Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS State College, PA

June 30, 1987Berks County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 30, 1987, 4:33 PM EDT for Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 57 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 30, 1987, 4:33 PM EDT (20:33 UTC)
Expired
Jun 30, 1987, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

County Berks County, PA

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 30, 4:34 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Berks, PA
Jun 30, 4:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Berks, PA

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Atlantic City In, NJ (KACY), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 162 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, Atlantic City In, NJ at 12:00Z on 1987-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 391 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, Atlantic City In, NJ at 12:00Z on 1987-06-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 105 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
391 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-133 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1242 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
121 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 KABE 302033
SVRABE
PAC011-302130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALLENTOWN
433 PM EDT TUE JUN 30 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF
 
EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... SOUTHEASTERN BERKS
                                                                         
A SPOTTER 1 MILE SOUTH OF WESTLAWN WHICH IS 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF READING 
REPORTED 3/4 INCH HAIL.  THIS STORM IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 35 MPH. 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM AND PEOPLE IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD
PREPARE FOR STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND LIGHTNING.  SHOULD THE STORM APPROACH YOU...SEEK IMMEDIATE
SHELTER.  MOBILE TRAILERS ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO HIGH WINDS AND
SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
                                                                         
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES FvOR THE AREA.
 
PORTER

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, Jun 30, 11:09 AM EDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA.
1045 AM EDT   TUE  JUN 30 1987

 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY INTERRUPT OUR WARM SUMMER DAY...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON.
SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME STRONG AND COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN...AS WELL AS STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

HOT/HUMID TROPICAL AIR ENVELOPES THE STATE.  AT THE SAME TIME A VIGOROUS
COLD FRONT IS SINKING SOUTH FROM LAKE ERIE.  THE APPROACHING COOLER AIR
WILL TOUCH OFF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WARM UNSTABLE AIR MASS.

RESIDENTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY
DURING THE HOTTEST PERIOD OF THE AFTERNOON.  THUNDERSTORMS MAY ERUPT
AT ANY TIME AS THEY SPREAD RAPIDLY EASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

ENJOY THE WARM AFTERNOON...BUT BE ALERT AND KEEP AN EYE TO THE SKY.

STAY TUNED TO YOU8R NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR
TELEVISION STATION FOR ANY FURTHER STATEMENTS THAT MAY BE ISSUED BY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AS THESE STORMS DEVELOP.

LESHKO WSO HARRISBURG
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 2:46 PM EDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA.
220 PM EDT    TUE  JUN 30 1987

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED OVER YORK AND ADAMS COUNTY...

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO YORK COUNTY JUST NORTH OF
THE CITY OF YORK.  THIS STORM MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST THROUGH ADAMS COUNTY.
THIS STORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF HANOVER.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED...MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.

END

LESHKO WSO HARRISBURG
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 3:39 PM EDT, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA.
330 PM EDT    TUE  JUN 30 1987

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVEL0P OVER PENNSYLVANIA AND
NORTHCENTRAL MARYLAND...

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED OVER FRANKLIN...YORK...AND
LANCASTER COUNTIES.

OTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
MARYLAND.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN
AND HAIL...AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHNING.

IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED...MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.
LESHKO WSO HARRISBURG

2

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 30, 2:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPYork64 min
Jun 30, 4:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPAdams65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.