Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 23, 1988Burlington County, New Jersey; Bucks County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 23, 1988, 10:21 PM EDT for Burlington County, New Jersey; Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 39 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
May 23, 1988, 10:21 PM EDT (02:21 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1988, 11:00 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Burlington 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 23, 10:24 PM EDTHail 0.75Bucks, PA
May 23, 10:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Burlington, 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, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 80 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 1988-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1456 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 1988-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 94 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
1456 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
803 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPHL 240221
SVRPHL
PAC017-NJC005-240300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
1021 PM EDT MON MAY 23 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF PENNSYLVANIA
      BUCKS...

   IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF NEW JERSEY
      BURLINGTON...

AT 1015 RADAR INDICATED A AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN
BUCKS COUNTY AND WESTERN BURLINGTON COUNTY MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

 AT 930 PM...WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO 1 1/4 INCH
 IN SIZE AND DOWNED TREES WERE REPORTED OVER NORTHEAST 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.

 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR SOUTHEASTERN
 PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY UNTIL 11 PM EDT.

 HEAVY RAINS WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING
 OF SMALL STREAMS AND UNDERPASSES.

 RNS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 9:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICamden, Gloucester43 min
May 23, 9:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBurlington43 min
May 24, 7:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICumberland66 min
May 24, 7:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIAtlantic, Cape May58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 1988Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 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.