Alert archive / New York / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Albany, NY

July 16, 1988Albany County, Schenectady County, New York

NWS Albany, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 1988, 9:02 PM EDT for Albany County, Schenectady County, New York. It was in force for 58 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
Jul 16, 1988, 9:02 PM EDT (01:02 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1988, 10:00 PM EDT
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Albany County, NY, Schenectady County, NY

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 16, 9:35 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Schenectady, NY

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

Albany, NY (KALB), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 15 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, Albany, NY at 00:00Z on 1988-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2193 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, Albany, NY at 00:00Z on 1988-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 176 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
2193 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1732 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
325 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KALB 170102
SVRALB
NYC001-093-170200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
902 PM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK
      ALBANY...SCHENECTADY

AT 9PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
SCHENECTADY. IT WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST... WILL WILL PASS NEAR
NISKAYUNA...AND INMTO COLONIE TOWNSHIP BY 920 PM...AND PASS
NEAR THE CITY OF ALBANY.

THE STORMS IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM...GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND LIGHTNING.

THIS STORM ALSO CONTAINED FREQUENT LIGHTNING.  REMEMBER...LIGHTNING
CAN BE A KILLER.

 SNYDER

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, Jul 16, 6:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
630 PM EDT THU JUL 14 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE HEADING TOWARD THE CATSKILLS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR DELAWARE...
SULLIVAN AND ORANGE COUNTIES. A WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT IN THE
SUSQUEHANNA REGION AND WESTERN MOHAWK VALLEY. THE WATCHES
ARE IN EFFECT UNTIL 10PM.

AT 630 WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR
WALTON DELAWARE COUNTY TO SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY PENNSYVANNIA.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAD VERY HEAVY RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING.

THE SUNY LIGHTING DETECTION SYSTEM SHOWS THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 1500
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES FROM THESE STORMS IN THE PAST HOUR.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVI}NG EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL REACH SULLIVAN COUNTY
BY 730 PM.

SNYDER
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 7:33 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
730 PM EDT THU JUL 14 1988

...A THUNDERSTORM WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE EASTERN MOHAWK
VALLEY NEAR THE TWON OF GLENN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND MAY
HAVE HAIL IT IS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL PASS NEAR AMSTERDAM A
LITTLE BEFORE 8PM.

SNYDER

SNYDER
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 7:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
755 PM EDT SAT JUL 17 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE ON THE INCREASE ACROSS EASTERN NEW YORK
   EARLY THIS EVENING...

AT 745 PM...A COUPLE OF GOOD STORMS  WERE OVER  SCHENECTADY COUNTY AND
HEADING EAST AT A  FAST RATE  OF ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR.  THAT/LL TAKE
THEM ACROSS..OR A LITTLE NORTH..OF COHOES  AND TROY BY 830 PM...AND TO
ABOUT PETERSBURGH NEAR THE VERMONT BORDER AT 900 PM.

ALONG WITH BRIEF DOWNPOURS THAT MAY DROP AS MUCH  AS ONE OR ONE AND
HALF INCHES OF RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MILES AN
HOUR ARE POSSIBLE.

OTHER STORMS  WERE OVER  NORTNERN SCHOHARIE COUNTY  FROM COBLSESKILL
TO NEAR BERNE IN ALBANY COUNTY.  THEY/LL SWEEP ACROSS CENTRAL ALBANY
COUNTY  AND  INTO SOUTHERN RENSSELAER COUNTY  NEAR  AVERILL PARK AND
NASSAU AT 900 PM.

IN THE ADIRONDACKS...AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF SPECULATOR
IN HAMILTON COUNTY MAY CAUSE SQUALLY WINDS AS IT PASSES OVER THE NORTH
PART OF THE SACANDAGA RESERVOIR  AT 830  THIS EVENING.  BOATERS SHOULD
GET TO SHORE AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THE STORM.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 8:20 PM EDT, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
819 PM EDT SAT JUL 17 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE ERUPTING IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY...

  THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY
SMALL HAIL WERE NEAR MARIAVILLE SCHENECTADY COUNTY AND JUST
EAST OF COBLESKILL. THIE FIRST STROM WILL MOVE ACROSS
SCHENECTADY COUTN AND CROSS THE CITY AND MOVE TO NISKAYUNA.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACORSS NORTGERN OTSEGO COUNTY
THEY WERE NEAR ROSEBOOM...CANADARAGO LAKE...AND PLAINFIELD.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

THEY WERE RAPIDLY INTENSIFING AND WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTH SCHOHARIE
COUNTY PASSING NEAR MIDDLEBURG.

SNYDER

IN THE ADIRONDACKS...AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF SPECULATOR
IN HAMILTON COUNTY MAY CAUSE SQUALLY WINDS AS IT PASSES OVER THE NORTH
PART OF THE SACANDAGA RESERVOIR  AT 830  THIS EVENING.  BOATERS SHOULD
GET TO SHORE AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THE STORM.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 8:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYOrange62 min
Jul 16, 9:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYMontgomery65 min
Jul 16, 9:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYSaratoga58 min
Jul 16, 10:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYWarren56 min
Jul 16, 10:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYWashington37 min
Jul 17, 2:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYSullivan, Ulster84 min
Jul 17, 3:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYGreene63 min
Jul 17, 4:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYUlster59 min
Jul 17, 5:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYColumbia58 min
Jul 17, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYDutchess81 min
Jul 17, 6:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYOrange84 min
Jul 17, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYDutchess65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New York, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.