Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 4, NWS State College, PA

May 15, 2018Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2018, 2:04 PM EDT for Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 41 min. 2 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: May 15, 2018, 2:04 PM EDT (18:04 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2018, 2:45 PM EDT
In force: 41 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Sullivan County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:03 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
May 15, 2:25 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Forksville, PA	TREES AND WIRES DOWN ON ROUTE 87.
May 15, 2:35 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Dushore, PA	TREES DOWN.

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
May 15, 12:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 248 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: 26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -339 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 753 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 123 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

476 
WFUS51 KCTP 151804
TORCTP
PAC113-151845-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0004.180515T1804Z-180515T1845Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service State College PA
204 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2018

The National Weather Service in State College PA has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Sullivan County in north central Pennsylvania...

* Until 245 PM EDT
    
* At 203 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Shunk, moving east at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  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...
  Lincoln Falls around 210 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Dushore, Laporte, Eagles Mere, Forksville and Hillsgrove.

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.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 4136 7629 4133 7664 4141 7675 4159 7681
      4154 7623 4152 7622
TIME...MOT...LOC 1803Z 260DEG 36KT 4147 7677 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

Lambert/Watson

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 3:47 AM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	CTP	Adams, Bedford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton and 5 more	15 hr
May 15, 8:16 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Tioga	44 min
May 15, 11:38 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Elk, McKean	52 min
May 15, 12:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, McKean	75 min
May 15, 12:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cameron, Clinton, Elk, Potter	47 min
May 15, 12:46 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Cameron, Clinton, Elk, Potter	44 min
May 15, 12:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cambria, Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk	57 min
May 15, 1:03 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Tioga	42 min
May 15, 1:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Tioga	61 min
May 15, 1:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga	65 min
May 15, 1:34 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Cambria	41 min
May 15, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming	63 min
May 15, 1:59 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Blair	46 min
May 15, 2:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Blair, Cambria, Centre, Huntingdon	49 min
May 15, 2:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lycoming and 6 more	74 min
May 15, 2:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Blair, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry	56 min
May 15, 2:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Union	24 min
May 15, 2:48 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Columbia, Montour, Northumberland	42 min
May 15, 2:51 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Huntingdon	24 min
May 15, 3:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Columbia, Dauphin, Juniata, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill and 1 more	46 min
May 15, 3:23 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Fulton	37 min
May 15, 3:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Franklin, Perry	41 min
May 15, 3:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, Lebanon and 3 more	60 min
May 15, 4:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CTP	Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, York	31 min
May 15, 4:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams, Cumberland, York	59 min
May 15, 4:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York	53 min
May 15, 5:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams, Lancaster, York	83 min
May 15, 6:02 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Lancaster, York	118 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2018 Every tornado warning in 2018 Tornadoes in 2018

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.