Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 11, NWS State College, PA

August 31, 2005Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Aug 31, 2005, 1:13 AM EDT for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 47 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Aug 31, 2005, 1:13 AM EDT (05:13 UTC)
Expired: Aug 31, 2005, 2:00 AM EDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cumberland County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:15 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
Aug 31, 1:20 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	2 S Mechanicsburg, PA	NUMEROUS TREES DOWN...SOME ON CARS AND HOMES. 1200 PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER. POSSIBLE TORNADO.
Aug 31, 1:27 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Mechanicsburg, PA	NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. TRAMPOLINE BLOWN ON CAR.
Aug 31, 1:30 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Mechanicsburg, PA	SEVERAL HOMES DAMAGED NEAR ASCO FARMS ALONG GREGOR COURT.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 145 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: 1575 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 666 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 129 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 273 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.5
Supercell composite: 12.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KCTP 310513
TORCTP
PAC041-310600-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0011.050831T0513Z-050831T0600Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
113 AM EDT WED AUG 31 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

* UNTIL 200 AM EDT

* AT 110 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  BOILING SPRINGS...OR 7 MILES SOUTH OF MECHANICSBURG...MOVING NORTH
  AT 35 MPH. WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER
  RADAR...IT MEANS THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE
  STORM. A TORNADO MAY ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO
  DEVELOP SHORTLY.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MECHANICSBURG AND HOGESTOWN AROUND 120 AM EDT...
  SHIREMANSTOWN...LOWER ALLEN AND WERTZVILLE AROUND 125 AM EDT...
  ENOLA...WEST FAIRVIEW AND CAMP HILL AROUND 130 AM EDT...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

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. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1 8 7 7 6 3 3 6 7 7 2.

LAT...LON 4020 7692 4017 7692 4016 7701 4008 7715
      4010 7717 4030 7707 4032 7692 4030 7693
      4027 7692 4022 7686

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 31, 12:11 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams	64 min
Aug 31, 12:16 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Adams	59 min
Aug 31, 1:02 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	York	43 min
Aug 31, 1:52 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Dauphin	38 min
Aug 31, 2:24 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Elk	51 min
Aug 31, 2:39 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Northumberland	51 min
Aug 31, 2:58 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	McKean	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2005 Every tornado warning in 2005 Tornadoes in 2005

Sources

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