Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 1, NWS State College, PA

March 23, 2011Cambria County, Somerset County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Mar 23, 2011, 5:09 PM EDT for Cambria County, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 36 min. 2 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: Mar 23, 2011, 5:09 PM EDT (21:09 UTC)
Expired: Mar 23, 2011, 5:45 PM EDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Cambria County, PA, Somerset County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:11 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
Mar 23, 5:25 PM EDT	HAIL 0.8	Davidsville, PA
Mar 23, 5:45 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Ogletown, PA

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
Mar 23, 4:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 96 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 742 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 546 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 612 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.

467 
WFUS51 KCTP 232109
TORCTP
PAC021-111-232145-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0001.110323T2109Z-110323T2145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
509 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN CAMBRIA COUNTY IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 508 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
  TORNADO. THE STORM CONTAINING THE TORNADO WAS NEAR LIGONIER...
  MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BOSWELL AND WESTMONT AROUND 520 PM...
  JEROME...ACOSTA AND DAVIDSVILLE AROUND 525 PM...
  WINDBER...SCALP LEVEL AND GEISTOWN AROUND 530 PM...
  CENTRAL CITY AND DUNLO AROUND 535 PM...
  OGLETOWN AROUND 540 PM...

THIS WILL IMPACT THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 100
AND 129.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...THE JOHNSTOWN
EXPRESSWAY...ROUTE 30...ROUTE 219.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER INSIDE NOW. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. MOVE
TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF A STURDY BUILDING. PUT AS
MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS YOU CAN. AVOID WINDOWS.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4012 7921 4012 7919 4013 7917 4015 7917
      4017 7915 4026 7909 4036 7900 4028 7865
      4008 7873 4006 7876 3997 7877 4008 7926
TIME...MOT...LOC 2110Z 289DEG 43KT 4021 7920

$$

FORECASTER: EVANEGO

1 follow-up statement

856 
WWUS51 KCTP 232130
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
530 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

PAC021-111-232145-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110323T2145Z/
CAMBRIA PA-SOMERSET PA-
530 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM EDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN SOMERSET AND SOUTHWESTERN CAMBRIA COUNTIES...

AT 527 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED
NEAR HOOVERSVILLE...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WINDBER...MOVING EAST AT
50 MPH.

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...THE JOHNSTOWN
EXPRESSWAY...ROUTE 30...ROUTE 219.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4015 7910 4035 7897 4028 7865 4010 7872
      4008 7874 4008 7875 3998 7877 3999 7879
TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 289DEG 43KT 4013 7891

$$

FORECASTER: EVANEGO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 23, 3:53 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Bedford, Somerset	52 min
Mar 23, 4:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford, Somerset	29 min
Mar 23, 5:01 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Blair	29 min
Mar 23, 5:25 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Clearfield	35 min
Mar 23, 5:29 PM EDT	Winter Weather Advisory	CTP	Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming and 5 more	4 hr
Mar 23, 5:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry	39 min
Mar 23, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford, Cambria, Somerset	31 min
Mar 23, 6:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Somerset	26 min
Mar 23, 6:13 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Fulton	32 min
Mar 23, 6:31 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Blair, Cambria	3 hr
Mar 23, 6:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Cumberland	36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.