Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

May 3, 2021Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at May 3, 2021, 8:54 PM EDT for Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 36 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: May 3, 2021, 8:54 PM EDT (00:54 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2021, 9:30 PM EDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Lawrence County, PA

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:54 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 nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 69 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: 340 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 674 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 129 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

194 
WFUS51 KPBZ 040054
TORPBZ
PAC073-040130-
/O.NEW.KPBZ.TO.W.0002.210504T0054Z-210504T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
854 PM EDT Mon May 3 2021

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Lawrence County in western Pennsylvania...

* Until 930 PM EDT.
    
* At 853 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Oakwood, or near New Castle, moving east at 30
  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...
  Oakwood and New Castle Northwest around 905 PM EDT.
  New Castle around 910 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Bessemer and South New Castle.

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 412-262-1988, posting to 
the NWS Pittsburgh Facebook page, or using Twitter @NWSPITTSBURGH. 
 
&&

LAT...LON 4099 8020 4095 8050 4100 8051 4102 8051
      4107 8023
TIME...MOT...LOC 0053Z 257DEG 27KT 4099 8047 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

CL

2 follow-up statements

938 
WWUS51 KPBZ 040105
SVSPBZ

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
905 PM EDT Mon May 3 2021

PAC073-040130-
/O.CON.KPBZ.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-210504T0130Z/
Lawrence PA-
905 PM EDT Mon May 3 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
LAWRENCE COUNTY...
    
At 905 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Oakwood, or over New Castle, moving east at 20 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...
  New Castle Northwest around 910 PM EDT.
  New Castle around 915 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include South
New Castle.

This includes Interstate 376 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 12
and 14.
 
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 412-262-1988, posting to 
the NWS Pittsburgh Facebook page, or using Twitter @NWSPITTSBURGH. 

&&

LAT...LON 4099 8020 4096 8044 4103 8045 4107 8023
TIME...MOT...LOC 0105Z 261DEG 19KT 4098 8040 

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

$$

CL

041 
WWUS51 KPBZ 040117
SVSPBZ

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
917 PM EDT Mon May 3 2021

PAC073-040130-
/O.CON.KPBZ.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-210504T0130Z/
Lawrence PA-
917 PM EDT Mon May 3 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
LAWRENCE COUNTY...
    
At 916 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over New Castle, moving east at 20 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
central Lawrence County, including the following locations... South
New Castle.

This includes Interstate 376 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 12
and 14.
 
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 412-262-1988, posting to 
the NWS Pittsburgh Facebook page, or using Twitter @NWSPITTSBURGH. 

&&

LAT...LON 4097 8039 4104 8041 4107 8023 4099 8020
TIME...MOT...LOC 0116Z 253DEG 18KT 4100 8034 

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

$$

CL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 9:29 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Butler, Lawrence	31 min
May 4, 2:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PBZ	Jefferson	19 min
May 4, 6:00 PM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	PBZ	Fayette, Greene	11 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes 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.