Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS State College, PA

May 3, 1997Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1997, 1:57 PM EDT for Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 63 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 3, 1997, 1:57 PM EDT (17:57 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1997, 3:00 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Lycoming County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:00 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 2:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 51Williamsport, PAThunderstorm winds took down trees and powerlines in Williamsport.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 3, 1:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 222 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 1997-05-03Temperature 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 1997-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 449 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
579 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
449 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
454 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 031757 RRA
SVRCTP
PAC081-031900-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
157 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN  PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...LYCOMING COUNTY
 
AT 2 PM A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM CEDAR RUN
SOUTHWARD TO LOCK HAVEN AND STATE COLLEGE. THIS LINE WILL REACH
WILLIAMSPORT BY 230 PM.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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 3, 12:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 12:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1235 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997

...DISCUSSION...
WILL FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM INTO THE ERLY EVE. SCTD TSRA WORKG INTO
C-PA FROM WRN PA. LINEAR ROLL-LIKE CONVECTION BREAKING OUT IN
ASSCTN WITH DRYING AND COOLING ALOFT WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE UPR
LVL PV MAX TO THE E. AT THIS TIME THE CONVECTION WAS ORIENTED
WITH THE MEAN SHEAR IN THE CONVECTIVE CLOUD LAYER. THE SHEAR IS
QUITE STRG AS PER KPBZ AND KCCX 88D/S VWPS. THE CAPES PROBABLY
ARE NOT HIGH ENUF YET TO BALANCE THE INTENSE SHEAR... THUS
CONVECTION WAS LEANING OVR DOWNSHEAR FORMING THE ROLLS. WE HAVE
TO WATCH THE BNDRY IS SET UP OVR C-PA IN THESE FLO PATTERNS. THE
FLO OVR ERN PA IS SSE WITH PLENTY OF LOW CLDS WHILE W-PA IS MORE
SW IN ASSCTN WITH MASS ADJUSTMENTS AHEAD OF THE UPR WV AND MORE
MIXING. A WELL-DEFINED PRE-COLD FRONTAL TROF WAS PRESENTLY WORKG
ACRS WRN PA WHICH WAS THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SWRLY LOW-LVL FLO
OF WELL-MIXED AIR. AS THIS BNDRY WORKS INTO C-PA... TSRA WILL
CONT TO SPREAD INTO C-PA. ALTHOUGH CAPE IS LOW STILL RECEIVED A
WIND GUST REPORTS TO 51 KTS JUST W OF JST. SMALL LOW-TOPPED
CONVECTION TAPPING HIGH WINDS ARND 5 KFT. WE ARE MONITORING RADAR
CLOSELY.

WE WILL HV TO ESPECIALLY WATCH WHEN THESE LINEAR ROLL CONVECTIVE
STRUCTURES WORK E AND INTERSECT THE MORE S-SE FLOWING LOW-LVL AIR
MASS OVR C/ERN PA. WHEN THIS OCCURS WE MAY SEE CONVECTIVES CELLS
TAKE OFF. COMPARISON OF KPBZ AND KCCX VWPS AT 1615 UTC SHOWS THE
DIFFERENCES IN THE LOW-LVL SHEAR PROFILES ACRS THE CLR/CLDY
LINE/BNDRY OVR C-PA. AMS WAS BREAKING OUT INTO SWRN PA AS WELL...
AOO AT 70/58!! SOMEWHAT HIER DWPTS CONTINUALLY STREAMING INTO
SERN PA TOO W/ ENHANCE SRLY FLO. THUS... I EXPECT HIER CAPES ACRS
C/SERN PA TOO.

TIME ACVTY INTO SUS VLLY MIDDLE AFTERNOON... BTWN 2 AND 4 PM.
MOST ACVTY E OF SUS VLLY EARLY EVE HOURS. THINK A BKN LN OF STRG
TRW WILL ORGANIZE INTO A SQUALL LINE ACRS ERN PA WITH SOME BOW
ECHOES.

NICOSIA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 3, 11:00 AM EDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-040200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT--THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
11 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON
ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME
SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.

LOW PRESSURE...OVER OHIO LATE THIS MORNING...WILL MOVE INTO NEW
YORK STATE BY THIS EVENING.  A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL SWING
THROUGH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING...PRODUCING THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL WEATHER SOURCE FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES.

FITZGERALD
Special weather statement, May 3, 11:05 AM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-040200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT--THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
11 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON
ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME
SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.

LOW PRESSURE...OVER OHIO LATE THIS MORNING...WILL MOVE INTO NEW
YORK STATE BY THIS EVENING.  A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL SWING
THROUGH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING...PRODUCING THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
  R
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL WEATHER SOURCE FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES.

FITZGERALD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 1:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Clinton64 min
May 3, 3:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Cumberland, York59 min
May 3, 3:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClearfield55 min
May 3, 3:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBedford, Blair, Cambria62 min
May 3, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPJuniata, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder60 min
May 3, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin60 min
May 3, 4:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPColumbia56 min
May 3, 4:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Clinton, Huntingdon66 min
May 3, 4:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPPotter, Tioga56 min
May 3, 4:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLycoming64 min
May 3, 4:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSchuylkill66 min
May 3, 6:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork68 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.