Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 54, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

October 7, 1987Atlantic County, Cape May County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 7, 1987, 2:24 AM EDT for Atlantic County, Cape May County, New Jersey. It was in force for 56 min. 1 report 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
Oct 7, 1987, 2:24 AM EDT (06:24 UTC)
Expired
Oct 7, 1987, 3:20 AM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Atlantic County, NJ, Cape May County, NJ

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
Oct 7, 2:50 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Atlantic, 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 00:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 00:00Z on 1987-10-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 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 00:00Z on 1987-10-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 80 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-261 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1240 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
80 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 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 KACY 070625
SVRACY
NJC001-009-070720-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
224 AM EDT WED OCT 7 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 320 AM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
 
SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY... ATLANTIC... CAPE MAY
 
...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
                                                                         
RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF MILVILLE NEW
JERSEY MOVING EAST AT 3O MILES AN HOUR.  HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS 
AND HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED AS IT MOVES EAST THRU CAPE MAY AND ATLANTIC 
COUNTIES. 
 
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.
 
VAM

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, Oct 7, 1:10 AM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA, PA
100 AM EDT WED OCT 07 1987

...AREA OF SHOWERS AND A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND EASTERN MARYLAND...

AT 1AM THIS MORNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWERS AND A FEW
HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE WESTERN POCONOS SOUTH ACROSS LANCASTER AND
WESTERN CHESTER COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTH ACROOS EASTERN
MARYLAND. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS WAS MOVING EAST ABOUT 10 MPH WHILE THE
THE INDIVIDUAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND
30 MPH.

BY 4 AM EDT THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS MUCH OF
EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ACROSS THE STATE OF
DELAWARE. THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOILD BE
A LINE FROM ALLENTOWN TO CHESTER IN PENNSYLVANIA AND TO THE SOUTHWEST
PART OF NEW JERSEY.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING MAY
ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS.

TCB
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 1:45 AM EDT, 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
140 AM EDT WED OCT 10 1987

...DO NOT USE AFTER 3 AM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE APPROACHING SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. AT 130 AM
A BAND OF STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THRU EXTREME
SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA..DELAWARE AND EASTERN MARYLAND. THESE STORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND SOME OF THEM WILL
PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF STRONG..GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING.
THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS WHICH COVERED
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA..DELAWARE..EASTERN MARYLAND AND COASTAL
VIRGINIA.
JGV
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 1:56 AM EDT, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
140 AM EDT WED OCT 7 1987

...DO NOT USE AFTER 3 AM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE APPROACHING SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. AT 130 AM
A BAND OF STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THRU EXTREME
SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA..DELAWARE AND EASTERN MARYLAND. THESE STORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND SOME OF THEM WILL
PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF STRONG..GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING.
THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS WHICH COVERED
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA..DELAWARE..EASTERN MARYLAND AND COASTAL
VIRGINIA.
JGV             CORRECTED FOR DATE
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 2:02 AM EDT, 22 minutes before
ABPA-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALLENTOWN PA
200 AM EDT WED OCT 7 1987

  ...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

AT 200 AM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
FROM NORTHERN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE LEHIGH VALLEY
TO THE PHILADELPHIA AREA. THIS LINE IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT
AROUND 15 MPH.

THERE WILL BE BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE EASTERN
HALF OF PENNSYLVANIA DURNING THE NEXT TWO HOURS AND INTO NEW JERSEY
AROUND 3AM.

$$LOEPER
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 2:06 AM EDT, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA, PA
204 AM EDT WED OCT 07 1987

...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND A SOME HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...SOUTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY...DELAWARE AND EASTERN MARYLAND...

AT 2AM THIS MORNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND A
SOME HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE WESTERN POCONOS SOUTH THE WESTERN
LEHIGH VALLEY...MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...THE STATE OF DELAWARE
AND SOUTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS
MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY BY 4 AM EDT.

WIND GUSTS TO 45 MILES AN HOUR OR HIGHER HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTING HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED.

HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY.

TCB
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 2:14 AM EDT, 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA, PA
210 AM EDT WED OCT 07 1987

...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND A SOME HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA...SOUTHWEST NEW JERSEY...DELAWARE AND EASTERN MARYLAND...

AT 2AM THIS MORNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND A
SOME HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE WESTERN POCONOS SOUTH ACROSS THE
WESTERN LEHIGH VALLEY...MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...THE STATE OF
DELAWARE AND SOUTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY. THIS AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE ACROSS
EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW
JERSEY BY 4 AM EDT.

WIND GUSTS TO 45 MILES AN HOUR OR HIGHER HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTING HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED.

HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY.

TCB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 7, 2:34 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBurlington, Camden56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 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.