Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 178, NWS State College, PA

August 4, 2012Dauphin County, Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 2012, 3:03 PM EDT for Dauphin County, Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 57 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: Aug 4, 2012, 3:03 PM EDT (19:03 UTC)
Expired: Aug 4, 2012, 4:00 PM EDT
In force: 57 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Dauphin County, PA, Lancaster County, PA, York County, PA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:03 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
Aug 4, 3:08 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	York, PA	NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES AND WIRES DOWN IN THE CITY OF YORK.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 137 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: 2272 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 38 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.

188 
WUUS51 KCTP 041903
SVRCTP
PAC043-071-133-042000-
/O.NEW.KCTP.SV.W.0178.120804T1903Z-120804T2000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
303 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN DAUPHIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  WEST CENTRAL LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  CENTRAL YORK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 400 PM EDT

* AT 302 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. THE STORM WAS NEAR YORK...MOVING NORTH AT 25
  MPH. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL...
  AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  EMIGSVILLE...
  HALLAM...
  MANCHESTER AND WRIGHTSVILLE...
  BAINBRIDGE AND MAYTOWN...
  VALLEY GREEN AND MOUNT JOY...
  ELIZABETHTOWN...

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA INTERSTATES...THE
PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 244 AND 258...I-83 BETWEEN
MILE MARKERS 8 AND 37...I-283.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGE. MOVE INSIDE A PERMANENT BUILDING
NOW TO BE SAFE FROM STRONG WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.

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 3985 7683 4024 7685 4021 7657 4020 7657
      4021 7654 4019 7643 3983 7662 3981 7674
TIME...MOT...LOC 1903Z 193DEG 20KT 3996 7672

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT

1 follow-up statement

297 
WWUS51 KCTP 041938
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
338 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

PAC043-071-133-042000-
/O.CON.KCTP.SV.W.0178.000000T0000Z-120804T2000Z/
DAUPHIN PA-LANCASTER PA-YORK PA-
338 PM EDT SAT AUG 4 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM EDT
FOR NORTH CENTRAL YORK...WEST CENTRAL LANCASTER AND SOUTHEASTERN
DAUPHIN COUNTIES...

AT 333 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS 
IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BAINBRIDGE...OR 
NEAR ELIZABETHTOWN...MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ELIZABETHTOWN AND RHEEMS...
  MIDDLETOWN...

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA INTERSTATES...THE
PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 249 AND 258...I-83 BETWEEN
MILE MARKERS 24 AND 28.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...DOWNING TREES 
AND POWER LINES IN THE GREATER YORK AREA. SEEK SHELTER NOW INSIDE A 
STURDY STRUCTURE AS THIS STORM APPROACHES...AND STAY AWAY FROM 
WINDOWS.

FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS 
STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER 
ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE 
ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

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 3999 7672 4003 7677 4023 7676 4023 7672
      4021 7657 4020 7657 4021 7653 4019 7643
      3996 7656
TIME...MOT...LOC 1935Z 193DEG 20KT 4013 7667

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 4, 1:24 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Dauphin	51 min
Aug 4, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and 1 more	63 min
Aug 4, 1:52 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	York	38 min
Aug 4, 1:56 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Bedford, Cambria, Somerset	3 hr
Aug 4, 2:24 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, York	117 min
Aug 4, 2:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union	70 min
Aug 4, 2:54 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	York	66 min
Aug 4, 3:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Sullivan, Union	65 min
Aug 4, 3:36 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lebanon	24 min
Aug 4, 3:56 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Clearfield	34 min
Aug 4, 3:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Schuylkill	63 min
Aug 4, 4:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Fulton	66 min
Aug 4, 4:53 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Cumberland, Juniata, Perry	112 min
Aug 4, 5:57 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Mifflin, Potter, Tioga	2 hr
Aug 4, 6:11 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	McKean	49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.