Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

July 9, 2015Indiana County, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Jul 9, 2015, 1:54 PM EDT for Indiana County, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 21 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: Jul 9, 2015, 1:54 PM EDT (17:54 UTC)
Expired: Jul 9, 2015, 2:15 PM EDT
In force: 21 min
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Indiana County, PA, Jefferson County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:55 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
Jul 9, 1:55 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Punxsutawney, PA	TREE DOWN AT GREENWOOD AVE AND E MAHONING 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 9, 1:27 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KAGC), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 117 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: 104 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 631 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 208 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 233 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

844 
WFUS51 KPBZ 091754
TORPBZ
PAC063-065-091815-
/O.NEW.KPBZ.TO.W.0013.150709T1754Z-150709T1815Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
154 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN INDIANA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 215 PM EDT
    
* AT 153 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER PUNXSUTAWNEY...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE 
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  NORTHEASTERN INDIANA AND SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES...
  INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...ANITA...BIG RUN...ROSSITER AND
  SYKESVILLE.

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 OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER BY CALLING 4 1 2...2 6 2...1 9 8 8...
POSTING TO THE
NWS PITTSBURGH FACEBOOK PAGE...OR USING TWITTER AT NWSPITTSBURGH. 

&&

LAT...LON 4089 7881 4090 7906 4097 7908 4098 7906
      4106 7882 4105 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 1753Z 258DEG 33KT 4093 7898 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

34

2 follow-up statements

379 
WWUS51 KPBZ 091802
SVSPBZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
202 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

PAC063-091811-
/O.CAN.KPBZ.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-150709T1815Z/
INDIANA PA-
202 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN INDIANA COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR WEST CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4091 7881 4091 7896 4101 7896 4106 7882
      4105 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 1801Z 258DEG 33KT 4095 7887 

$$

PAC065-091815-
/O.CON.KPBZ.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-150709T1815Z/
JEFFERSON PA-
202 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY...
    
AT 201 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR PUNXSUTAWNEY...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE 
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE IS 
         LIKELY. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
PUNXSUTAWNEY...SYKESVILLE...BIG RUN AND ANITA. 

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 OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER BY CALLING 4 1 2...2 6 2...1 9 8 8...
POSTING TO THE
NWS PITTSBURGH FACEBOOK PAGE...OR USING TWITTER AT NWSPITTSBURGH. 

&&

LAT...LON 4091 7881 4091 7896 4101 7896 4106 7882
      4105 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 1801Z 258DEG 33KT 4095 7887 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

34

851 
WWUS51 KPBZ 091811
SVSPBZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
211 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

PAC065-091820-
/O.EXP.KPBZ.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-150709T1815Z/
JEFFERSON PA-
211 PM EDT THU JUL 9 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 215 PM EDT...
        
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR WEST CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4091 7881 4091 7896 4101 7896 4106 7882
      4105 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 1809Z 258DEG 33KT 4095 7887 

$$

34

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 9, 1:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette, Greene, Washington	33 min
Jul 9, 1:27 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Fayette, Greene	18 min
Jul 9, 1:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland	46 min
Jul 9, 2:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango	40 min
Jul 9, 2:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette, Westmoreland	32 min
Jul 9, 2:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Fayette	45 min
Jul 9, 2:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Venango	47 min
Jul 9, 3:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PBZ	Armstrong, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson	46 min
Jul 9, 4:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PBZ	Allegheny	40 min

Nearby

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