Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 12, NWS State College, PA

July 19, 2015Cameron County, Elk County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 19, 2015, 7:53 PM EDT for Cameron County, Elk County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 37 min. 4 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
Jul 19, 2015, 7:53 PM EDT (23:53 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 2015, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cameron County, PA, Elk County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:52 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
Jul 19, 8:05 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUDKersey, PA
Jul 19, 8:05 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGKersey, PAPENFIELD RD. RT 153 BLOCKED BY DOWNED TREES
Jul 19, 8:05 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGSt. Marys, PATREES DOWN ON GLEN HAZEL RD.
Jul 19, 8:15 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGSt. Marys, PATREES DOWN AT 133 WASHINGTON ST.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 19, 3:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KAGC), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 168 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2015-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 66 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2015-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
66 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-189 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1202 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
5 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.

534 
WFUS51 KCTP 192353
TORCTP
PAC023-047-200030-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0012.150719T2353Z-150720T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
753 PM EDT SUN JUL 19 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN ELK COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  WEST CENTRAL CAMERON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT
    
* AT 753 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  OVER RIDGWAY...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RIDGWAY...ST. MARYS...BENEZETTE...MEDIX RUN...TRUMAN AND KERSEY. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED
FOR THE SAME AREA.

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4138 7880 4147 7879 4150 7820 4127 7832
TIME...MOT...LOC 2353Z 276DEG 33KT 4141 7871 

$$

DANGELO
1 follow-up statement
018 
WWUS51 KCTP 200013
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
813 PM EDT SUN JUL 19 2015

PAC023-047-200030-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-150720T0030Z/
ELK PA-CAMERON PA-
813 PM EDT SUN JUL 19 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN ELK AND WEST CENTRAL CAMERON COUNTIES...
    
AT 811 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WHICH MAY BE PRODUCING A TORNADO JUST SOUTH OF ST. 
MARYS...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ST. MARYS...BENEZETTE...MEDIX RUN AND KERSEY. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4134 7863 4144 7859 4150 7820 4127 7832
TIME...MOT...LOC 0011Z 276DEG 33KT 4139 7851 

$$

DANGELO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 8:02 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPNorthumberland, Schuylkill28 min
Jul 18, 8:23 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPYork3 hr
Jul 18, 8:27 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPLancaster33 min
Jul 18, 8:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPSchuylkill43 min
Jul 18, 8:56 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPYork34 min
Jul 19, 3:06 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSullivan24 min
Jul 19, 3:33 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPSullivan42 min
Jul 19, 4:41 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPColumbia49 min
Jul 19, 5:15 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPFranklin, Fulton60 min
Jul 19, 5:52 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPMcKean53 min
Jul 19, 6:10 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPTioga35 min
Jul 19, 6:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPMcKean, Warren60 min
Jul 19, 6:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPWarren47 min
Jul 19, 6:51 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPMcKean, Warren114 min
Jul 19, 7:21 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCTPMcKean54 min
Jul 19, 7:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPCameron, Elk, McKean30 min
Jul 19, 7:38 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCTPElk6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.