Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 8, NWS State College, PA

August 12, 2005Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Aug 12, 2005, 4:12 PM EDT for Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report 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 12, 2005, 4:12 PM EDT (20:12 UTC)
Expired: Aug 12, 2005, 5:15 PM EDT
In force: 63 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Sullivan County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:14 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 12, 4:20 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	9 N Muncy Valley, PA	MULTIPLE TREES/WIRES DOWN

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

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 12, 1:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 219 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: 215 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -62 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1361 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KCTP 122012
TORCTP
PAC113-122115-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0008.050812T2012Z-050812T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
412 PM EDT FRI AUG 12 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SULLIVAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

* UNTIL 515 PM EDT

* AT 410 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION NEAR KETTLE CREEK GORGE...
  OR 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF MONTOURSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 20 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...
  KETTLE CREEK GORGE AROUND 420 PM EDT...
  LINCOLN FALLS AROUND 425 PM EDT...
  MUNCY VALLEY AROUND 435 PM EDT...
  RICKETTS GLEN STATE PARK AROUND 515 PM 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 4148 7626 4132 7632 4131 7644 4132 7646
      4133 7664 4141 7674 4153 7679 4154 7623
      4152 7623

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KCTP 122044
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
442 PM EDT FRI AUG 12 2005

PAC113-122115-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-050812T2115Z/
SULLIVAN-
442 PM EDT FRI AUG 12 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR SULLIVAN
COUNTY...

AT 438 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF 
EAGLES MERE...OR 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF MONTOURSVILLE...MOVING EAST 
SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

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. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 4148 7626 4132 7632 4131 7644 4132 7646
      4133 7664 4141 7674 4153 7679 4154 7623
      4152 7623

$$

FORECASTER: KL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 12, 1:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Warren	40 min
Aug 12, 2:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Tioga	57 min
Aug 12, 3:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lycoming	23 min
Aug 12, 3:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Lycoming	34 min
Aug 12, 3:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Sullivan	78 min
Aug 12, 4:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Tioga	45 min
Aug 12, 4:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia	33 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.