Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 156, NWS State College, PA

August 7, 2008Clearfield County, Elk County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 7, 2008, 2:38 PM EDT for Clearfield County, Elk County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 37 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 7, 2008, 2:38 PM EDT (18:38 UTC)
Expired
Aug 7, 2008, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clearfield County, PA, Elk County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:38 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 157 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 2008-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 329 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 2008-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
329 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1133 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Aug 7, 2:03 PM EDT, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 2:03 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 7, 5:18 AM EDT, 9 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
518 AM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-080930-
WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD-
NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-
JUNIATA-SOMERSET-BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-
SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR-
NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND-
ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER-
518 AM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 7, 1:22 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
122 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

PAZ004-005-010-071815-
ELK PA-MCKEAN PA-WARREN PA-
122 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MCKEAN...NORTHWESTERN ELK AND
SOUTHEASTERN WARREN COUNTIES...

AT 118 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR WARREN...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
EXPECT INTENSE LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR
SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN
A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR SHEFFIELD AROUND 130 PM...LUDLOW AROUND 135
PM...WETMORE AROUND 150 PM...KANE AROUND 200 PM...LEWIS RUN AROUND
205 PM AND MOUNT JEWETT AROUND 210 PM.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 6...AND ROUTE
219.

FORECASTER: MARTIN
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:11 PM EDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
211 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

PAZ026-035-036-063-064-071915-
ADAMS PA-CUMBERLAND PA-FRANKLIN PA-FULTON PA-HUNTINGDON PA-
211 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN FULTON...NORTHERN
FRANKLIN...SOUTH CENTRAL HUNTINGDON...SOUTHWESTERN CUMBERLAND AND
WEST CENTRAL ADAMS COUNTIES...

AT 209 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 17 MILES NORTHEAST
OF BREEZEWOOD...MOVING EAST AT 24 MPH.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
EXPECT INTENSE LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR
SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN
A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR FORT LITTLETON...AND SHADE GAP AROUND 220
PM...FANNETTSBURG AROUND 230 PM...WILLOW HILL AROUND 235 PM...
AMBERSON VALLEY AROUND 245 PM...ROXBURY...AND UPPER STRASBURG AROUND
250 PM...ORRSTOWN...NEWBURG AND AND CHAMBERSBURG AROUND 300 PM.

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA INTERSTATES...THE
PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 176 AND 202...I-70 BETWEEN
MILE MARKERS 176 AND 202...I-81 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 16 AND 36.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 11...ROUTE
30...ROUTE 522.

FORECASTER: MARTIN
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:26 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
226 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

PAZ010>012-071945-
CAMERON PA-ELK PA-NORTHERN CLINTON PA-
226 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CENTRAL CAMERON...NORTH CENTRAL
CLINTON AND SOUTHERN ELK COUNTIES...

AT 221 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM 14 MILES
EAST OF ST. MARYS TO CLARION...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE STORMS CONTAIN TORRENTIAL RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR BRANDY CAMP AROUND 250 PM...CAMERON AROUND
300 PM...STEVENSON DAM AROUND 315 PM...HICKS RUN AROUND 335 PM AND
TAMARACK AROUND 345 PM.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 219...STATE
ROAD 255.

FORECASTER: MARTIN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 7, 4:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCentre, Clinton, Lycoming, Union57 min
Aug 7, 4:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry53 min
Aug 7, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams, Cumberland, Franklin, York55 min
Aug 7, 5:04 PM EDTTornado WarningCTPCumberland, Perry21 min
Aug 7, 5:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPColumbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder and 1 more64 min
Aug 7, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, York63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.