Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

June 2, 1998Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Jun 2, 1998, 5:29 PM EDT for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 51 min. 9 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: Jun 2, 1998, 5:29 PM EDT (21:29 UTC)
Expired: Jun 2, 1998, 6:20 PM EDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Whole counties

County Allegheny County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:31 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
Jun 2, 5:47 PM EDT	Hail 1	Ingomar, PA
Jun 2, 5:50 PM EDT	Hail 1	Wexford, PA
Jun 2, 5:55 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Wildwood, PA
Jun 2, 5:55 PM EDT	Tornado F1	Carnegie, PA
Jun 2, 5:56 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Etna, PA
Jun 2, 6:05 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Wilkinsburg, PA
Jun 2, 6:10 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Verona, PA
Jun 2, 6:15 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Turtle Creek, PA	Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees.
Jun 2, 6:15 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Pleasant Hills, PA

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
Jun 2, 4:15 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 12 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: 158 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1288 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 224 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 261 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

018 
WFUS1 KPIT 022134 RRA
TORPIT
PAC003-022220-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
529 PM EDT TUE JUN 2 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A

   * TORNADO WARNING FOR...
     ALLEGHENY COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
     INCLUDING PITTSBURGH

   * UNTIL 620 PM EDT

   * AT 529 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
     THUNDERSTORM WITH A TORNADO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF                
     SEWICKLEY...OR ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BEAVER...MOVING       
     SOUTHEAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR.

   * TORNADO WILL BE...
     4 MILES NORTH OF SEWICKLEY AT 540 PM EDT
     NEAR WEXFORD AT 545 PM EDT
     NEAR NORTH HILLS SECTION OF PITTSBURGH AT 545 PM EDT

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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.

KANE

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 2, 4:39 PM EDT, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
439 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0425 PM    NORTH GEORGETOWN          OH   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0435 PM    SALEM                     OH   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

Local storm report, Jun 2, 4:39 PM EDT, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
439 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0425 PM    NORTH GEORGETOWN          OH   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0435 PM    SALEM                     OH   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

Local storm report, Jun 2, 4:54 PM EDT, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
454 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0425 PM    NORTH GEORGETOWN          OH   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0435 PM    SALEM                     OH   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0437 PM    SHARPSVILLE               PA   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   MERCER

0442 PM    SALEM                     OH   1.13 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0450 PM    SALEM                     OH   FLOODING
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA                     STREET FLOODING

Local storm report, Jun 2, 4:54 PM EDT, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
454 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0425 PM    NORTH GEORGETOWN          OH   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0435 PM    SALEM                     OH   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0437 PM    SHARPSVILLE               PA   .88 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   MERCER

0442 PM    SALEM                     OH   1.13 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA

0450 PM    SALEM                     OH   FLOODING
06/02/98   COLUMBIANA                     STREET FLOODING

Local storm report, Jun 2, 5:18 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
518 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0505 PM    OIL CITY                  PA   .75 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   VENANGO

0508 PM    COOPERSTOWN               PA   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   VENANGO

Local storm report, Jun 2, 5:18 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA
518 PM EDT TUE JUN 02 1998

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

0505 PM    OIL CITY                  PA   .75 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   VENANGO

0508 PM    COOPERSTOWN               PA   1 INCH HAIL
06/02/98   VENANGO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 2, 4:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Mercer	57 min
Jun 2, 4:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Venango	56 min
Jun 2, 4:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Beaver, Lawrence	63 min
Jun 2, 5:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Allegheny, Butler	58 min
Jun 2, 5:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Beaver	45 min
Jun 2, 5:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Washington	50 min
Jun 2, 5:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Westmoreland	55 min
Jun 2, 5:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Clarion	51 min
Jun 2, 6:09 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Westmoreland	61 min
Jun 2, 6:13 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Allegheny	27 min
Jun 2, 6:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Lawrence, Mercer	60 min
Jun 2, 6:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Jefferson	65 min
Jun 2, 6:35 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	PBZ	Allegheny, Westmoreland	2 hr
Jun 2, 6:36 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Jefferson	59 min
Jun 2, 6:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Fayette	45 min
Jun 2, 6:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Venango	57 min
Jun 2, 6:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Indiana	34 min
Jun 2, 6:58 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Beaver, Lawrence	62 min
Jun 2, 7:05 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Allegheny, Butler	70 min
Jun 2, 7:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Clarion	61 min
Jun 2, 7:15 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	PBZ	Beaver	105 min
Jun 2, 7:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Jefferson	62 min
Jun 2, 7:40 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	PBZ	Allegheny, Westmoreland	2 hr
Jun 2, 7:53 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Westmoreland	67 min
Jun 2, 7:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Washington	58 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.