Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 40, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 17, 1988Atlantic County, Ocean County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1988, 7:09 PM EDT for Atlantic County, Ocean County, New Jersey. It was in force for 66 min. 5 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
Aug 17, 1988, 7:09 PM EDT (23:09 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 1988, 8:15 PM EDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Atlantic County, NJ, Ocean 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
Aug 17, 7:19 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Ocean, NJ
Aug 17, 7:20 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 61Atlantic, NJ
Aug 17, 7:30 PM EDTTornado F0Ocean, NJ
Aug 17, 7:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52Ocean, NJ
Aug 17, 8:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 56Ocean, 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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 25 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 1988-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1988-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1851 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 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 172308
SVRACY
NJC001-029-180015-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
709 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTIC CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH NEW JERSEY
          ...ATLANTIC...SOUTHER OCEAN
 
AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
 
 
AT 700 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM BEACHWOOD OCEAN COUNTY SOUTHWEST INTO
SOUTHERN CAMDEN COUNTY. THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO
80 MPH AS THEY PASSED THROUGH PHILADELPHIA COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA AND
ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 TO 60 MPH. THE SYSTEM WILL PASS THROUGH
SOUTHERN OCEAN AND ATLANTIC COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR...AS WELL AS
THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. DUE TO THE SPEED AND SEVERITY OF THESE
STORMS...FURTHER WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR CUMBERLAND AND CAPE MAY
COUNTIES. MARINERS AT SEA SHOULD CONSIDER SEEKING A SAFE HARBOR
IMMEDIATELY.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
NESMITH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 3:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICumberland38 min
Aug 17, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBurlington, Camden50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 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.