Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2023

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Cleveland, OH

July 20, 2023Erie County, Pennsylvania

NWS Cleveland, OH issued this tornado warning at Jul 20, 2023, 5:36 PM EDT for Erie County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 24 min. 4 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: Jul 20, 2023, 5:36 PM EDT (21:36 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2023, 6:00 PM EDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Cleveland, OH
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.25 in

County Erie County, PA

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 144 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:36 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
Jul 20, 5:54 PM EDT	HAIL 1.5	3 S Mckean, PA
Jul 20, 5:54 PM EDT	HAIL 1.5	3 S Mckean, PA
Jul 20, 6:05 PM EDT	HAIL 1	1 W Union City, PA
Jul 20, 6:05 PM EDT	HAIL 1	1 W Union City, PA

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
Jul 20, 2:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 144 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1391 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

448 
WFUS51 KCLE 202136
TORCLE
PAC049-202200-
/O.NEW.KCLE.TO.W.0010.230720T2136Z-230720T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
536 PM EDT Thu Jul 20 2023

The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southeastern Erie County in northwestern Pennsylvania...

* Until 600 PM EDT.
    
* At 535 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Edinboro, or 12 miles south of Erie, moving east
  at 30 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and half dollar 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.

* Locations impacted include...
  Union City, Waterford, Wattsburg, Mill Village, McKean and Elgin. 

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4187 7966 4188 8004 4190 8015 4201 8016
      4213 7976 4201 7976 4200 7969
TIME...MOT...LOC 2135Z 270DEG 26KT 4194 8010 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.25 IN

$$

Sullivan

1 follow-up statement

143 
WWUS51 KCLE 202201
SVSCLE

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
601 PM EDT Thu Jul 20 2023

PAC049-202210-
/O.EXP.KCLE.TO.W.0010.000000T0000Z-230720T2200Z/
Erie PA-
601 PM EDT Thu Jul 20 2023

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ERIE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...
    
A new Tornado Warning has been issued for southeastern Erie County 
due to radar indicated rotation near Union City. Please see that 
bulletin for additional information.

LAT...LON 4187 7966 4188 8004 4190 8015 4201 8016
      4213 7976 4201 7976 4200 7969
TIME...MOT...LOC 2200Z 270DEG 26KT 4194 7987 

$$

Sullivan

The office that day

Everything else NWS Cleveland, OH issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 20, 1:31 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CLE	Erie	74 min
Jul 20, 1:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CLE	Erie	39 min
Jul 20, 4:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CLE	Erie	56 min
Jul 20, 5:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CLE	Erie	60 min
Jul 20, 5:34 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	CLE	Erie	3 hr
Jul 20, 6:00 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CLE	Erie	30 min
Jul 20, 6:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CLE	Crawford, Erie	31 min
Jul 20, 6:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	CLE	Crawford, Erie	76 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2023 Every tornado warning in 2023 Tornadoes in 2023

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.