Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 3, NWS State College, PA

May 16, 2009Tioga County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2009, 1:42 PM EDT for Tioga County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 33 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
May 16, 2009, 1:42 PM EDT (17:42 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2009, 2:15 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Tioga County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:43 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 16, 1:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 180 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2009-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 434 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2009-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 303 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
434 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1076 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
303 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KCTP 161742
TORCTP
PAC117-161815-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0003.090516T1742Z-090516T1815Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
142 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN TIOGA COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 215 PM EDT

* AT 139 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR LEETONIA...
  OR 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WELLSBORO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MORRIS AROUND 205 PM EDT...

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.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4172 7724 4159 7719 4154 7757 4154 7758
      4159 7761 4160 7760
TIME...MOT...LOC 1741Z 248DEG 26KT 4159 7749

$$

FORECASTER: LA CORTE
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS51 KCTP 161753
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
153 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009

PAC117-161815-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-090516T1815Z/
TIOGA PA-
153 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL TIOGA COUNTY...

AT 149 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES WEST OF 
MORRIS...OR 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WELLSBORO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4172 7724 4160 7721 4155 7753 4160 7756
TIME...MOT...LOC 1752Z 248DEG 26KT 4162 7739

$$

FORECASTER: LA CORTE
000 
WWUS51 KCTP 161816
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
216 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009

PAC117-161826-
/O.EXP.KCTP.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-090516T1815Z/
TIOGA PA-
216 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TIOGA COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4172 7724 4160 7721 4155 7753 4160 7756
TIME...MOT...LOC 1753Z 248DEG 26KT 4162 7738

$$

FORECASTER: BEACHLER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 1:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLycoming, Potter, Tioga57 min
May 16, 2:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCameron, Elk, McKean59 min
May 16, 3:38 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPTioga37 min
May 16, 3:48 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPPotter27 min
May 16, 3:54 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPCameron36 min
May 16, 4:16 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPTioga29 min
May 16, 4:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPTioga65 min
May 16, 4:29 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSullivan31 min
May 16, 5:11 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPJuniata, Mifflin34 min
May 16, 5:34 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPJuniata, Snyder26 min
May 16, 6:00 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPColumbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder45 min
May 16, 6:22 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSullivan23 min
May 16, 6:31 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPFranklin29 min
May 16, 6:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPColumbia, Schuylkill40 min
May 16, 6:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPFranklin33 min
May 16, 7:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry64 min
May 16, 7:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill58 min
May 16, 7:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPDauphin, Lebanon52 min
May 16, 7:50 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPYork70 min
May 16, 7:58 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPCarbon17 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.