Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 64, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

July 18, 1997Beaver County, Washington County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 1997, 7:56 PM EDT for Beaver County, Washington County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 49 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 18, 1997, 7:56 PM EDT (23:56 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1997, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Beaver County, PA, Washington County, PA

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 17 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

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

000 
TTAA00 KPIT 182355 RRA
SVRPIT
PAC007-125-190045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
756 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...BEAVER COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM LOCATED IN SOUTHERN BEAVER COUNTY NEAR THE RACCOON
STATE PARK IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. IT WILL AFFECT BURGETTSTOWN IN
NORTHERN WASHINGTON BETWEEN 800 AND 815 PM. DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY
FROM THIS STORM. LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...
DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR SAFETY...GO TO AN INTERIOR
ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR BUILDING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN
PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE ADVANCE WARNING. HEAVY RAINS CAN
QUICKLY CAUSE FLOODING. DO NOT CROSS WHERE WATER COVERS YOUR PATH.

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 41 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, 3 hours 36 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, 3 hours 35 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, 3 hours 2 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 56 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, 7:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZAllegheny56 min
Jul 18, 7:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZIndiana46 min
Jul 18, 7:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZWestmoreland50 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.