Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1269

July 13, 202129 counties in New York; 42 counties in Pennsylvania

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 13, 2021, 12:48 PM EDT for 29 counties in New York; 42 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 13, 2021, 12:48 PM EDT (16:48 UTC)
Expired
Jul 13, 2021, 2:15 PM EDT
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 71 counties

Allegany County, NY, Broome County, NY, Cattaraugus County, NY, Cayuga County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY, Chemung County, NY, Chenango County, NY, Cortland County, NY, Erie County, NY, Genesee County, NY, Jefferson County, NY, Lewis County, NY, Livingston County, NY, Madison County, NY, Monroe County, NY, Niagara County, NY, Oneida County, NY, Onondaga County, NY, Ontario County, NY, Orleans County, NY, Oswego County, NY, Schuyler County, NY, Seneca County, NY, Steuben County, NY, Tioga County, NY, Tompkins County, NY, Wayne County, NY, Wyoming County, NY, Yates County, NY, Armstrong County, PA, Berks County, PA, Blair County, PA, Bradford County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Cameron County, PA, Carbon County, PA, Centre County, PA, Clarion County, PA, Clearfield County, PA, Clinton County, PA, Columbia County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Dauphin County, PA, Elk County, PA, Forest County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA, Indiana County, PA, Jefferson County, PA, Juniata County, PA, Lackawanna County, PA, Lebanon County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Luzerne County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, McKean County, PA, Mifflin County, PA, Monroe County, PA, Montour County, PA, Northampton County, PA, Northumberland County, PA, Perry County, PA, Potter County, PA, Schuylkill County, PA, Snyder County, PA, Sullivan County, PA, Susquehanna County, PA, Tioga County, PA, Union County, PA, Warren County, PA, Wayne County, PA, Wyoming County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:50 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, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 2021-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 610 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2021-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 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
610 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
907 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

543 
ACUS11 KWNS 131648
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 131648 
NYZ000-PAZ000-NJZ000-131815-

Mesoscale Discussion 1269
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1148 AM CDT Tue Jul 13 2021

Areas affected...Portions of the Northeast

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 131648Z - 131815Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Scattered storms developing will pose a risk for damaging
winds and severe hail this afternoon/evening. A severe thunderstorm
watch will likely be issued in the next hour.

DISCUSSION...Visible satellite shows morning clearing has given way
to widespread cumulus development across the region. Surface
temperatures have warmed into the low to mid 80s F amid rich
low-level moisture characterized by dew point temperatures in the
low to mid 70s F. This has led to rapid destabilization, with MLCAPE
values of 1500 J/kg being analyzed across the region, and
approaching 2000-2500 J/kg across portions of south-central
Pennsylvania. Isolated storms are already beginning to develop, with
a severe/maturing convective cell noted in central New York. 

This trend is expected to continue, with scattered storms expected
across the region by early to mid afternoon. With effective bulk
shear of 35-40 kt, storms should organize into a mixture of
multicells and supercells, posing a risk for mainly damaging winds
and some severe hail, and a tornado or two is possible. Given these
trends, a severe thunderstorm watch will likely be needed for the
region in the next hour or so.

..Karstens/Dial.. 07/13/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...BTV...ALY...PHI...BGM...BUF...CTP...PBZ...

LAT...LON   40077851 40317946 42157955 43467877 43467709 44027622
            44237541 43817479 41887524 40777511 40097610 39967680
            40077851

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 13, 1:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung and 26 more10 hr
Jul 13, 4:07 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung and 25 more113 min
Jul 13, 6:44 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango and 20 more91 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Pennsylvania, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in New York, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.