Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 53, NWS State College, PA

May 13, 2000Adams County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 2000, 6:07 PM EDT for Adams County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 68 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
May 13, 2000, 6:07 PM EDT (22:07 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2000, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Adams County, PA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:11 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 13, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm WindGettysburg, PATree down and a billboard blown over.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 13, 2:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr
May 13, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 107 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2000-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 680 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2000-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 7 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
680 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-169 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1644 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-23 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

094 
WUUS51 KCTP 132208
SVRCTP
PAC001-132315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
607 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ADAMS COUNTY.

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT.

* AT 606 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHAMBERSBURG...OR ABOUT 14
  MILES NORTHWEST OF FAIRFIELD...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ARENDTSVILLE AT 620 PM EDT.
  BIGLERVILLE AT 625 PM EDT.
  YORK SPRINGS AT 630 PM EDT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM WITH LARGE HAIL. STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM 
WINDOWS.

.END/RXR/DUNHAM

LAT...LON 3996 7763 3978 7756 3976 7698 4008 7712

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 13, 3:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 3:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
340 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2000

COLD FRNT MVING INTO WRN PA ATTM PRODUCING A RELATIVELY NARROW BAND
OF CONVECTION AHEAD OF IT. THIS NARROW LINE SHOULD CROSS NWRN THIRD
OF CWA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. SCT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
THE RULE THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR MUCH OF CWA...WITH BEST SEVERE
THREAT LOOKING TO BE OVER THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY ALONG THE MD BORDER.
WILL INCLUDE EXTRA EVENING PD OR END PCPN AFTER EVENING IN FIRST PD
TO COVER THIS ONGOING CONVECTION.

ONCE FRNT PASSES...SKIES SHOULD CLEAR RATHER QUICKLY...WITH LACK OF
POST FRONTAL STRATIFORM RAIN AREA. SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE A PRETTY NICE
DAY BEHIND FRONT. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE UP NORTH WHERE SELF DESTRUCT
SUNSHINE UNDER THE UPR LOW COLD POCKET SKIRTS THE NRN TIER.

WITH MAIN SFC LOW REMAINING TO THE NORTH DO NOT EXPECT POST FRONTAL
WINDS TO BE SIG TOMORROW...BUT WILL INCLUDE BREEZY FOR NRN SECTIONS
AND OVER LOWER SUSQ WHERE POST FRONTAL TEMP GRADIENT SHOULD BE
SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 KTS.

A WEAK FRNT/SHORTWAVE MOVES THOUGH EARLY MON MORN. THIS MAY BE
ENOUGH TO BRING A MORNING SHOWER OR SPRINKLE TO NRN LOCATIONS...BUT
WITH LIMITED MOISTURE BEHIND TODAYS FROPA CAN SEE THIS VANISHING FROM
FUTURE FORECASTS. OTHERWISE MONDAY INTO MID WEEK WILL BE P TO M
SUNNY WITH LITTLE CHANCE OF PCPN AS HPC MDM RANGE GUIDANCE AND MODELS
BRING AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION.

THAT IS ALL.

.CTP...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TIL 8PM EDT FOR ZONES 64-65-66.

GARTNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 13, 2:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 27 minutes before
PAZ064>066-140000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
240 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2000

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

ADAMS...LANCASTER...AND YORK.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH IN
DIAMETER OR LARGER...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS OF 58 MPH OR
GREATER AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND (LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

.END/RXR
Special weather statement, May 13, 4:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
PAZ012-018-019-025>028-034>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-
063>066-140200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
450 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2000

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
UNTIL 10 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

ADAMS...BLAIR...BEDFORD...CENTRE...CLINTON...COLUMBIA...CUMBERLAND...
DAUPHIN...FRANKLIN...FULTON...HUNTINGDON...JUNIATA...LANCASTER...
LEBANON...LYCOMING...MIFFLIN...MONTOUR...NORTHUMBERLAND...PERRY...
SCHUYLKILL...SNYDER...SULLIVAN...TIOGA...UNION...AND YORK.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH IN
DIAMETER OR LARGER...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS OF 58 MPH OR
GREATER AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

.END/RXR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 8:25 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSomerset65 min
May 13, 4:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPHuntingdon43 min
May 13, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster, York67 min
May 13, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSchuylkill55 min
May 13, 5:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSnyder68 min
May 13, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPNorthumberland, Union62 min
May 13, 5:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland, Franklin, Perry54 min
May 13, 6:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSchuylkill55 min
May 13, 6:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, Lebanon63 min
May 13, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLancaster, York56 min
May 13, 7:13 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPYork32 min
May 13, 7:25 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPLancaster35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2000Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2000

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.