Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 48, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 29, 1988Burlington County, Ocean County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 29, 1988, 5:42 PM EDT for Burlington County, Ocean County, New Jersey. It was in force for 93 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
Aug 29, 1988, 5:42 PM EDT (21:42 UTC)
Expired
Aug 29, 1988, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
93 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Burlington 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 29, 5:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Burlington, NJ
Aug 29, 6:00 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, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 47 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 1988-08-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 327 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 12:00Z on 1988-08-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 82 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
327 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
705 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KACY 292143
SVRACY
NJC005-029-292345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
542 PM EDT MON AUG 29 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTIC CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH NEW JERSEY
          ...BURLINGTON...OCEAN
 
AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
 
 
AT 540 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
PROGRESS OVER CENTRAL BURLINGTON COUNTY. THIS STORM IS PART OF A LINE
WHICH IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH AND WILL CROSS THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF BURLINGTON AND OCEAN COUNTIES...AS WELL AS THE ADJACENT
COASTAL WATERS...WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
NESMITH

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, Aug 29, 1:19 PM EDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
120 PM EDT MON AUG 29 1988

RAIN...HEAVY IN SOME LOCATIONS CONTINUES OVER THE NORTHERN
TWO THIRDS OF DELAWARE AS THE REMNANTS OF T.S CHRIS MOVES
THRU NORTHEAST MARYLAND.

WINDS OVER THE FIRST STATE HAVE BEGUN TO PICK UP AND WILL
BECOME SOMEWHAT BRISK AND GUSTY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
AFTERNOON IN MANY LOCATIONS. SOUTHERLY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TO
INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME GUST TO AROUND 40 MPH.

BOATERS ON THE BAY SHOULD TAKE NOTE AND SEEK SAFE HARBOR UNTIL
THE WINDS DIMINISH LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.

CKD

                                                           \
                                                                         ]
Special weather statement, Aug 29, 4:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
430 PM EDT MON AUG 29 1988

...SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN DELAWARE...

AT 415 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN ON THE
DELAWARE/MARYLAND STATE LINE JUST NORTHWEST OF HARRINGTON.
IT IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH SOUTHERN KENT COUNTY OF DELAWARE DURING THE HOUR. SOME BRIEF WIND
GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH...HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE
WITH THIS STORM. PERSONS IN KENT COUNTY SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.
CS

                                                                         ]
Special weather statement, Aug 29, 4:38 PM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA, PA
438 PM EDT MON AUG 29 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN SALEM COUNTY
   NEW JERSEY INTO CUMBERLAND COUNTY...

     AT 430 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHEASTERN SALEM COUNTY NEW JERSEY TO WESTERN
CUMBERLAND COUNTY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF DELAWARE BAY INTO
CENTRAL DELAWARE.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.  WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH WERE REPORTED EARLIER
AS THE LINE MOVED THROUGH ELMER NEW JERSEY.

     IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE.

SP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 29, 4:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICumberland66 min
Aug 29, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIAtlantic67 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.