Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS State College, PA

July 26, 1987Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 26, 1987, 2:20 PM EDT for Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 70 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
Jul 26, 1987, 2:20 PM EDT (18:20 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 1987, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
70 min
Issued by
NWS State College, PA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lancaster County, PA, York 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
Jul 26, 2:45 PM EDTHail 1.75Lancaster, PA
Jul 26, 2:55 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0York, 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1987-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1029 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1987-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 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
1029 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1443 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 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 KHAR 261830
SVRHAR
PAC133-071-261930-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARRISBURG PA
230 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
 
SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA... EASTERN YORK... WESTERN LANCASTER

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HARRISBURG SHOWS A VERY HEAVY 
THUNDERSTORM ALON THE YORK AND LANCASTER BORDER OVER THE  
SUSQEUHANNA RIVER. ITS MOVING TOT HE EASTSOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 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.
 
DSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 26, 11:13 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPLehigh, Northampton57 min
Jul 26, 11:42 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCTPBerks58 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.