Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 17, 1998, 2:35 PM EDT for Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 60 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
- Apr 17, 1998, 2:35 PM EDT (18:35 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 17, 1998, 3:35 PM EDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Cumberland County, PA, Dauphin County, PA
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 152 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1936 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -67 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -46 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
069 WUUS01 KCTP 171834 RRA SVRCTP PAC043-PAC041-171935- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 235 PM EDT FRI APR 17 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... EASTERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND DAUPHIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA * UNTIL 335 PM EDT * AT 230 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTHWEST OF MECHANICSBURG... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... HARRISBURG AT 250 PM EDT MIDDLETOWN AT 255 PM EDT THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH... DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY. DONT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. LAMBERT/WINTHER/HEAD
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 17, 1:35 PM EDT, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 17, 1:35 PM EDT, 1 hour before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 135 PM EDT FRI APR 17 1998 ...PIT/PHL... WRK ZONES WILL BE SENT ARND 215 PM. WATCHING COLD FRONT MOVING INTO LOWER SUS. A FEW ISOL TSTMS POPING ALONG BNDRY. ...DISCUSSION... COLD FRONT PUSHING INTO THE SUS VALLEY ATTM. RADAR SHOWING A SCATTERED LINE OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW TSTMS POPING IN THE LOWER SUS. ALTHOUGH SOME SUNSHINE WILL DESTABILIZE AREA...MAIN SHRTWV HAS NOW MOVED INTO NY SO WE WILL SEE IF SFC CONVERGENCE CAN POP SOME SVR ACTIVITY. COLD FRONT PUSHES EAST OF CWA TONIGHT. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES SHOULD BE THE RULE (EXCEPT BECOMING CLR ACROSS SE CWA). SHOULD WINDS DECOUPLE...THEN MIN TEMPS WILL BE BELOW MOS. AMPLIFY 5H TROF ACROSS MIDWEST WITH SHRTWV SLIDING ARND BASE OF TROF ON SAT WILL INDUCE SFC CYCLOGENESIS ACROSS TN SAT NIGHT. WAA CLD COVER WILL SLIDE INTO S PA SAT MORNING AND INTO N PA BY AFTN (BECOMING CLOUDY SOUTH/MORNING SUNSHINE FOLLOWED BY INCREASING CLDS FOR THE NORTH). WILL INTRO 30 POPS FOR LAUREL HIGHLANDS LATE SAT. SFC LOW WILL LIFT NORTH INTO OH ON SUNDAY. WITH DECENT 8H 50KT JET NOSING INTO SW PA DURING THE DAY...EXPECT 1-2 INCH RAINS FOR MUCH OF W PA. MID SHIFT CAN ISSUE AN ESF SHOULD MODELS STICK TO THIS SCENARIO. WINTHER
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 11:40 AM EDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
PAZ026>028-035>036-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-172100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL PA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1140 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THAT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHCENTRAL AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP DURING THE MID AND LATE AFTERNOON AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THE THREAT AREA IS PRIMARILY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER VALLEY...GENERALLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM WILLIAMSPORT...TO MIFFLINTOWN...AND CHAMBERSBURG. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. LAMBERT
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 11:40 AM EDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
PAZ026>028-035>036-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-172100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL PA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1140 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THAT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHCENTRAL AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP DURING THE MID AND LATE AFTERNOON AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THE THREAT AREA IS PRIMARILY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER VALLEY...GENERALLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM WILLIAMSPORT...TO MIFFLINTOWN...AND CHAMBERSBURG. SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. LAMBERT
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams | 45 min |
| Apr 17, 3:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | York | 63 min |
| Apr 17, 4:08 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | York | 32 min |
| Apr 17, 4:24 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 36 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.