Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 337, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

October 14, 2003Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 14, 2003, 5:37 PM EDT for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 53 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Oct 14, 2003, 5:37 PM EDT (21:37 UTC)
Expired: Oct 14, 2003, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 53 min
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Westmoreland County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:39 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 56 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1384 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 173 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KPBZ 142137
SVRPBZ
PAC129-142230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
537 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 537 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF AVONMORE TO 
  4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NEW STANTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  AVONMORE...
  CALUMET-NORVELT...
  DELMONT...
  DERRY...
  GREENSBURG...
  JEANNETTE...
  LATROBE...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN
DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 4016 7938 4009 7967 4013 7975 4022 7970
          4056 7957 4044 7938 4047 7933 4041 7925
          4024 7914

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 Oct 14, 4:05 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 14, 4:05 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
405 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003

HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. ETA AND GFS
SHOW THE APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEEPENING AS IT MOVES
THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. PREFRONTAL THUNDERSTORMS HAVE A SLIGHT RISK
OF SEVERE WEATHER, MAINLY WIND GUSTS. POSTFRONTAL DOWNWARD MOMENTUM
TRANSFER WITH THE TIGHTENING ISOBARIC GRADIENT LIKEWISE CAPABLE OF
WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH. ENSUING TROUGHY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL
MAKE TEMPERATURES NOTICEABLY COOLER FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.

GFS SHOWS NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM TO ALSO BE WELL DEVELOPED AS IT MOVES
THROUGH FRIDAY. SO ACCOMPANYING SHOWERS CAN LINGER INTO SATURDAY.

PIT   46  54  40  55 / 100  30  10  10
HLG   46  55  40  56 / 100  30  10  10
MGW   46  56  41  56 / 100  30  10  10
ZZV   45  56  41  56 / 100  30  10  10
PHD   45  54  40  55 / 100  30  10  10
FKL   43  49  37  50 / 100  40  10  10
DUJ   43  49  37  50 / 100  40  10  10
LBE   46  55  39  54 / 100  30  10  10
BTP   44  52  39  53 / 100  40  10  10
IDI   46  55  39  54 / 100  30  10  10
ODM   44  55  37  52 / 100  30  10  10

.PBZ...
MD...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR ZONE MDZ001.

OH...NONE.
PA...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES PAZ007>009...
PAZ013>016...PAZ022>023...PAZ030...PAZ032.

WV...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES WVZ023...
WVZ041.

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 14, 12:40 PM EDT, 4 hours 57 minutes before

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-142000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1240 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND
GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND GARRETT
COUNTY MARYLAND THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS WILL FORM
AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE REGION
EARLY TONIGHT.

AFTER THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH...THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR
STRONG WINDS LATE TONIGHT.  THE HIGHEST WINDS WILL OCCUR OVER
NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE MOUNTAINS.  WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 60 MPH
ARE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS CONTINUES ON DAY TWO.  THE HIGHEST
WINDS WILL OCCUR OVER NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE MOUNTAINS.  WIND
GUSTS OF UP TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED BEYOND DAY TWO.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 14, 12:32 PM EDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-141915-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1232 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND GARRETT
COUNTY MARYLAND THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS WILL FORM
AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE REGION
EARLY TONIGHT.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

Special weather statement, Oct 14, 5:09 PM EDT, 28 minutes before

MDZ001-PAZ007>009-014>016-021>023-029>032-WVZ021>023-041-142200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
509 PM EDT TUE OCT 14 2003

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH SAYS WINDS CAN GUST OVER 50 MPH
AS A LINE OF HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVES THROUGH
BETWEEN NOW AND 6:30 PM. TAKE COVER IN A STRONG BUILDING.

RAIN AMOUNTS CAN GO OVER 1 INCH AND CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS
AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 14, 4:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Beaver	39 min
Oct 14, 4:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Lawrence	35 min
Oct 14, 4:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Allegheny	62 min
Oct 14, 5:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Butler	61 min
Oct 14, 5:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette	58 min
Oct 14, 5:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Mercer, Venango	56 min
Oct 14, 5:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Armstrong	57 min
Oct 14, 5:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Clarion	66 min
Oct 14, 5:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Indiana	54 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2003 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.