Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 29, NWS State College, PA

May 27, 2011Lycoming County, Montour County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 27, 2011, 8:36 PM EDT for Lycoming County, Montour County, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 39 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 27, 2011, 8:36 PM EDT (00:36 UTC)
Expired: May 27, 2011, 9:15 PM EDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lycoming County, PA, Montour County, PA, Sullivan County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:35 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
May 27, 8:45 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Lairdsville, PA	TREES DOWN IN LAIRDSVILLE AND PICTURE ROCKS

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
May 27, 12:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 257 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: 449 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 68 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.

799 
WFUS51 KCTP 280036
TORCTP
PAC081-093-113-280115-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0029.110528T0036Z-110528T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
836 PM EDT FRI MAY 27 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL MONTOUR COUNTY IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL SULLIVAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  EAST CENTRAL LYCOMING COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 915 PM EDT

* AT 831 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE
  STORMS CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO EXTENDED FROM MUNCY TO
  EXCHANGE...AND WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  HUGHESVILLE AROUND 845 PM EDT...
  LAIRDSVILLE AROUND 855 PM EDT...
  BIGGERTOWN AROUND 905 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.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE.

THIS WILL IMPACT I-180 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 10 AND 16.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 220...STATE
ROAD 118.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 4130 7644 4123 7649 4116 7659 4115 7664
      4109 7663 4107 7664 4112 7674 4117 7673
      4117 7674 4117 7682 4119 7685 4139 7675
TIME...MOT...LOC 0036Z 203DEG 20KT 4122 7679 4114 7667

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT/RXR

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 27, 8:09 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Juniata, Mifflin, Perry	36 min
May 27, 8:24 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Huntingdon	36 min
May 27, 8:26 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Sullivan	79 min
May 27, 8:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams, York	58 min
May 27, 8:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia, Dauphin, Lebanon, Northumberland, Schuylkill	61 min
May 27, 9:08 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Columbia, Montour, Sullivan	37 min
May 27, 9:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry, York	40 min
May 27, 9:46 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Dauphin, Lebanon	119 min
May 27, 10:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Columbia, Lebanon, Northumberland, Schuylkill	55 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.