Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 11, NWS State College, PA

May 31, 1998Clinton County, Potter County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 31, 1998, 8:12 PM EDT for Clinton County, Potter County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 78 min. 3 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: May 31, 1998, 8:12 PM EDT (00:12 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 1998, 9:30 PM EDT
In force: 78 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Clinton County, PA, Potter County, PA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 31, 8:15 PM EDT	Tornado F1	Keating, PA	An F1 tornado touched down just south of Sinnemahoning near Wykoff Run Road. The storm moved southeast along Sinnemahoning Creek and Route 120, crossing into Clinton County before ending along Montour Road. Trees were blown over or tops were damaged along the
May 31, 8:25 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 70	Renovo, PA	Trees & power lines down. Siding ripped off homes.
May 31, 8:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 51	Lock Haven, PA	Trees down.

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 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
May 31, 5:00 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 178 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: 1018 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 658 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -150 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.3
Supercell composite: -1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

626 
WFUS01 KCTP 010010 RRA
TORCTP
PAC035-105-010130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
812 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  POTTER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
  CLINTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GALETON
  ANOTHER POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR WHARTON.
  DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR GALETON MOVING
  MOVING 270 AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR GALETON AT 816 PM EDT....

THE OTHER POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE FOREST.

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR

SEVERAL SIGHTINGS OF FUNNELS AND TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED
WITH THIS STORM.

WINTHER/GRUMM

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at May 31, 3:00 PM EDT, 5 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 3:00 PM EDT, 5 hours 12 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, 5:28 PM EDT, 2 hours 44 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, 1 hour 42 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/OSTUNO

Local storm report, May 31, 6:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 42 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/OSTUNO

Local storm report, May 31, 6:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
658 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    1W BUTTONWOOD             PA   TORNADO
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
                                          ON SUGAR HILL.
0530 PM    BUTTONWOOD                PA   1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       REPORTS OF HAIL RANGED
                                          FROM DIME TO QUARTER SIZE

0530 PM    BUTTONWOOD                PA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       TREES DOWN. ROOF OF SHED
                                          BLOWN OFF.

CORRECTED FOR LOCATION OF TORNADO SIGHTING.

WINTHER/OSTUNO

Local storm report, May 31, 6:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
658 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    1W BUTTONWOOD             PA   TORNADO
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
                                          ON SUGAR HILL.
0530 PM    BUTTONWOOD                PA   1 INCH HAIL
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       REPORTS OF HAIL RANGED
                                          FROM DIME TO QUARTER SIZE

0530 PM    BUTTONWOOD                PA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   LYCOMING                       TREES DOWN. ROOF OF SHED
                                          BLOWN OFF.

CORRECTED FOR LOCATION OF TORNADO SIGHTING.

WINTHER/OSTUNO

Local storm report, May 31, 7:45 PM EDT, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
745 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

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

0630 PM    3S BRADFORD               PA   TORNADO
05/31/98   MCKEAN                         REPORTED BY EMA

0730 PM                              PA   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/98   ELK                            TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE

OSTUNO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 8:10 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Lebanon	35 min
May 31, 8:22 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Somerset	38 min
May 31, 8:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Centre	91 min
May 31, 8:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lycoming	91 min
May 31, 8:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Bedford, Somerset	60 min
May 31, 8:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster, York	34 min
May 31, 9:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Union	89 min
May 31, 9:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Sullivan	89 min
May 31, 9:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Bedford	28 min
May 31, 9:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cambria, Somerset	60 min
May 31, 9:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Blair	60 min
May 31, 9:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Fulton	29 min
May 31, 10:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Franklin	56 min
May 31, 10:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford	66 min
May 31, 10:39 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Bedford	66 min
May 31, 10:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Huntingdon	62 min
May 31, 10:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Fulton	38 min
May 31, 11:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Franklin	48 min
May 31, 11:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams, Cumberland	64 min
May 31, 11:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Dauphin, York	93 min
Jun 1, 12:09 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster	76 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998 Every tornado warning in 1998 Tornadoes 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.