Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 623

May 1, 20178 counties in New York; 21 counties in Pennsylvania

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 1, 2017, 1:41 PM EDT for 8 counties in New York; 21 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 64 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 2017, 1:41 PM EDT (17:41 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2017, 2:45 PM EDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
95%
All 29 counties

Allegany County, NY, Cattaraugus County, NY, Genesee County, NY, Livingston County, NY, Ontario County, NY, Steuben County, NY, Wyoming County, NY, Yates County, NY, Bedford County, PA, Blair County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Cameron County, PA, Centre County, PA, Clearfield County, PA, Clinton County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Elk County, PA, Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA, Juniata County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, McKean County, PA, Mifflin County, PA, Perry County, PA, Potter County, PA, Snyder County, PA, Tioga County, PA, Union County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:43 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.

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 189 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, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2017-05-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2017-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 306 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1242 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
306 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
318 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

841 
ACUS11 KWNS 011742
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 011741 
PAZ000-NYZ000-011845-

Mesoscale Discussion 0623
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1241 PM CDT Mon May 01 2017

Areas affected...western New York through central Pennsylvania

Concerning...Severe potential...Tornado Watch likely 

Valid 011741Z - 011845Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...95 percent

SUMMARY...Severe storm threat with damaging wind and a few tornadoes
should continue to expand eastward into western NY and central PA
this afternoon. A tornado watch will likely be issued soon.

DISCUSSION...Organized line of storms with embedded mesovortices and
bowing segments from Lake Erie through extreme eastern OH is moving
east at around 40 kt. VWP data and special Pittsburg RAOB show very
favorable wind profiles for embedded supercells with large 0-1 km
hodographs. Latest visible imagery also show numerous cloud breaks
which will promote further destabilization of the boundary layer
with 500-1000 J/kg MLCAPE this afternoon.

..Dial/Grams.. 05/01/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...BGM...BUF...CTP...PBZ...

LAT...LON   41077867 42167927 43067828 42867709 40577680 39797736
            39757878 41077867

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 2:12 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAllegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung and 23 more8 hr
May 1, 4:36 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBroome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Madison and 11 more84 min
May 1, 6:29 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlbany, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess and 20 more61 min
May 1, 6:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlbany, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin and 15 more4 hr
May 1, 7:16 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCNew York, Richmond, Rockland, Westchester2 hr
May 1, 11:59 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette and 8 more2 hr
May 1, 12:32 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford and 11 more4 hr
May 1, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and 3 more5 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Pennsylvania, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in New York, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.