 1997Warren County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 8, 1997, 2:30 PM EDT for Warren County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 35 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
Jul 8, 1997, 2:30 PM EDT (18:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 8, 1997, 3:05 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Warren County, PA

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:34 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

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 133 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
893 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCTP 081832 RRA
SVRCTP
PAC123-081905-

BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
230 PM EDT TUE JUL 8 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 305 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

   ...WARREN COUNTY
 
AT 229 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY STATE
COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF WARREN OR 6 MILES WEST
OF AKELY MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THE STORM WILL PASS NEAR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
STARBRICK                        BY 232 PM EDT
WARREN...RUSSEL AND AKLEY        BY 240 PM EDT
SCANDIA                          BY 255 PM EDT
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.  DO NOT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
DO NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.


LA CORTE/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 8, 2:28 PM EDT, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:28 PM EDT, 2 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
225 PM EDT TUE JUL 8 1997

...ZONE SUGGESTIONS...
...PHL...MAY WANT TO INCLUDE EVE RW/TRW FROM ABOUT GROUPING 45-53
NORTHWARD. IN FACT MAY CONSIDER AN UPDATE TO PM WORDING FOR
MID/UPPER SUSQ BEFORE EVE RELEASE.

...PIT...WITH FRONT SHOWING SIGNS OF WANTING TO SLOW DOWN...MAY
WANT TO EXPAND WORDING FOR RAINS TO INCLUDE MOST OF DAY TMRW.

...DISCUSSION...
A FEW ROGUE SHOWERS FIRING IN WARM AIR. CONVECTION SEEMS MORE
IMPRESSIVE OVER FAR NW PA WHERE BEST WARM ADVECTION AND LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE IS ACCOMPANYING INCREASING INSTABILITY. WEAK WARM FRONT
SEEMS TO BE ACTING AS FOCUS FOR CONVECTION THRU CTRL PA BUT AS YET
IT HAVING A HARD TIME BREAKING THRU CAP WITH ACTIVITY STAYING
RATHER DISORGANIZED. LOOKS LIKE BEST ACTIVITY WILL BE OVER NRN MTNS
CLOSER TO BEST FORCING. OTHER CONCERN IS OVER LAURELS WHERE LATEST
SATELLITE SHOWS TCU BUILDING OVER RIDGE LINES.

BIGGER PICTURE SHOWS DEEPENING SHORTWAVE APPROACHING THE AREA NEXT
24-48HRS. SFC WAVE PASSES NORTH OF AREA TONIGHT WITH COLD FRONT
SAGGING THRU DURG DAY TOMORROW. LOOKS LIKE AN MCS GENESIS REGION
SETTING UP OVER LOWER LAKES ON THE NOSE OF THE LLJ JUST NORTH OF
WARM FRONT. THIS ACTIVITY SHUD STAY MAINLY NORTH OF MOST OF OUR
CWA...POSSIBLY CLIPPING FAR NW LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

FOR THE REST OF CTRL PA...SHUD SEE PREFRONTAL CONVECTION WHICH
FIRES LATER TODAY IN WARM SECTOR...MOVE ACROSS LATER TONIGHT. THEN
ON WED MODELS AGREE IN DRIVING UPPER JET UP OFF TO OUR NORTH WHILE
REORIENTING IN DEEPENING UPPER TROF. THIS RESULTS IN A THERMALLY
DIRECT TRANSVERSE CIRCULATION SETTING UP OVER THE REGION.
UNSEASONABLY STRONG FRONTOGENETIC FORCING IS CRANKED OUT BY ETA AND
NGM RIGHT OVER THE REGION DURING THE DAY INTO THE EVENING TMRW.
THIS SUGGESTS THAT FRONT WILL BE SLOWING DOWN AS IT APPROACHES
WHILE ALSO CHANGING IN CHARACTER...INTO MORE OF AN ANAFRONT.

WITH INSTABILITY PRESENT AND A SLOW MOVING FRONT...EXPECT TO SEE A
LARGE AREA OF PRECIP...AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP AND
PROVIDE BENEFICIAL RAINS FOR MUCH OF THE REGION. HAVE TO REMAIN
AWARE OF THREAT OF TRAINING CELLS AND HEAVY RAIN. WITH DEWPOINTS
NEARING 70 OVER SERN SECTIONS...FRONTOGENETIC FORCING AND STRONG
MOISTURE CONVERGENCE COULD MAKE FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS.

FRONT FINALLY IS MADE TO SAG SOUTH LATER TMRW AND TMRW NIGHT.
CLEARING CUD BE QUITE SLOW OVER SE SXNS WHERE FRONT SLOWS DOWN AND
MAY EVEN DRIVE A WEAK WAVE OR TWO ALONG IT BEFORE SETTLING OFF MID
ATL COAST. COOLER DRIER AIR MOVES IN FOR FRIDAY.

LA CORTE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 8, 11:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056>059-063>066-082100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
11 AM EDT TUE JUL 8 1997

...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA SAYS THERE IS A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A LOW PRESSURE AREA AND ACCOMPANYING COLD FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO
MOVE TOWARD THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS
SYSTEM WILL TRIGGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE OHIO
VALLEY...WITH THE ACTIVITY SPREADING EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

THE BEST CHANCE OF DAMAGING STORMS WILL BE DURING THE EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LA CORTE
Special weather statement, Jul 8, 11:06 AM EDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056>059-063>066-082100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
11 AM EDT TUE JUL 8 1997

...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA SAYS THERE IS A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A LOW PRESSURE AREA AND ACCOMPANYING COLD FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO
MOVE TOWARD THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS
SYSTEM WILL TRIGGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE OHIO
VALLEY...WITH THE ACTIVITY SPREADING EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

THE BEST CHANCE OF DAMAGING STORMS WILL BE DURING THE EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LA CORTE

The office that day

Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 8, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean76 min
Jul 8, 5:41 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPTioga64 min
Jul 8, 6:47 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPTioga43 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.