Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

August 25, 2016Butler County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Aug 25, 2016, 9:43 PM EDT for Butler County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 18 min. 3 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
Aug 25, 2016, 9:43 PM EDT (01:43 UTC)
Expired
Aug 25, 2016, 10:01 PM EDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

County Butler County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:42 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
Aug 25, 9:43 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 Ene Evans City, PATREES DOWN AT SPITHALER SCHOOL RD AND BROWNSDALE RD
Aug 25, 9:47 PM EDTTORNADO3 Ene Evans City, PAEF0 TORNADO
Aug 25, 9:50 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG5 E Evans City, PANEAR INTERSECTION OF REIBOLD AND BROWNSDALE ROADS. MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OF BARN AND SHED.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KAGC), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 42 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 00:00Z on 2016-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1766 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 00:00Z on 2016-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 167 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
1766 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1083 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
167 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
10.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

366 
WFUS51 KPBZ 260143
TORPBZ
PAC019-260215-
/O.NEW.KPBZ.TO.W.0005.160826T0143Z-160826T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
943 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BUTLER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT
    
* AT 943 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR EVANS CITY...OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  BUTLER... MOVING EAST AT 25 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 DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HOMEACRE-LYNDORA AROUND 950 PM EDT. 
  BUTLER...MEADOWOOD AND OAK HILLS AROUND 955 PM EDT. 
  SARVER AND FREEPORT AROUND 1015 PM EDT. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE
SAXONBURG...CONNOQUENESSING...VALENCIA...CALLERY...NIXON AND EAST
BUTLER.

THIS INCLUDES  INTERSTATE 79 IN PENNSYLVANIA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 79
AND 81.
 
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
@NWSPITTSBURGH.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4067 7969 4067 7998 4070 8011 4088 8008
      4087 7969
TIME...MOT...LOC 0143Z 277DEG 21KT 4078 8000 

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

$$
2 follow-up statements
365 
WWUS51 KPBZ 260152
SVSPBZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
952 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2016

PAC019-260215-
/O.CON.KPBZ.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-160826T0215Z/
BUTLER PA-
952 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2016

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN BUTLER COUNTY...
    
AT 952 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED OVER OAK HILLS...OR NEAR BUTLER...MOVING EAST AT 25 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 DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BUTLER AND MEADOWOOD AROUND 1000 PM EDT. 
  SARVER AROUND 1015 PM EDT. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE
SAXONBURG...NIXON AND EAST BUTLER.

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
@NWSPITTSBURGH.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4067 7969 4067 7986 4071 8000 4088 7996
      4087 7969
TIME...MOT...LOC 0152Z 266DEG 21KT 4079 7993 

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

$$
142 
WWUS51 KPBZ 260201
SVSPBZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1001 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2016

PAC019-260210-
/O.CAN.KPBZ.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-160826T0215Z/
BUTLER PA-
1001 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2016

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN BUTLER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE...THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS ARE
STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
PITTSBURGH.

LAT...LON 4067 7969 4067 7986 4071 8000 4088 7996
      4087 7969
TIME...MOT...LOC 0159Z 277DEG 21KT 4078 7986 

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 25, 8:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPBZJefferson30 min
Aug 25, 8:31 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPBZClarion, Jefferson29 min
Aug 25, 9:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZArmstrong, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson43 min
Aug 25, 10:09 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPBZJefferson3 hr
Aug 25, 10:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZIndiana44 min
Aug 25, 10:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZArmstrong, Butler, Westmoreland50 min
Aug 25, 11:00 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPBZWestmoreland30 min
Aug 26, 12:27 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPBZWashington33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2016Every tornado warning in 2016Tornadoes in 2016

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.