Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 255, NWS State College, PA

August 18, 2021Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 2021, 10:28 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 18, 2021, 10:28 PM EDT (02:28 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2021, 11:15 PM EDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Possible
Hail: 0.75 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Lancaster County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:27 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 18, 11:37 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 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-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: 1288 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1100 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 171 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

492 
WUUS51 KCTP 190228
SVRCTP
PAC071-190315-
/O.NEW.KCTP.SV.W.0255.210819T0228Z-210819T0315Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service State College PA
1028 PM EDT Wed Aug 18 2021

The National Weather Service in State College PA has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Eastern Lancaster County in south central Pennsylvania...

* Until 1115 PM EDT.

* At 1027 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Smithville,
  moving northeast at 30 mph.

  HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
  Willow Street, New Holland, Leola, Paradise, Strasburg,
  Quarryville, Gap, Terre Hill, Churchtown, Bareville, Smithville,
  Bowmansville, Lampeter, Intercourse, Christiana, Fivepointville,
  Blue Ball, Georgetown, Gordonville and Goodville.

This includes The Pennsylvania Turnpike from mile markers 288 to 295.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM EDT for south central
Pennsylvania.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM EDT for south central
Pennsylvania.

&&

LAT...LON 4010 7594 4004 7594 3996 7599 3983 7625
      3991 7634 4024 7604 4014 7587
TIME...MOT...LOC 0227Z 225DEG 25KT 3991 7625 

TORNADO...POSSIBLE
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

BG

1 follow-up statement

600 
WWUS51 KCTP 190306
SVSCTP

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service State College PA
1106 PM EDT Wed Aug 18 2021

PAC071-190315-
/O.CON.KCTP.SV.W.0255.000000T0000Z-210819T0315Z/
Lancaster PA-
1106 PM EDT Wed Aug 18 2021

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1115 PM EDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN LANCASTER COUNTY...

At 1105 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Churchtown,
moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...
Paradise, Quarryville, Gap, Churchtown, Intercourse, Christiana,
Georgetown, Goodville, Buck and White Horse.

This includes The Pennsylvania Turnpike from mile markers 293 to 295.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

Very heavy rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to 
flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 4010 7594 4004 7594 3996 7599 3983 7625
      3986 7627 4019 7596 4014 7587
TIME...MOT...LOC 0305Z 225DEG 25KT 4010 7600 

TORNADO...POSSIBLE
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

BG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 8:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster, Lebanon	37 min
Aug 18, 8:27 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Lancaster, Lebanon	3 hr
Aug 18, 8:45 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lancaster	45 min
Aug 18, 8:48 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Tioga	76 min
Aug 18, 9:11 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	CTP	Lancaster	108 min
Aug 18, 9:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	York	33 min
Aug 18, 9:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster	39 min
Aug 18, 10:34 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	CTP	Lancaster, York	11 min
Aug 18, 10:48 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	CTP	Lancaster, York	2 hr
Aug 18, 10:53 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Lancaster, York	3 hr
Aug 18, 10:59 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	CTP	Lancaster	2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2021 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2021

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.