Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2024

Tornado Warning 2, NWS State College, PA

May 27, 2024Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at May 27, 2024, 8:24 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report 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: May 27, 2024, 8:24 PM EDT (00:24 UTC)
Expired: May 27, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Lancaster County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 153 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:26 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	Remark
May 27, 8:30 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Lititz, PA	Image of funnel cloud shared on social media.

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
May 27, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 255 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: 1303 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 857 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 208 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 7.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

735 
WFUS51 KCTP 280024
TORCTP
PAC071-280100-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0002.240528T0024Z-240528T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service State College PA
824 PM EDT Mon May 27 2024

The National Weather Service in State College PA has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northeastern Lancaster County in south central Pennsylvania...

* Until 900 PM EDT.

* At 824 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Rothsville, moving southeast at 15 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...
  Akron, Ephrata, and Leola around 830 PM EDT.
  New Holland around 840 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Fivepointville, Bowmansville, Farmersville, and Lancaster Airport.

This includes The Pennsylvania Turnpike from mile markers 288 to 289.

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 4010 7630 4018 7630 4023 7626 4021 7602
      4018 7601 4005 7615 4005 7622
TIME...MOT...LOC 0024Z 296DEG 15KT 4016 7625 

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

$$

Colbert

1 follow-up statement

256 
WWUS51 KCTP 280059
SVSCTP

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service State College PA
859 PM EDT Mon May 27 2024

PAC071-280109-
/O.EXP.KCTP.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-240528T0100Z/
Lancaster PA-
859 PM EDT Mon May 27 2024

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN LANCASTER COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 900 PM EDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

&&

LAT...LON 4010 7630 4018 7630 4023 7626 4021 7602
      4018 7601 4005 7615 4005 7622
TIME...MOT...LOC 0059Z 296DEG 15KT 4010 7608 

$$

Colbert

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 27, 8:01 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Schuylkill	29 min
May 27, 8:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Schuylkill	45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2024 Every tornado warning in 2024 Tornadoes in 2024

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.