Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 80, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 8, 1997, 3:34 PM EDT for McKean County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 76 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 8, 1997, 3:34 PM EDT (19:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 8, 1997, 4:50 PM EDT
- In force
- 76 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County McKean County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:38 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 8, 4:15 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Port Allegany, PA |
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
Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCTP 081936 RRA SVRCTP PAC083-082050- BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 334 PM EDT TUE JUL 8 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 450 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ...MCKEAN COUNTY AT 332 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY STATE COLLEGE DOPPLER RADAR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BRADFORD OR IN THE VICINITY OF MARSHBURG MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THE STORM WILL PASS NEAR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... MARSHBURG BY 332 PM EDT LEWIS RUN BY 340 PM EDT KUSHEQUA BY 340 PM EDT BRADFORD BY 345 PM EDT CYCLONE BY 350 PM EDT COLEGROVE BY 410 PM EDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH... DESTfRUCTIVE 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. GRUMM
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, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 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, 4 hours 34 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, 4 hours 28 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 35 min |
| Jul 8, 5:41 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Tioga | 64 min |
| Jul 8, 6:47 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Tioga | 43 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.