Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 83, NWS State College, PA

July 9, 1997Fulton County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 1997, 2:50 PM EDT for Fulton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 55 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 9, 1997, 2:50 PM EDT (18:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 1997, 3:45 PM EDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Fulton County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:52 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1997-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 106 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1997-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
106 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-198 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1508 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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 091849 RRA
SVRCTP
PAC057-091945-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
250 PM EDT WED JUL 9 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...FULTON COUNTY
 
AT 250 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ALONG
THE BEDFORD/FULTON COUNTY LINE. THE STORM WILL MOVE EAST AND PASS
OVER THE TOWN OF NEEDMORE AT 300 PM AND SHOULD BE JUST SOUTH OF
MCCONNELLSBURG BY 320 PM.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'0T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
WINTHER/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 9, 2:39 PM EDT, 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 2:39 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
235 PM EDT WED JUL 9 1997

...DISCUSSION...
QUITE BUSY SO WILL BE BRIEF...
LINE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS (ORIENTED NE-SW) SLIDING SE ACROSS
CENTRAL PA ATTM. HAD A CELL POP IN S HUNTINGDON CNTY THAT HAD A VIL
OF 53. NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE YET HOWEVER.

LINE OF TRW DEVELOPING AHEAD OF SFC COLD FRONT. EXPECT TRW ACTIVITY
TO BE SVR (STRONG WINDS AND HAIL) ACROSS LOWER SUS IN CTP CWA NXT
1-3 HRS.

X-SECT'S FCST DRY AIR TO RAPIDLY INVADE PA TONIGHT SO CLEARING
AFTER SUNSET FROM WEST TO EAST.

SFC HIGH PRESSURE TO SLIDE INTO FCST/A ON THU BRINGING LOWER
HUMIDITY AND SUNNY SKIES (A REAL NICE DAY).

WINTHER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 11:04 AM EDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056>059-063>066-092200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1105 AM EDT WED JUL 9 1997

...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA SAYS THERE IS A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND LOWER
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA THIS
AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANYING IT.
AS THE FRONT ENTERS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON
THE THUNDERSTORMS...BUOYED BY MID SUMMER H2EAT AND
HUMIDITY...COULD BECOME SEVERE.
SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY.

WINTHER
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 11:05 AM EDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-
049>053-056>059-063>066-092200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1105 AM EDT WED JUL 9 1997

...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA SAYS THERE IS A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND LOWER
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA THIS
AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANYING IT.
AS THE FRONT ENTERS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON
THE THUNDERSTORMS...BUOYED BY MID SUMMER HEAT AND
HUMIDITY...COULD BECOME SEVERE.
SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY.

WINTHER
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 1:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-092400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
150 PM EDT WED JULY 09 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
FOR MUCH OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTEAST PENNSYLVANIA VALID UNTIL
8 PM.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

BLAIR... HUNTINGDON... BEDFORD... FULTON... FRANKLIN... MIFFLIN...
JUNIATA...SNYDER...NORTHUMBERLAND... SCHUYLKILL... PERRY...
DAUPHIN... LEBANON... CUMBERLAND... COLUMBIA... ADAMS... YORK AND
LANCASTER.

A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA THIS
AFTERNOON. WARM HUMID AIR IN PLACE OVER THE REGION WILL SUPPORT THE
POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WHICH WILL CAUSE LARGE HAIL AND
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS.

THE COLD FRONT WILL SETTLE SOUTH OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT BRINGING
AN END TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS.

WINTHER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 1:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBedford65 min
Jul 9, 1:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPHuntingdon63 min
Jul 9, 4:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPFranklin64 min
Jul 9, 4:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams60 min
Jul 9, 4:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster55 min
Jul 9, 4:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork66 min
Jul 9, 6:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster65 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.