Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 48, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 22, 1987, 4:34 PM EDT for Mercer County, New Jersey; Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 41 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
- Sep 22, 1987, 4:34 PM EDT (20:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 22, 1987, 5:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Mercer County, NJ, Bucks 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 4:40 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Bucks, PA | |
| Sep 22, 5:00 PM EDT | Hail 1.75 | Bucks, PA | |
| Sep 22, 5:05 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Mercer, NJ |
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 102 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1741 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPHL 222034 SVRPHL PAC101-017-091-NJC021-222115- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA 434 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHERN PHILADELPHIA...SOUTHERN BUCKS AND SOUTHERN MONTGOMERY WEST CENTRAL NEW JERSEY...MERCER AT 430 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL MONTGOMERY AND SOUTHERN BUCKS COUNTIES. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. ALSO AT 430 PM LARGE TREE LIMBS WERE REPORTED DOWN IN THE FLOWERTOWN SECTION OF PHILADELPHIA. THIS IS A 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
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, Sep 22, 2:14 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
ABPA-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALLENTOWN PA...CORRECTION...
207 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987
...VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM OVER BERKS COUNTY...
AT 200 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A VERY INTENSE
THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN BERKS COUNTY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL SKIRT SOUTHERN LEHIGH COUNTY AS IT MOVES INTO BUCKS
COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.
PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER BE OBSERVED.
$$BLACKBURNSpecial weather statement, Sep 22, 3:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
ABPA-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALLENTOWN PA
304 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987
...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE LEHIGH VALLEY...
AT 300 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF BERKS
AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES. THIS SYSTEM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20
MPH.
SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES AND PRODUCE
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIRN...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE LEHIGH VALLEY SHOULD STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER BE OBSERVED.
$$BLACKBURNSpecial weather statement, Sep 22, 3:42 PM EDT, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA, PA 333 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND APPROACHING CHESTER AND NORTHERN MERCER COUNTIES... AT 335 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THREE HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. ONE WAS IN SOUTHERN HUNTERDON COUNTY OF NEW JERSEY... ANOTHER IS IN CENTRAL MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND A THIRD IN NORTHEAST LANCASTER COUNTY...BOTH IN PENNSYLVANIA. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO EXTREME NORTHERN MERCER COUNTY...THROUGH EASTERN MONTGOMERY INTO CENTRAL BUCKS COUNTY...AND INTO NORTHERN CHESTER COUNTY BETWEEN 335 PM EDT AND 435 PM EDT. THEY MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS. sDPG
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 3:50 PM EDT, 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ 343 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987 INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS THE EXTREME LOWER DELAWARE BAY...COASTAL WATERS OF CAPE MAY COUNTY TO WILDWOOD... ALSO AROUND WILMINGTON DELAWARE AND FROM HARRISBURG TO LANCASTER TP POTTSTOWN PENN- SYLVANIA AND HUNTERDON COUNTY NEW JERSEY. FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... HAIL...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATNING WEATHER APPROACHES. THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS...SOME HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY...WERE SCATTERED FROM SOUTHEAST NEW YORK STATE ACROSS NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA ...SOUTHExAST CORNER AND COASTAL WATERS OF NEW JERSEY...LOWER DELAWARE BAY ...EXTREME NORTHERN DELAWARE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO WESTERN HALF OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY WITHIN THE HOUR. FXD
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 4:05 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
ABPA-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALLENTOWN PA
405 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987
...THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE LEHIGH VALLEY...
AT 400 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED VERY HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF BERKS AND
SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT
20 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD OVER THE REST OF THE LEHIGH
OVER THE NEXT TWO HOURS.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE LEHIGH VALLEY SHOULD STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER BE OBSERVED.
$$BLACKBURNLocal storm report, Sep 22, 4:13 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
410 PM EDT TUE SEP 22 1987
DATE/TIME OF EVENT: SEPT 22, 1987 1500-1610
1526 EDT PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL PIKE CREEK VALLEY, DE
1535 EDT PEA TO MARBOLE SIZE HAIL CONTINUING PIKE CREEK VALLEY
VERY HEAVY RAIN
1601 EDT DIME SIZE HAIL REPORT FROM PENNY HILL, DE
ENDThe office that day
Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 10:59 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Cumberland | 61 min |
| Sep 22, 11:31 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Atlantic | 59 min |
| Sep 22, 4:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Gloucester, Salem | 36 min |
| Sep 22, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Camden | 40 min |
| Sep 22, 5:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Burlington | 56 min |
| Sep 22, 5:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Salem | 25 min |
| Sep 22, 6:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Ocean | 59 min |
| Sep 22, 2:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Bucks | 62 min |
| Sep 22, 3:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Bucks, Montgomery | 34 min |
| Sep 22, 3:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Chester, Montgomery | 42 min |
| Sep 22, 4:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Montgomery, Philadelphia | 41 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 1987Severe 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.