Alert archive / New York / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1513

August 13, 202125 counties in New York; 8 counties in Pennsylvania

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 13, 2021, 2:48 PM EDT for 25 counties in New York; 8 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 13, 2021, 2:48 PM EDT (18:48 UTC)
Expired
Aug 13, 2021, 4:15 PM EDT
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 33 counties

Broome County, NY, Cayuga County, NY, Chemung County, NY, Chenango County, NY, Cortland County, NY, Essex County, NY, Fulton County, NY, Hamilton County, NY, Herkimer County, NY, Lewis County, NY, Madison County, NY, Montgomery County, NY, Oneida County, NY, Onondaga County, NY, Oswego County, NY, Otsego County, NY, Saratoga County, NY, Schuyler County, NY, Seneca County, NY, Steuben County, NY, Tioga County, NY, Tompkins County, NY, Warren County, NY, Washington County, NY, Yates County, NY, Bradford County, PA, Cameron County, PA, Clinton County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, Potter County, PA, Sullivan County, PA, Susquehanna County, PA, Tioga County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:48 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

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 183 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2021-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 239 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2021-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
239 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
879 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

792 
ACUS11 KWNS 131849
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 131848 
VTZ000-NYZ000-PAZ000-132015-

Mesoscale Discussion 1513
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0148 PM CDT Fri Aug 13 2021

Areas affected...north-central PA...central and northern parts of NY

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 131848Z - 132015Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated to widely scattered damaging gusts are possible
this afternoon from north-central PA northeastward into central NY. 
It is uncertain whether a severe thunderstorm watch is needed for
portions of this area.

DISCUSSION...Visible satellite imagery shows an MCV moving east
across northwest PA near the NY/PA border with an agitated cumulus
field ahead of the mid-level impulse.  A couple of thunderstorms
have recently developed over north-central PA and over parts of
central NY.  NY Mesonet observations show temperatures generally in
the mid to upper 80s with lower 70s dewpoints.  NAM forecast
soundings suggest 2500-3000 J/kg MLCAPE is present based on current
surface observations, whereas RAP soundings appear too dry at the
surface and are under-representing buoyancy.  Additionally, forecast
soundings show a modest increase of flow from the surface to the mid
levels.  The 30-kt 500 mb flow is resulting in effective shear
supporting organized multicells and perhaps brief/weak supercell
structure.  Expecting storm coverage to increase over north-central
PA into southern NY east of the Finger Lakes through the late
afternoon in association with the MCV.  Strong to locally severe
gusts (50-60 mph) are possible with the stronger storms.

..Smith/Hart.. 08/13/2021

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

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

LAT...LON   41857839 43597634 44507446 44377360 43917328 43297338
            41137693 41017765 41367826 41857839

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 3:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlbany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Columbia and 28 more7 hr
Aug 13, 7:14 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlbany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Columbia and 29 more61 min
Aug 12, 10:08 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBerks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland and 22 more67 min
Aug 13, 12:33 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster and 3 more87 min
Aug 13, 1:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdams, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin and 6 more7 hr
Aug 13, 4:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette and 9 more5 hr
Aug 13, 4:48 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChester87 min
Aug 13, 7:49 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Clarion and 13 more56 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in New York, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Pennsylvania, 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.