Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 11, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 12, 1987Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 1987, 3:56 PM EDT for Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 34 min. 3 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 12, 1987, 3:56 PM EDT (19:56 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1987, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chester County, PA, Delaware County, PA, Montgomery 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 12, 4:00 PM EDTHail 0.75Delaware, PA
Jul 12, 4:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Chester, PA
Jul 12, 4:19 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Chester, 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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 108 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 1987-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 479 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1987-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
479 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1172 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 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 KPHL 121956
SVRPHL
PAC045-029-091-122030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
356 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...EXTREME SOUTHEAST CHESTER AND 
 SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY

AT 352 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST
MONTGOMERY...WEST CENTRAL DELAWARE AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST CHESTER
COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA.  THESE STORMS WERE NEARLY STATIONARY.

 THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORM AND PEOPLE IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND LIGHTNING. SHOULD THE STORM APPROACH YOU...SEEK IMMEDIATE
SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO HIGH WINDS AND
SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

 DPG

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.