Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Pittsburgh, PA
NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 9, 2002, 6:24 PM EST for 4 counties in Pennsylvania; 5 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 66 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
- Mar 9, 2002, 6:24 PM EST (23:24 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 9, 2002, 7:30 PM EST
- In force
- 66 min
- Issued by
- NWS Pittsburgh, PA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Beaver County, PA, Lawrence County, PA, Mercer County, PA, Washington County, PA, Brooke County, WV, Hancock County, WV, Marshall County, WV, Ohio County, WV, Wetzel County, WV
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, PA | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, PA | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, PA | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, PA | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, WV | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, WV | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, WV | |
| Mar 9, 6:45 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, WV | Thunderstorm winds blew the roofs from two Moundsville businesses. |
| Mar 9, 7:20 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide, WV |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9, 5:15 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 32 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
- 1877 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 196 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 140 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS51 KPBZ 092324 SVRPBZ PAC007-073-085-125-WVC009-029-051-069-103-100030- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 623 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... BEAVER COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA LAWRENCE COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA MERCER COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA WASHINGTON COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA BROOKE COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA HANCOCK COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA MARSHALL COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA OHIO COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA WETZEL COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA * UNTIL 730 PM EST * AT 623 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FROM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF GREENVILLE TO 7 MILES WEST OF NEW MARTINSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. * SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE... NEAR NEWELL AT 630 PM... NEAR WHEELING AT 635 PM... NEAR WEST LIBERTY AT 640 PM... NEAR PINE GROVE AT 645 PM... <<CALL TO ACTION>>THIS LINE OF STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS GREATER THAN 70 MPH. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES MAY BE KNOCKED DOWN BY THE HIGH WINDS.
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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 9, 5:09 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 5:09 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION -UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
505 PM AM EST SAT MAR 9 2002
ZONE FORECASTS UPDATED PER NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10 PM
FOR REST OF CWA. BEEF WORDING FURTHER PER DAMAGING WINDS NOW
OCCURRING IN CENTRAL OHIO. EXPECT SQUALL LINE TO EXIT CWA BY AROUND
9 PM. ...GIORDANO
.PBZ...
MD...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10PM SATURDAY.
MDZ001.
OH...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 7-10PM SATURDAY.
OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069.
PA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10PM SATURDAY.
PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029>032.
WV...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4AM SUNDAY
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10PM SATURDAY.
WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041.In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 2:46 PM EST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 246 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... COSHOCTON...MUSKINGUM...TUSCARAWAS...GUERNSEY...NOBLE. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WINDS OF OVER 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. WHEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:01 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
OHZ039>041-049-050-058-059-068-069-WVZ001>004-012-100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 501 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS EAST CENTRAL OHIO, AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO TUSCARAWAS, GUERNSEY, AND NOBLE COUNTIES AROUND 5:30 PM. CARROLL, HARRISON, BELMONT, AND MONROE COUNTIES AROUND 6 PM. AND THEN INTO COLUMBIANA, JEFFERSON, HANCOCK, BROOKE, OHIO, AND MARSHALL COUNTIES BY 630 PM. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:01 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
OHZ039>041-049-050-058-059-068-069-WVZ001>004-012-100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 501 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS EAST CENTRAL OHIO, AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO TUSCARAWAS, GUERNSEY, AND NOBLE COUNTIES AROUND 5:30 PM. CARROLL, HARRISON, BELMONT, AND MONROE COUNTIES AROUND 6 PM. AND THEN INTO COLUMBIANA, JEFFERSON, HANCOCK, BROOKE, OHIO, MARSHALL, AND WETZEL COUNTIES BY 630 PM. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:20 PM EST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
100300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 520 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN EASTERN OHIO... COLUMBIANA...CARROLL...JEFFERSON...HARRISON...BELMONT...MONROE. IN NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA... HANCOCK...BROOKE...OHIO...MARSHALL...WETZEL...MONONGALIA... MARION...PRESTON...TUCKER. IN WESTERN MARYLAND... GARRETT. IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA... ALLEGHENY...ARMSTRONG...BEAVER...BUTLER...CLARION...FAYETTE... FOREST...GREENE...INDIANA...JEFFERSON...LAWRENCE...MERCER... VENANGO...WASHINGTON...WESTMORELAND. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS OF OVER 60 MPH...MAYBE EVEN 80 MPH ...CAN OCCUR THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 5:39 PM EST, 45 minutes before
MDZ001-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029>032-WVZ021>023-041-100230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 539 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...DAMAGING WINDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS OF UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA, AND WESTERN MARYLAND. THESE STORMS WILL SWEEP INTO MERCER, LAWRENCE, BEAVER, WASHINGTON, AND GREEN COUNTIES AROUND 6:30 PM. VENANGO, BUTLER, ALLEGHENY, MONONGALIA, AND MARION COUNTIES AROUND 7 TO 7:30 PM. THIS INCLUDES PITTSBURGH. AND THEN INTO FOREST, CLARION, JEFFERSON, ARMSTRONG, INDIANA, WESTMORELAND, FAYETTE, PRESTON, TUCKER, AND GARRETT AROUND 7:30 OR 8 PM. THE HIGH WINDS HAVE PRODUCED WIDESPREAD DAMAGE ACROSS OHIO. YOU SHOULD SECURE LOOSE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS. ALSO, BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES. AFTER THE LINE OF VERY WINDY STORMS MOVES THROUGH, WEST WINDS WILL STILL GUST TO 40 MILES AN HOUR DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE 30S. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING, AND A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9, 6:44 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PBZ | Allegheny, Butler, Venango | 61 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 2002Severe 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.