Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 93, NWS State College, PA

June 27, 2002Centre County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 27, 2002, 3:27 PM EDT for Centre County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report 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 27, 2002, 3:27 PM EDT (19:27 UTC)
Expired
Jun 27, 2002, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Centre County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:29 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
Jun 27, 4:05 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 ECentre Hall, PATrees were reported down in Centre Hall.

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
Jun 27, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 200 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2002-06-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1167 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2002-06-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 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
1167 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
770 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KCTP 271927
SVRCTP
PAC027-272030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
326 PM EDT THU JUN 27 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRE COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA

* UNTIL 430 PM EDT.

* AT 326 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER PORT MATILDA...OR 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  TYRONE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  PARK FOREST AT 335 PM.
  STATE COLLEGE AT 340 PM.
  BOALSBURG AT 345 PM.
  BELLEFONTE AND PLEASANT GAP AT 350 PM.
  CENTRE HALL AND ZION AT 355 PM.
  POE VALLEY SP AT 405 PM.
  REBERSBURG AND MILLHEIM AT 410 PM.

THE MAIN THREAT FROM THIS STORM IS A DAMAGING WIND GUST. EXPECT GUSTS
TO EXCEED 60 MPH. THESE WINDS CAN EASILY KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER
LINES...AND CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE. LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE
SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER...AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

INTENSE RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS 
STORM. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON AREA ROADS AND 
REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO...WHICH WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. 
THE RAIN WILL ALSO FILL DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS QUICKLY...AND MAY 
LEAD TO FLOODING.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. STAY INDOORS AWAY
FROM WINDOWS. STAY OFF THE PHONE IF POSSIBLE.

$$

LAMBERT

LAT...LON 4082 7812 4071 7808 4087 7736 4100 7746

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 Jun 27, 10:47 AM EDT, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 10:47 AM EDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE
945 AM THU JUN 27 2002

UPDATING MAINLY TO REMOVE MORN/AFTN WORDING REFERENCES.

SPC NOW HAS MUCH OF PA IN SLIGHT RISK FOR POTENTIAL OF SOME
MARGINALLY SEVERE WIND GUSTS. AGREE AND WILL KEEP THUNDERSTORM GUSTS
AND ADD POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN IN ZONES. REGIONAL SOUNDINGS SHOW
UPR LEVEL WIND SPEEDS HAVE INCREASED OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS TO ABOUT
30KTS WITH MORE CONSISTENT UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR. HOWEVER BELIEVE UPR
SUPPORT/PROFILE IS LACKING FOR WELL ORGANIZED WIDESPREAD STRONG
WINDS WITH MAIN SFC LOW OVER ERN CAN.

LIKELY POPS NORTH AND CHANCE ELSEWHERE IN CURRENT ZONES LOOKS GOOD.

NO CHANGES BEYOND FIRST PD.
WRKZONES ALREADY ON THE STREET.

.CTP...SPS FOR SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE FOR ALL OF CENTRAL PA.

GARTNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 27, 1:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-280000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
145 PM EDT THU JUN 27 2002

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT THIS
EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

MCKEAN...MONTOUR...YORK...SOMERSET...FRANKLIN...LANCASTER...
CUMBERLAND...BEDFORD...LEBANON...DAUPHIN...PERRY...JUNIATA...
HUNTINGDON...BLAIR...MIFFLIN...SNYDER...SCHUYLKILL...SOUTHERN
CENTRE...SOUTHERN CLINTON...WARREN...TIOGA...NORTHERN LYCOMING...
FULTON...NORTHUMBERLAND...CLEARFIELD...NORTHERN CENTRE...SOUTHERN
LYCOMING...COLUMBIA...CAMERON...CAMBRIA...ADAMS...POTTER...ELK...
NORTHERN CLINTON...SULLIVAN AND UNION.

DEVOIR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 27, 12:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Clearfield60 min
Jun 27, 2:42 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCTPClearfield3 hr
Jun 27, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPPotter54 min
Jun 27, 4:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSnyder, Union63 min
Jun 27, 5:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Franklin56 min
Jun 27, 5:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLebanon65 min
Jun 27, 6:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland19 min
Jun 27, 6:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork62 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.