Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 22, 1988, 5:47 PM EDT for Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 43 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 22, 1988, 5:47 PM EDT (21:47 UTC)
- Expired
- May 22, 1988, 6:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Delaware County, PA, Montgomery County, PA, Philadelphia 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 5:47 PM EDT | Hail 1 | Delaware, PA | |
| May 22, 6:12 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Delaware, PA |
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, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 95 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 445 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 557 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 5 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 43 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KPHL 222147
SVRPHL
PAC101-045-091-222230-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
547 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF PENNSYLVANIA
SOUTHERN PHILADELPHIA...NORTHERN DELAWARE...EXTREME
SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY
AT 540 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WAYNE
PENNSYLVANIA IN EXTREME NORTHERN DELAWARE COUNTY. THIS STORM
WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR.
AT 540 PM EDT 1 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED BY A TRAINED SPOTTER
IN WAYNE PENNSYLVANIA.
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.
HEAVY RAINS WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING
OF ROADS AND UNDERPASSES.
NPCTIALSNearby
Severe 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.