Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Pittsburgh, PA

April 16, 2026Forest County, Venango County, Pennsylvania

NWS Pittsburgh, PA issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 2026, 4:44 PM EDT for Forest County, Venango County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 17 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 16, 2026, 4:44 PM EDT (20:44 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Pittsburgh, PA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.0 in

Counties Forest County, PA, Venango County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:47 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

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 nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 139 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1447 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

290 
WFUS51 KPBZ 162044
TORPBZ
PAC053-121-162115-
/O.NEW.KPBZ.TO.W.0009.260416T2044Z-260416T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
444 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Forest County in northwestern Pennsylvania...
  Northeastern Venango County in northwestern Pennsylvania...

* Until 515 PM EDT.

* At 444 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located 6 miles northwest of Tionesta, or 11 miles northeast of
  Oil City, moving east at 50 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.

* Locations impacted include...
  Marienville, Tionesta, Pleasantville, Kellettville, West Hickory,
  Starr and East Hickory.

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 4143 7959 4162 7960 4163 7925 4162 7902
      4149 7907 4145 7928
TIME...MOT...LOC 2044Z 257DEG 45KT 4153 7955

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

$$

Frazier
2 follow-up statements
542 
WWUS51 KPBZ 162057
SVSPBZ

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
457 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

PAC121-162107-
/O.CAN.KPBZ.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-260416T2115Z/
Venango PA-
457 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTHEASTERN VENANGO COUNTY...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

&&

LAT...LON 4145 7948 4162 7946 4163 7931 4163 7919
      4162 7902 4149 7907 4145 7928
TIME...MOT...LOC 2044Z 257DEG 45KT 4153 7954

$$


PAC053-162115-
/O.CON.KPBZ.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-260416T2115Z/
Forest PA-
457 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR NORTHERN
FOREST COUNTY...

At 457 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 8 miles northeast of Tionesta, or 13 miles northwest of
Marienville, moving east at 50 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.

Locations impacted include...
  Marienville, Tionesta, Kellettville, West Hickory, Starr and East
  Hickory.

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 4145 7948 4162 7946 4163 7931 4163 7919
      4162 7902 4149 7907 4145 7928
TIME...MOT...LOC 2044Z 257DEG 45KT 4153 7954

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

$$

Frazier
634 
WWUS51 KPBZ 162101
SVSPBZ

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
501 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

PAC053-162111-
/O.CAN.KPBZ.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-260416T2115Z/
Forest PA-
501 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTHERN FOREST COUNTY...

The tornado threat has diminished and the Tornado Warning has been
cancelled. However, large hail and damaging winds remain likely and a
Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for the area.

&&

LAT...LON 4145 7948 4162 7946 4163 7931 4163 7919
      4162 7902 4149 7907 4145 7928
TIME...MOT...LOC 2057Z 258DEG 45KT 4156 7933

$$

Frazier

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 16, 2:24 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • 1) There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms later this afternoon and evening, with damaging wind gusts the primary threat. 2) A cold front Saturday afternoon and evening will bring another round of strong to potentially severe thunderstorms. Damaging wind again appears to be the most likely threat. 3) Much above-normal temperatures continue until the Saturday cold front passage. Behind it, temperatures crash to much below-normal levels. Frost/freeze concerns return by early next week, and even a few Sunday night snowflakes are possible.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 2:24 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
224 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Overall, there was minimal change to the forecast. There is
still a Marginal Risk for severe storms this afternoon and
evening.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1) There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) of severe
thunderstorms later this afternoon and evening, with damaging
wind gusts the primary threat.

2) A cold front Saturday afternoon and evening will bring another
round of strong to potentially severe thunderstorms. Damaging
wind again appears to be the most likely threat.

3) Much above-normal temperatures continue until the Saturday
cold front passage. Behind it, temperatures crash to much
below-normal levels. Frost/freeze concerns return by early next
week, and even a few Sunday night snowflakes are possible.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...
Another round of strong to severe storms will be possible later
this afternoon and evening, and SPC has maintained the Marginal
Risk for the area. Currently, warm air aloft is keeping a lid
on convection across the region. CAMs have been consistent in
showing convection holding off until the latter half of the
afternoon when the warm cap (still evident in latest aircraft
observations) begins to erode. A sfc trough will begin
crossing eastern OH zones around 4PM, continuing east through
early evening, coinciding with effective shear around 40-50kts
and MLCAPE around 500 J/kg. This should result in isolated to
scattered thunderstorms with coverage slowly increasing into the
late afternoon/early evening as activity crosses our region.

The environment looks less favorable than yesterday with less
instability and weaker lapse rates. Damaging wind is the most
likely impact from stronger storms, especially if they organize
into clusters/short lines.

A shortwave digging across the Tennessee Valley will help to
dislodge what has been a stubborn southeast CONUS ridge Thursday
night as the afternoon and evening showers and storms work
their way out after sunset. Behind this wave, a brief period of
mid-level ridging should allow for a break from the daily
thunderstorm activity for most of Friday and Friday night.

KEY MESSAGE 2...
A stronger cold front is still slated to cross during the
afternoon/evening hours of Saturday, bringing better dynamics
and another chance of organized severe weather. The main
question with this boundary remains timing, which would have
implications on how much instability will be available. This
will depend at least in part on the speed and orientation of the
associated 500mb shortwave trough. Ensemble clusters suggest
some fairly minor differences in strength and timing with this
wave as well as the surface boundary. Machine- learning guidance
from NCAR and CSU continue to highlight the area for potential
severe weather, and SPC has portions of the forecast area under
either a Marginal or Slight Risk at Day 3. Ensemble soundings
during that period depict generally poor mid- level lapse rates
and modest low- level hodograph curvature, suggesting damaging
wind gusts would again be the most likely impact.

KEY MESSAGE 3...
Much above-normal temperatures continue into Saturday as
ridging begins to build back over the region Friday and Saturday
ahead of the mentioned front. There may be some modest
potential to approach records on Saturday, especially if the
front is later than currently projected, allowing for a longer
period of warm southwest flow. NBM probabilities of 80 or warmer
may be a bit overstated, but much of the area from Pittsburgh
south should have at least a 50/50 shot of reaching that level.

Meanwhile, behind the front, the script flips, and northeast
CONUS troughing leads to daytime high temperatures some 10-15
degrees below normal for Sunday and Monday, before approaching
climatology on Tuesday. Frost/freeze products may need to be
issued by early next week, and some Sunday night snowflakes are
a possibility.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
VFR diurnal cu has sprouted this afternoon in a warm
environment but are so far struggling to gain much growth with
poor lapse rates and a cap evident on latest PIT ACARS
soundings. Upstream obs closer to a surface trough in Ohio are
indicating a bit better growth but still in a lackluster
environment for strong convection. That said, a line of broken
showers and storms are now developing along and ahead of the
trough, and there remains a low probability that some could be
strong to severe. Today's primary threat will be gusty wind and
heavy rain with profiles not very supportive of hail. These
storms can bring brief bouts of MVFR restrictions or a few dips
to IFR, but with notable 15-20 degree dew point depressions,
cloud bases even within convection will be high and restriction
is likely to come more from visibility. Altogether, CAMs are in
good agreement on a ~20z arrival to ZZV, ~22z to western PA,
and exiting past LBE by ~00z, though CAMs still support some
lingering showers behind the trough, so have kept a PROB30
group for this for a few hours after the storms exit. Timing
has been broken down with prevailing groups showing the greatly
increased confidence in timing of this convection, but lightning
is lower confidence given thermodynamic profiles, so have opted
for prevailing SHRA with TEMPOs for TSRA.

Wind gusts out of the southwest will hold stout afternoon with
mixing to 20-25 kts ahead of the frontal passage. Behind the
front, winds shift to more westerly and gradually diminish after
sunset.

CIGs are expected to begin to fall overnight Thursday night with
50-70% probability for MVFR, highest north, quickly
overspreading from north to south. Guidance has slowed down a
bit and pulled north with the extent of restrictions, but a
period of IFR for FKL/DUJ is still favored in the latter half of
the overnight hours.

Outlook...
Friday should be mostly dry following Thursday evening's weak
frontal passage. However, another low pressure system and a
stronger cold front approach the area on Saturday, returning
shower and thunderstorm chances (and associated restrictions) to
the region through the weekend. Dry weather and VFR conditions
are then favored as we head into early next week with a pattern
shift following the weekend cold front.

&&

.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...None.
OH...None.
WV...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...CL/88
AVIATION...MLB
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 16, 12:10 PM EDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1210 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029-
031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-171615-
Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH-
Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Mercer-Venango-Forest-
Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-
Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Higher Elevations of Westmoreland-
Fayette-Higher Elevations of Fayette-Indiana-
Higher Elevations of Indiana-Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel-
Marion-Monongalia-
Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston-
Eastern Preston-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker-
1210 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western
Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms this
afternoon and evening. Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat,
with a lesser chance of large hail.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Saturday will bring another threat for severe thunderstorms as a
strong cold front crosses the region.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

88

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 16, 4:41 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
441 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0419 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 S Utica               41.42N 79.96W
04/16/2026                   Venango            PA   911 Call Center

            Several trees down. Road impassable.

&&

AAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZMercer41 min
Apr 16, 4:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZButler, Lawrence, Mercer43 min
Apr 16, 4:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZMercer, Venango42 min
Apr 16, 4:24 PM EDTTornado WarningPBZVenango25 min
Apr 16, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZClarion, Forest, Venango46 min
Apr 16, 4:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPBZArmstrong, Butler, Clarion, Venango24 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.