Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 21, NWS State College, PA

May 23, 2011McKean County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 23, 2011, 11:39 PM EDT for McKean County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 36 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
May 23, 2011, 11:39 PM EDT (03:39 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 2011, 12:15 AM EDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County McKean County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:41 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
May 23, 11:50 PM EDTHAIL 0.75Bradford, PA

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

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 00:00Z on 2011-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 191 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 00:00Z on 2011-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 172 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
191 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1252 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

922 
WFUS51 KCTP 240339
TORCTP
PAC083-240415-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0021.110524T0339Z-110524T0415Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1139 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN MCKEAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 1215 AM EDT

* AT 1138 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE STORM
  CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS NEAR MARSHBURG...MOVING EAST AT
  60 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BRADFORD AROUND 1145 PM EDT...
  REW AROUND 1155 PM EDT...
  CORYVILLE AROUND MIDNIGHT 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.

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 219...STATE ROAD
46...STATE ROAD 59...STATE ROAD 446.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. IF YOU WAIT TO
SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4183 7821 4183 7887 4200 7888 4200 7821
TIME...MOT...LOC 0340Z 272DEG 50KT 4192 7874

$$

FORECASTER: STEINBUGL
2 follow-up statements
483 
WWUS51 KCTP 240403
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1203 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

PAC083-240415-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-110524T0415Z/
MCKEAN PA-
1203 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM EDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN MCKEAN COUNTY...

AT 1159 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION THAT MAY BE PRODUCING A
TORNADO. THIS STORM THAT MAY BE PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR
ELDRED...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF OLEAN...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.


THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...STATE ROAD 46...STATE
ROAD 446.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
LARGE HAIL HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

&&

LAT...LON 4184 7821 4184 7849 4200 7850 4200 7821
TIME...MOT...LOC 0403Z 271DEG 49KT 4194 7836

$$

FORECASTER: STEINBUGL
720 
WWUS51 KCTP 240417
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1217 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

PAC083-240426-
/O.EXP.KCTP.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-110524T0415Z/
MCKEAN PA-
1217 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN MCKEAN COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...AS THE STORM IS MOVING 
OUT OF THE COUNTY. 

LAT...LON 4184 7821 4184 7849 4200 7850 4200 7821
TIME...MOT...LOC 0403Z 271DEG 49KT 4194 7836

$$

FORECASTER: STEINBUGL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 8:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean, Warren53 min
May 23, 9:46 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPMcKean29 min
May 23, 10:17 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPMcKean43 min
May 23, 10:24 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPWarren51 min
May 23, 11:01 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPWarren44 min
May 23, 11:17 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPMcKean, Potter, Warren3 hr
May 23, 11:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean, Warren42 min
May 24, 12:09 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean, Potter51 min
May 24, 12:29 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPCameron, Elk, McKean, Potter, Warren3 hr
May 24, 12:43 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean, Potter17 min
May 24, 12:53 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPTioga37 min
May 24, 1:05 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPMcKean, Potter, Tioga55 min
May 24, 1:13 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPBedford, Blair, Cambria, Somerset92 min
May 24, 6:59 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSomerset76 min
May 24, 7:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPClearfield57 min

Nearby

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