Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 2, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1998, 4:24 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 36 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 17, 1998, 4:24 PM EDT (20:24 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 17, 1998, 5:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 36 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County Lancaster County, PA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 4:50 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 51 | Wakefield, PA | Powerlines and poles were blown over in Wakefield. Funnel clouds were reported in Wakefield and Quaryville. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 3:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 144 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.
679
WFUS01 KCTP 172025 RRA
TORCTP
PAC071-172100-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
424 PM EDT FRI APR 17 1998
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR
SOUTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
* UNTIL 500 PM EDT
* AT 419 PM EDT EMA OFFICIALS REPORTED AN UNCONFIRMED TORNADO
NEAR SHREWSBURY TOWNSHIP IN SOUTHERN YORK COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 30
MILES PER HOUR.
* TORNADO WILL BE
5 MILES WEST OF FISHING CREEK AT 430 PM EDT
2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FISHING CREEK AT 435 PM EDT
OVER FISHING CREEK AT 440 PM EDT
OVER MC SPARREN AT 445 PM EDT
OVER WAKEFIELD AT 450 PM EDT
THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
LAT...LON 3978 7607 3972 7613 3973 7623 3988 7631
3997 7650 4006 7599
LA CORTEThe office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Cumberland, Dauphin | 60 min |
| 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 |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.