Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 66, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 1998, 6:44 PM EDT for Warren County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 61 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
- May 31, 1998, 6:44 PM EDT (22:44 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 1998, 7:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Warren County, PA
The radar
The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:44 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.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 3:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 1035 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -145 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1038 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 198 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 281 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 4.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
069 WUUS01 KCTP 312242 RRA SVRCTP PAC123-312345- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 644 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... WARREN COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA * UNTIL 745 PM EDT * AT 640...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM YOUNGSVILLE TO GRAND VALLEY... MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. * THE SEVERE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PASS THROUGH SAYBROOK BY 7 PM GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. DO NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS. IF YOU SPOT A TORNADO...NEVER TRY TO OUTRUN IT IN A CAR. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. LA CORTE/WINTHER
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 31, 3:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 31, 3:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 3 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998 ...MESOSCALE AND CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION... STRONG CELLS HAVE AT LEAST TEMPORARILY EXITED NRN PART OF STATE WITH SOME REPORTED HAIL AROUND 3/4 DIAMETER. MESO ANAL SHOWS OUTFLOW BOUNDARY SLIDING SE THRU NRN PA...AS A QUIET FEATURE SO FAR. OF CONCERN IS STRONG CONFLUENT ZONE AND AXIS OF HIGH MOISTURE SETTING UP OVER SUSQ VALLEY. SFC WINDS ARE GUSTING OUT OF THE SOUTH HELPING POOL DEWPOINTS NEAR 70 RESULTING IN SFC BASED CAPES NEARING 3000 J/KG. MODEL OUTPUT AND MESO ANAL FROM PSU SUGGEST CAP IS WEAKEST IN THIS AREA. SATELLITE TIMING SUGGESTS WE ARE ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY FROM NRN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY SWEEPING INTO THIS CONFLUENT ZONE. HARD TO SAY IF THIS WILL TRIGGER ACTIVITY OR IF CELLS JUST DECIDE TO FORM IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. OTHERWISE IT APPEARS AS IF MAIN ACTION WILL BE LATER IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS OHIO VALLEY CONVECTION SWINGS EAST INTO THE REGION. 18Z SFC ANAL SHOWS STARK WIND SHIFT ASSOC WITH COLD FRONT/SQUALL LINE. MODELS SHOW STRONG UPPER SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF A POTENT LOBE OF HIGH PV AIR SLIDING EAST ACCOMPANYING A COUPLED UPPER JET FEATURE. THE RETREATING RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE NRN BRANCH IS MADE TO CREATE A BULLS EYE OF STRONG DIVERGENCE OVER MUCH OF PA BY 00Z. MODEL SEEMS TO BE USING GENERATED CONVECTIVE PRECIP TO TIGHTEN UPPER HGHT FIELD WHICH IN TURN RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANT INTENSIFICATION OF THE JET STREAK AND ITS DIVERGENCE FIELD. BOTTOM LINE IS STAGE IS BEING SET FOR LATE DAY ROUND OF SEVERE CONVECTION. RIGHT NOW SHEAR IN LOW LEVELS SUPPORTS POSSIBLE ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS...BUT MODEL OUTPUT FROM MESO ETA AND BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SUGGEST WE LOSE HELICITY RAPIDLY LATER IN THE DAY AND EVENING. THIS LEANS TWD THREAT CHANGING FROM SUPERCELLS TO BOW ECHOES AND MAINLY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. LA CORTE
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 31, 5:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
520 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0115 PM LOTTSVILLE PA .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 WARREN
0510 PM BUTTONWOOD PA .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0513 PM CEDAR RUN PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMINGLocal storm report, May 31, 5:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
520 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0115 PM LOTTSVILLE PA .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 WARREN
0510 PM BUTTONWOOD PA .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0513 PM CEDAR RUN PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMINGLocal storm report, May 31, 5:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
528 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0520 PM MARSH HILL PA TORNADO
05/31/98 LYCOMING SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
ON GROUND.Local storm report, May 31, 5:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
528 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0520 PM MARSH HILL PA TORNADO
05/31/98 LYCOMING SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
ON GROUND.Local storm report, May 31, 6:30 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
630 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0115 PM LOTTSVILLE PA .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 WARREN
0510 PM BUTTONWOOD PA .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0513 PM CEDAR RUN PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0520 PM MARSH HILL PA TORNADO
05/31/98 LYCOMING SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
ON GROUND.
0530 PM BUTTONWOOD PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING REPORTS OF HAIL RANGED
FROM DIME TO QUATER SIZE
0530 PM BUTTONWOOD PA WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98 LYCOMING TREES DOWN. ROOF OF SHED
BLOWN OFF.
WINTHER/OSTUNOLocal storm report, May 31, 6:30 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
630 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0115 PM LOTTSVILLE PA .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 WARREN
0510 PM BUTTONWOOD PA .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0513 PM CEDAR RUN PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING
0520 PM MARSH HILL PA TORNADO
05/31/98 LYCOMING SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
ON GROUND.
0530 PM BUTTONWOOD PA 1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98 LYCOMING REPORTS OF HAIL RANGED
FROM DIME TO QUATER SIZE
0530 PM BUTTONWOOD PA WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98 LYCOMING TREES DOWN. ROOF OF SHED
BLOWN OFF.
WINTHER/OSTUNOThe office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 12:50 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Warren | 60 min |
| May 31, 1:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | McKean | 61 min |
| May 31, 3:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cameron | 46 min |
| May 31, 3:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Potter | 32 min |
| May 31, 4:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Sullivan | 65 min |
| May 31, 5:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 48 min |
| May 31, 5:22 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Lycoming | 33 min |
| May 31, 5:35 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Columbia, Sullivan | 50 min |
| May 31, 6:26 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | McKean | 34 min |
| May 31, 6:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Potter | 65 min |
| May 31, 7:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Elk, McKean | 63 min |
| May 31, 7:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Tioga | 65 min |
| May 31, 7:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cameron | 65 min |
| May 31, 7:28 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Elk | 62 min |
| May 31, 7:35 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Tioga | 50 min |
| May 31, 7:53 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Cameron | 62 min |
| May 31, 7:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Potter | 64 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.