Alert archive / Delaware / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Wilmington, NC

July 1, 1990Kent County, Sussex County, Delaware

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 1, 1990, 1:17 AM EDT for Kent County, Sussex County, Delaware. It was in force for 118 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 1, 1990, 1:17 AM EDT (05:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1990, 3:15 AM EDT
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Kent County, DE, Sussex County, DE

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Atlantic City In, NJ (KACY), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 101 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 1990-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 494 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 1990-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 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
494 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1742 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KILG 010518
SVRILG
DEC001-005-010715-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
117 AM EDT SUN JUL 1 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN CENTRAL DELAWARE
 
   ...SOUTHWESTERN KENT COUNTY
 
FOR THE DELAWARE BAY FROM
ALONG THE DELAWARE COAST FROM
 
IN SOUTH DELAWARE
 
   ...SUSSEX COUNTY
 
FOR THE DELAWARE BAY FROM
ALONG THE DELAWARE COAST FROM
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS A THUNDERSTORM NEAR RIDGELY
MARYLAND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH...THIS STORM WILL MOVE INTO
SOUTHWEST KENT COUNTY BY 130 AM EDT THEN SOUTHEAST ACROSS SUSSEX
COUNTY OF DELAWARE TO THE ATLANTIC COAST BY ABOUT 230 AM EDT. THIS
STORM CONTAINS DAMAGING WINDS HAIL DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAIN.
BOATERS ALONG THE COAST SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOR AND AVOID THIS STORM.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
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.
 
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.

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, Jun 30, 10:17 PM EDT, 3 hours before
NCZ 016-017-010245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
 1015 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED OVER CRAVEN IN COASTAL NORTH
CAROLINA. THIS STORM WAS OVER CHERRY POINT AND WAS MOIVNG SOUTHEAST
AROUND 30 MPH. THE STORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN .. DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 46 MPH. THIS STORM MAY ALSO PRODUCE
SMALL HAIL.

PEOPLE IN CRAVEN AND CARTERET COUNTIES AND BOATERS ALONG THE ADJACENT
COASTAL WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STORM.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ..SEEK SHELTER.
BJ
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 10:28 PM EDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
NCZ 016-017-010245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT  .. CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
 1015 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED OVER CRAVEN COUNTY IN COASTAL NORTH
CAROLINA. THIS STORM WAS OVER CHERRY POINT AND WAS MOIVNG SOUTHEAST
AROUND 30 MPH. THE STORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN .. DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 46 MPH. THIS STORM MAY ALSO PRODUCE
SMALL HAIL.

PEOPLE IN CRAVEN AND CARTERET COUNTIES AND BOATERS ALONG THE ADJACENT
COASTAL WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STORM.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ..SEEK SHELTER.
BJ

ADDED COUNTY IN 1ST LINE
Special weather statement, Jun 30, 10:36 PM EDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
NCZ002-003-010325-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
1032 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 1990

AT 1025 THIS EVENING...WEATHER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
OVER SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY IN VIRGINIA. THIS THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES TO
INTENSIFY AND MAY APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS AS IT MOVES INTO NORTHERN
HERTFORD AND GATES COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY HAIL FROM THIS
STORM. HEAVY RAINS WILL ALSO BE A PROBLEM...POTENTIALLY
CREATING LOCALIZED FLOODING CONDITIONS.

DCH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 5:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMSussex54 min
Jul 1, 5:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMKent34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Delaware, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.