Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS State College, PA

April 1, 1998Adams County, Cumberland County, Franklin County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 1, 1998, 11:42 AM EST for Adams County, Cumberland County, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 1, 1998, 11:42 AM EST (16:42 UTC)
Expired: Apr 1, 1998, 12:45 PM EST
In force: 63 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Adams County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Franklin County, PA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:41 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
Apr 1, 12:30 PM EST	Tornado F1	Table Rock, PA	A small tornado touched down just south of Table Rock north of Route 394, about 5 miles northeast of Gettysburg, around 12:30 pm EST on 4/1/98. The storm moved northeast for 1-1/2 miles, destroying a barn and taking down trees along a 100 yard wide path. A sma

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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 101 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 118 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -102 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 702 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 225 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.

461 
WUUS01 KCTP 011645 RRA
SVRCTP
PAC001-041-055-011745-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1142 AM EST WED APR 1 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

   * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
     ADAMS COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
     FRANKLIN COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
     SOUTHWESTERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA

   * UNTIL 1245 PM EST

   * AT 1139 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
     A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER MONT ALTO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES
     PER HOUR.

   * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE
     OVER SOUTH MTN AT 1145 AM EST
     

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60
MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA.

LAT...LON 3976 7706 3972 7768 3977 7790 3997 7790
          4017 7714
LA CORTE/DUNHAM

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 Apr 1, 1:10 AM EST, 10 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 1:10 AM EST, 10 hours 32 minutes before

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
110 AM EST WED APR 1 1998

...SUGGESTIONS...

...NOT PLANNING TO DO WRKZNS...BUT BELOW ARE SOME IDEAS ETC...

PHL...WOULD RAISE MAX TEMPS ABOUT 5 DEGREES TODAY.  WOULD TAPER OFF
ACTION BY EARLY EVEN.

PIT...WOULD RAISE MAX TEMPS ABOUT 5 DEGREES TODAY.  WOULD TAPER OFF
ACTION BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON.

WOULD ADD CHC OF SHOWERS FOR THU FOR HIGHLANDS.  ALSO WOULD RAISE
MAX TEMPS TO MID 50S ON THU FOR ZNS 25>28.

...DISCUSSION...

FRONT WELL TO THE WEST...SOME HINTS OF DEVELOPING AC DECK ALOFT ON
THE RADAR.  SHOWERS ABOUT WHERE WE EXPECTED.  ACTION WILL MOVE INTO
WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA ABOUT 12Z...AS IT WEAKENS.

EXPECT ACTION TO FIRE UP AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON...AS STRONG MID LEVEL
WINDS WORK IN...AND DRY AIR ALOFT WORK IN.  WILL DEPEND ON AMOUNT
OF HEATING.  SOME SEVERE WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESP. EASTERN PORTION OF
THE SUSQ VLY.

TEMPS LOOK TOO COOL TODAY...ESP. WITH STRONG MIXING AND HEATING
THIS AFT.  TEMPS WILL ALSO BE STARTING OFF FROM HIGH MIN VALUES.

MOISTURE WORKS BACK INTO N PA TOWARD THU AM AGAIN.

SHOWERS MIGHT ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS HIGHLANDS THU AM TOO...AS
SECONDARY FRONT MOVES IN.

LONG TERM

NEXT SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE IT WILL TAKE AIM AT THE AREA BY THIS
WEEKEND.

MARTIN

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.