Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Albany, NY

May 23, 1987Albany County, New York

NWS Albany, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 23, 1987, 4:33 PM EDT for Albany County, New York. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 23, 1987, 4:33 PM EDT (20:33 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1987, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Whole counties

County Albany County, NY

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALB), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 15 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 1987-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 1987-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-134 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
692 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KALB 232035
SVRALB
NYC001-232130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
433 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF
 
NEW YORK... ALBANY                                                       
                                                                         
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS BETWEEN CENTRAL BRIDGE AND BERNE...ALONG  
ROUTE 443...AT 425 PM.  AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS SAID THE STORM CAUSED 
HIGH WINDS...HAIL...AND LOTS OF LIGHTNING. 
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THE STORM MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES 
AN HOUR.  THIS WILL TAKE IT ACROSS THE HELDERBERGS...AROUND BERNE BY 
500 PM. 
                                                                         
THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...HEAVY RAINS...              
DAMAGING WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 23, 12:47 PM EDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1247 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 1987

THUNDERSTORMS WERE POPPING UP IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NEW YORK.

AT 1240 EDT A SMALL CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN THE UTICA
AREA.  IT WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.  THAT COURSE WILL BRING THEM
DOWN THE MOHAWK RIVER TOWARD LITTLE FALLS AND DOLGEVILLE.

THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE BRIEF DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS AND
LIGHTNING.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH THE ST. LAWRENCE AND
NORTHERN CHAMPLAIN VALLEYS.  MOST OF THE STORMS WERE NORTH OF THE
BORDER IN CANADA.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS RIPE FOR THUNDERSTORM FORMATION THIS AFTERNOON...
SO WATCH FOR THEM.  BE ESPECIALLY ALERT IF YOU/RE OUT ON A BOAT.
BE READY TO HEAD TO SHORE AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THREATENING WEATHER.

LAPENTA
Special weather statement, May 23, 1:29 PM EDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
130 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 1987

THUNDERSTORMS WERE GROWING IN EASTERN NEW YORK.

AT 120 PM TWO STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ENTERING HERKIMER COUNTY
SOUTH OF HINCKLEY LAKE.  THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE GUSTY WINDS...
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY HAIL. THEY WERE MOVING EAST AT
20 MPH AND WILL REACH FULTON COUNTY A LITTLE AFTER 200 PM.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE WESTERN ADIRONDACKS
AND THE CATSKILLS.  IN THE CATSKILLS...NEW STORMS WERE GROWING
BEWTEEN CAIRO AND PHOENICIA.  THESE STORMS COULD ALSO CAUSE
GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL.

IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACH YOU...HEAD INDOORS FAST. IF YOU/RE
BOATING GET TO SHORE AT THE FIRST SIGN6 OF THREATENING WEATHER.

LAPENTA
Special weather statement, May 23, 2:21 PM EDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
220 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 1987

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT IN MUCH OF EASTERN
AND CENTRAL NEW YORK.

AT 215 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN HERKIMER COUNTY NEAR THE
TOWN OF HERKIMER AND THE VILLAGE OF ALDER CREEK.  THESE STORMS
MAY CAUSE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL.  THE SUNYA LIGHTNING DETECTOR
AT ALBANY ALSO SHOWED FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

OTHER ACTIVE STORMS WERE IN THE ADIRONDACKS BETWEEN SARANAC LAKE
AND THE STILLWATER RESERVOIR.

STORMS WERE GROWING IN THE CATSKILLS WITH THE BIGGEST ONE 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF KINGSTON.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE
FOR STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DfAMAGING WINDS.  THUNDERSTORM RAINS CAN
CAUSE FLOODING.

LAPENTA
Special weather statement, May 23, 3:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
305 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 1987

THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS EASTERN NEW YORK.

AMATEUR RADIO SPOTTERS IN ULSTER COUNTY SAID THE THUNDERSTORM
NEAR KINGSTON WAS CAUSING TORRENTIAL RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.
THERE WAS SOME MINOR ROAD FLOODING ALONG ROUTE 28 BETWEEN
KINGSTON AND WEST HURLEY.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL CROSS THE HUDSON NEAR
RHINEBECK ABOUT 315 PM.

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO WESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
IT/LL REACH FT PLAIN AND CANAJOHARIE A LITTLE BEFORE 330 PM.

OTHER ACTIVE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE ADIRONDACKS BETWEEN LAKE
PLACID AND INDIAN LAKE.
<
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR
MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEW YORK.  DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL ARE POSSIBLE.  REMEMBER...THUNDERSTORM RAINS CAN CAUSE RAPID
FLOODING.

IF YOU/RE BOATING THIS AFTERNOON WATCH THE SKY.  HEAD TO THE SHORE
AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THREATENING WEATHER.

LAPENTA

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 3:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYMontgomery, Schoharie65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.