Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 5, NWS State College, PA

August 7, 2008Cumberland County, Perry County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Aug 7, 2008, 5:04 PM EDT for Cumberland County, Perry County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 21 min. 4 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 7, 2008, 5:04 PM EDT (21:04 UTC)
Expired
Aug 7, 2008, 5:25 PM EDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cumberland County, PA, Perry County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:06 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 7, 5:21 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Shermans Dale, PAEVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 506 PM 08/07/2008 AND 521 PM 08/07/2008
Aug 7, 5:21 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Shermansdale, PA
Aug 7, 5:35 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGShiremanstown, PASPOTTER REPORTED MEASURED WIND GUST OF 60 MPH AND PEA SIZED HAIL.
Aug 7, 5:35 PM EDTTSTM WND GST 60Shiremanstown, PASPOTTER REPORTED MEASURED WIND GUST OF 60 MPH AND PEA SIZED HAIL.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 130 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, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 2008-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 2008-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1654 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
45 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 
WFUS51 KCTP 072104
TORCTP
PAC041-099-072145-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0005.080807T2104Z-080807T2145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
504 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHERN PERRY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 458 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR COLONEL
  DENNING STATE PARK...OR 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF CARLISLE...MOVING
  SOUTHEAST AT 34 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SHERMANSDALE AROUND 515 PM EDT...
  CARLISLE SPRINGS AND CARLISLE AROUND 520 PM EDT...
  BOILING SPRINGS AROUND 525 PM EDT...
  HOGESTOWN AND WERTZVILLE AROUND 530 PM EDT...
  MECHANICSBURG AND ENOLA AROUND 535 PM EDT...
  SHIREMANSTOWN...CAMP HILL AND WORMLEYSBURG AROUND 540 PM EDT...

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA INTERSTATES...THE
PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 214 AND 235...I-70 BETWEEN
MILE MARKERS 214 AND 235...I-81 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 41 AND 62.

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.

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 4025 7752 4044 7737 4028 7691 4025 7690
      4009 7713
TIME...MOT...LOC 2104Z 294DEG 30KT 4029 7731

$$

FORECASTER: DEVOIR/MARTIN
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KCTP 072125
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
525 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

PAC041-099-072133-
/O.CAN.KCTP.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-080807T2145Z/
CUMBERLAND PA-PERRY PA-
523 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN PERRY AND NORTHEASTERN CUMBERLAND
COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM CIRCULATION HAS WEAKENED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING 
HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE STORM IS STILL PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZED 
HAIL AND ISOLATED STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE.

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 4025 7752 4044 7737 4028 7691 4025 7690
      4009 7713
TIME...MOT...LOC 2123Z 294DEG 30KT 4023 7712

$$

FORECASTER: DEVOIR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 7, 2:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPClearfield, Elk37 min
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, 5:11 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

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.