Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2026
Tornado Warning 31, NWS State College, PA
NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Sep 1, 2026, 5:13 PM EDT for Potter County, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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
- Sep 1, 2026, 5:13 PM EDT (21:13 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 1, 2026, 5:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 32 min
- Issued by
- NWS State College, PA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Radar indicated
- Hail
- 1.5 in
Counties Potter County, PA, Tioga County, PA
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 5:27 PM EDT | TSTM WND DMG | 6 S Harrison Valley, PA | Tree down across roadway on Parker Hill Road in Hector Township. |
| Sep 1, 5:33 PM EDT | TORNADO | 4 Wnw Gaines, PA | An NWS Storm Survey team confirmed an EF1 Tornado in Pike Township in Potter County and Gaines Township in Tioga County. The tornado path length was 6.50 miles, had a maximum width of 150 yards, and was on the ground for 15 minutes. Maximum winds were estimate |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
Did it verify
Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this tornado warning; the first came 20 minutes after it went out.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 4:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1018 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -25 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 723 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 62 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 143 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
The text
As transmitted.
533
WFUS51 KCTP 012113
TORCTP
PAC105-117-012145-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0031.260901T2113Z-260901T2145Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service State College PA
513 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026
The National Weather Service in State College has issued a
* Tornado Warning for...
Northeastern Potter County in north central Pennsylvania...
West Central Tioga County in north central Pennsylvania...
* Until 545 PM EDT.
* At 513 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 6 miles west of Harrison Valley, or 26 miles northwest
of Wellsboro, moving southeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado and ping pong ball 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.
* This tornado will be near...
Galeton and Gaines around 540 PM EDT.
Other locations impacted by the tornado include Ulysses.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building
away from 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 4192 7785 4198 7774 4180 7744 4169 7766
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 322DEG 27KT 4191 7775
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
$$
Bauco2 follow-up statements
701
WWUS51 KCTP 012128
SVSCTP
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service State College PA
528 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026
PAC105-117-012145-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-260901T2145Z/
Potter PA-Tioga PA-
528 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026
...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM EDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN POTTER AND WEST CENTRAL TIOGA COUNTIES...
At 528 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 6 miles north of Galeton, or 19 miles west of Wellsboro,
moving southeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado and ping pong ball size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.
This tornado will be near...
Galeton and Gaines around 540 PM EDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building
away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself
from flying debris.
&&
LAT...LON 4187 7777 4192 7767 4180 7744 4169 7766
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 322DEG 27KT 4191 7775
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
$$
Bauco667 WWUS51 KCTP 012144 SVSCTP Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service State College PA 544 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 PAC105-117-012154- /O.EXP.KCTP.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-260901T2145Z/ Potter PA-Tioga PA- 544 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 ...TORNADO WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 545 PM EDT FOR NORTHEASTERN POTTER AND WEST CENTRAL TIOGA COUNTIES... The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1200 AM EDT Wednesday for a portion of central Pennsylvania. && LAT...LON 4187 7777 4192 7767 4180 7744 4169 7766 TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 322DEG 27KT 4182 7766 $$ Bauco
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Sep 1, 2:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- 1) Late summer surge of heat and humidity brings multi-day severe thunderstorm and excessive rainfall threat to kickoff September
Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 2:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 217 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... * 30% severe wind probability added to NW PA for Wednesday && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Late summer surge of heat and humidity brings multi-day severe thunderstorm and excessive rainfall threat to kickoff September && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1: Moderate to strong instability (2-3000 J/kg MLCAPE) analyzed over most of CPA this afternoon with very rich Td's in the 70-75F range and 30-40kt of deep layer shear increasing from SW to NE. So in other words, a convective environment that is highly favorable to support robust storm organization. That said, nebulous large scale forcing continues to foster high uncertainty regarding overall convective development and evolution this afternoon/evening into tonight. Recent high- resolution guidance may be converging on isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms developing near the I80 corridor and arching to the southeast into the Lower Susq/Delaware Valley. Perhaps after late night lull, CAMs are suggesting a cluster of storms progressing southeast from Lake Erie Wednesday morning. This could delay onset of additional storms expected to develop later Wednesday afternoon into the evening. The environment will again be supportive of organized storm modes including supercells and bowing segments with elevated tornado potential within corridor of large SRH. Previous Discussion: A series of mid level impulses tracking eastward along the northern periphery of an expansive 500mb ridge will interact with anomalous moisture/instability and strong WNW flow aloft to promote a multi-day severe storm and excessive rain risk across portions of CPA today through Thursday. A surge of late summer heat (max temps 80-90F range) with dewpoints in upper 60s to mid 70s will result in a very moist boundary layer with impressive MLCAPE values in the neighborhood of 1500-3000 J/kg given mid level lapse rates around 7 C/km. Forecast soundings also show robust deep layer/effective shear values and appreciably curved low level hodographs. As such, a couple of supercells will be possible. From a large scale lift perspective, rising motion may be at least partially suppressed by the right exit region of an upper level jet max through much of today until at least mid afternoon. Convection initiation is more likely in the 4pm-9pm time frame as the boundary layer RH increases and the right entrance region of the jet max approaches. Increasing MUCAPE values late tonight through Wed morning suggest storms/severe risk likely won't be tied to the typical diurnal cycle. Any preexisting MCS upstream could be maintained by the unstable atmosphere with us Wednesday morning. Hires model guidance also shows an easterly flow across our eastern zones associated with a back door cold front. Along that boundary, models depict very large hodographs associated with a strongly veered wind profile, with 0-3 km SRH on the order of 350 m2/s2 and 0-3km wind shear approaching 40 kts. If supercells can ride southeastward on the unstable side of the boundary and ingest this highly sheared inflow, a couple stronger tornadoes can not be ruled out Wed afternoon into Wed evening. The severe risk will be focused more across the southern tier of central PA by Thursday, and south of the PA-MD border on Friday. An upper trough passage suggests some lingering shower activity into the weekend, otherwise it looks mostly dry. The late summer heat is forecast to peak today and Wednesday with very warm nights +10-20F above the historical average and max heat index values just short of Heat Advisory criteria (100F). The exception will be across the eastern zones Wed when the back door cold front could hold max Ts down a few to several degrees. The upper ridge is forecast to retrograde by the end of the week which allows for increased troughing and a return to more seasonal temperatures. && .AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Mostly cloudy skies from earlier this morning have largely broken up this afternoon as the primary disturbance has pressed eastward toward the coast. Upper-level forcing over central Pennsylvania will be relatively suppressive through this evening, being situated in the less favorable right exit region of a jet streak, with increasing for convection with eastward extent towards the coast. However, plentiful moisture (PWATs of 1.5-2") and moderate instability (MLCAPE of 2000-2500 J/kg) will conditionally support a few heavy and locally strong thunderstorms later this evening, primarily for KIPT/KUNV/KMDT/KLNS closer to the better lift, with recent CAMs showing a trend towards convection nosing into these areas later today. Evening convection will wane overnight, giving way to the potential for overnight fog and low stratus across the region as winds diminish and mainly mid/high level clouds remain. Farther east (KMDT/KLNS), a backdoor cold front moving in overnight will result in winds trending easterly & ceilings lowering to MVFR-IFR. Areas of morning fog and low stratus will gradually mix out to VFR through Wednesday morning and the early afternoon hours, with slower improvements expected at KMDT/KLNS in the vicinity of the front. Otherwise, PROB30 groups for -TSRA were added to most terminals (exception being KIPT at this time) given a signal on CAMs for a potential line or cluster of showers/storms which may move E/SEward across the CWA, though timing/certainty remains low given its dependency on upstream evolution. Outlook... Wed-Fri...Scattered SHRA/TSRA with brief restrictions possible; morning fog possible. Sat...SHRA/TSRA trending less likely as cold front moves southward across the Commonwealth; morning fog possible. Sun...VFR favored; morning fog possible. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && WHAT HAS CHANGED...Steinbugl KEY MESSAGES...Steinbugl DISCUSSION...Steinbugl/Colbert AVIATION...Teare
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 1, 4:33 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service State College PA 433 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 PAZ006-012-018-019-027-028-037-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059-063- 065-066-022045- Potter-Northern Clinton-Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Mifflin- Juniata-Tioga-Northern Lycoming-Sullivan-Southern Clinton- Southern Lycoming-Union-Snyder-Montour-Northumberland-Columbia-Perry- Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-Cumberland-York-Lancaster- 433 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 638 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov/StateCollege on the internet for more information about the following hazards. Severe Thunderstorm Watch. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rainfall are possible Wednesday and Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ004-005-010-011-017-024>026-033>036-064-022045- Warren-McKean-Elk-Cameron-Clearfield-Cambria-Blair-Huntingdon- Somerset-Bedford-Fulton-Franklin-Adams- 433 PM EDT Tue Sep 1 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rainfall are possible late today into tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rainfall are possible Wednesday and Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather.
The office that day
Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 4:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Sullivan | 49 min |
| Sep 1, 4:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Tioga | 39 min |
| Sep 1, 5:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Potter, Tioga | 41 min |
| Sep 1, 5:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland | 50 min |
| Sep 1, 5:19 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga | 26 min |
| Sep 1, 5:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lycoming, Potter, Tioga | 48 min |
| Sep 1, 5:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland | 48 min |
| Sep 1, 5:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Columbia, Montour, Northumberland | 29 min |
| Sep 1, 5:56 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Lycoming | 3 hr |
| Sep 1, 6:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Northumberland, Schuylkill | 52 min |
| Sep 1, 6:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lebanon, Schuylkill | 57 min |
| Sep 1, 6:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Warren | 48 min |
| Sep 1, 6:58 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | CTP | Columbia, Montour | 47 min |
| Sep 1, 7:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Sullivan | 38 min |
| Sep 1, 7:14 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CTP | Schuylkill | 3 hr |
| Sep 1, 7:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Elk, McKean, Warren | 48 min |
| Sep 1, 7:27 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | Sullivan | 33 min |
| Sep 1, 7:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 29 min |
| Sep 1, 7:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Columbia, Lycoming, Sullivan | 44 min |
| Sep 1, 7:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 16 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes in 2026
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.