Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

November 16, 1989Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Gloucester County, New Jersey

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 16, 1989, 10:54 AM EST for Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Gloucester County, New Jersey. It was in force for 66 min. 3 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: Nov 16, 1989, 10:54 AM EST (15:54 UTC)
Expired: Nov 16, 1989, 12:00 PM EST
In force: 66 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Whole counties

Counties Gloucester County, NJ, 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
Nov 16, 11:10 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Gloucester, NJ
Nov 16, 11:10 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Philadelphia, PA
Nov 16, 11:20 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 69	Philadelphia, 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, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 71 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 195 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 575 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 380 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 4.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPHL 161556
SVRPHL
NJC015-PAC101-161700-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
1054 AM EST THU NOV 16 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHILADELPHIA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL NOON EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH NEW JERSEY
          ...GLOUCESTER
IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
          ...PHILADELPHIA
 
AT 1050 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. WIND GUSTS
IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES AN HOUR HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN LANCASTER...
CHESTER...AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
 
A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR SOUTHEASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY UNTIL 300 PM EDT.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING.
 
WITH LEAVES ON THE ROADWAYS AND STORM SEWERS CLOGGED...
HEAVY RAINS WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF
STREETS AND UNDERPASSES VERY QUICKLY.  DO NOT DRIVE YOUR CAR INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.  THE WATER MAY BE DEEPER
THAN YOU THINK.  IF CAUGHT IN RISING WATERS...ABANDON YOUCR CAR
QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
JWH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 16, 10:04 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Chester	56 min
Nov 16, 10:32 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Montgomery	58 min
Nov 16, 10:44 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Delaware	61 min
Nov 16, 10:49 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Bucks	56 min
Nov 16, 10:44 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Salem	61 min
Nov 16, 11:05 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Camden	55 min
Nov 16, 11:20 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Burlington	55 min
Nov 16, 11:40 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Mercer	35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1989 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 1989 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.