Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

July 18, 1997Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 1997, 7:19 PM EDT for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 56 min. 8 reports 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 18, 1997, 7:19 PM EDT (23:19 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1997, 8:15 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Allegheny County, PA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 7:29 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 53Pittsburgh Intl Arpt, PA
Jul 18, 7:45 PM EDTThunderstorm WindBaldwin, PAThunderstorm winds downed power lines and large trees.
Jul 18, 8:00 PM EDTThunderstorm WindDormont, PAThunderstorm winds downed power lines and large trees.
Jul 18, 8:00 PM EDTThunderstorm WindPittsburgh Intl Arpt, PATwo plate glass windows were blown out at the Air National Guard Base at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Jul 18, 8:00 PM EDTHail 0.88Pittsburgh Intl Arpt, PANickel-size hail was reported at the Air National Guard Base at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Jul 18, 8:05 PM EDTThunderstorm WindBrentwood, PAThunderstorm winds downed power lines and large trees.
Jul 18, 8:10 PM EDTThunderstorm WindMc Keesport, PAPower lines and large trees were downed by thunderstorm winds.
Jul 18, 8:25 PM EDTThunderstorm WindGreentree, PAThunderstorm winds downed large limbs.

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

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 12 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1997-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 582 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1997-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
582 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1058 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 2:15 PM EDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
PAZ007>009-013>016-022-190000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
215 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM TONIGHT FOR THESE
COUNTIES NORTH OF PITTSBURGH IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

ARMSTRONG           BUTLER              CLARION             FOREST
JEFFERSON           LAWRENCE            MERCER              VENANGO.

DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE UNTIL 8 PM TONIGHT.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER EAST CENTRAL OHIO ARE MOVING INTO
THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.
UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

AS A COLD FRONT PRESSES SOUTHWARD THIS EVENING...THE RAIN WILL BE
PUSHED FURTHER SOUTH...WITH ALL THE RAIN ENDING BY MIDNIGHT.
Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:20 PM EDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
420 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0300 PM    CLAYSVILLE                PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WASHINGTON                     NUMEROUS PINE TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN BETWEEN
                                          CLAYSVILLE AND WASHINGTON.
                                          SOME BROKEN OFF HALF WAY
                                          UP.

0303 PM    WASHINGTON                PA   .88 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   WASHINGTON                     3 MILES SW WASHINGTON

0305 PM    3 SW WASHINGTON           PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WASHINGHTON                    TREES DOWN.

0313 PM    PITTSBURGH INTL ARPT      PA   .88 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   ALLEGHENY                      3 MILES SW PITTSBURGH
                                          INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

0330 PM    MURRYSVILLE               PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WESTMORELAND                   TREES DOWN.
Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:21 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
420 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0300 PM    CLAYSVILLE                PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WASHINGTON                     NUMEROUS PINE TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN BETWEEN
                                          CLAYSVILLE AND WASHINGTON.
                                          SOME BROKEN OFF HALF WAY
                                          UP.

0303 PM    WASHINGTON                PA   .88 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   WASHINGTON                     3 MILES SW WASHINGTON

0305 PM    3 SW WASHINGTON           PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WASHINGHTON                    TREES DOWN.

0313 PM    PITTSBURGH INTL ARPT      PA   .88 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   ALLEGHENY                      3 MILES SW PITTSBURGH
                                          INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

0330 PM    MURRYSVILLE               PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   WESTMORELAND                   TREES DOWN.
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 4:54 PM EDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
PAZ007>009-013>016-022-190000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - WATCH CANCELLATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
500 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA NORTH OF
PITTSBURGH HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WAS ISSUED FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

ONLY A FEW SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN THIS EVENING FOR EAST
CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:00 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
PAZ007>009-013>016-022-190000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - WATCH CANCELLATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
500 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA NORTH OF
PITTSBURGH HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WAS ISSUED FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

ONLY A FEW SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN THIS EVENING FOR EAST
CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 2:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZWashington57 min
Jul 18, 2:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZAllegheny62 min
Jul 18, 3:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZWestmoreland60 min
Jul 18, 7:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZArmstrong58 min
Jul 18, 7:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZIndiana46 min
Jul 18, 7:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZWestmoreland50 min
Jul 18, 7:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZBeaver, Washington49 min
Jul 18, 5:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZGuernsey65 min
Jul 18, 7:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZColumbiana51 min
Jul 18, 7:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZJefferson54 min
Jul 18, 2:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZBrooke58 min
Jul 18, 6:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZPreston62 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.