Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 7, 1991Bucks County, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 7, 1991, 11:10 AM EDT for Bucks County, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 65 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
Jul 7, 1991, 11:10 AM EDT (15:10 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 1991, 12:15 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bucks County, PA, Montgomery County, PA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 7, 11:10 AM EDTHail 0.75Montgomery, PA
Jul 7, 12:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Montgomery, 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, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 111 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 1991-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1207 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 12:00Z on 1991-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1207 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-109 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1172 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 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 KPHL 071510
SVRPHL
PAC017-029-091-071615-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
1110 AM EDT SUN JUL 7 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHILADELPHIA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
 
   ...BUCKS COUNTY...CHESTER COUNTY...MONTGOMERY COUNTY
 
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
FROM ALLENTOWN TO EAST OF READING TO EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF
LANCASTER PENNSYLVANIA...SOME OF THESE MAY BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.
THESE STORM WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS.  IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA...PREPARE
FOR STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING.  SHOULD THE STORM APPROACH YOU...SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER
INDOORS...BUT DO NOT VSTAND NEAR WINDOWS.  MOBILE HOMES ARE MOST
VULNERABLE TO HIGH WINDS AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

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, Jul 7, 10:52 AM EDT, 18 minutes before
NJZ002>004-006-071545

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
1040 AM EDT SUN JUL 7 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS UNTIL 5 PM EDT...

AT 1034 AM...OUR WEATHER SEARCH RADAR SHOWED A THIN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE HAIL IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA KUNKLETOWN TO NORTHWEST OF READING.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WERE DEVELOPING IN THE LOWER
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA INTO CENTRAL NORTHERN MARYLAND...BETWEEN
HARRISBURG AND LANCASTER...ALONG THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER TO JUST NORTH
OF BALTIMORE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE
SCATTERED FROM SOUTHEAST NEW YORK STATE INTO NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA THEN
ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSEYLVANIA INTO CENTRAL
NORTHERN MARYLAND. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 10:59 AM EDT, 11 minutes before
NJZ002>004-006-071545

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTIC CITY NJ
1040 AM EDT SUN JUL 7 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS UNTIL 5 PM EDT...

AT 1034 AM...OUR WEATHER SEARCH RADAR SHOWED A THIN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE HAIL IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA KUNKLETOWN TO NORTHWEST OF READING.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WERE DEVELOPING IN THE LOWER
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA INTO CENTRAL NORTHERN MARYLAND...BETWEEN
HARRISBURG AND LANCASTER...ALONG THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER TO JUST NORTH
OF BALTIMORE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE
SCATTERED FROM SOUTHEAST NEW YORK STATE INTO NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA THEN
ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA INTO CENTRAL
NORTHERN MARYLAND. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.
REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES IN AND
CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESES AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO
SEEK SHELTER.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL TV OR RADIO STATIONS FOR
LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THIS WATCH AREA ALSO EXTENDED INTO NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...SOUTHEAST
NEW YORK STATE...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA.

FXD
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 11:03 AM EDT, 7 minutes before
PAZ012-NJZ002-072100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHILADELPHIA PA
1100 AM EDT SUN JUL 7 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EDT TODAY FOR
   MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ALL OF SOUTHERN
   NEW JERSEY INCLUDING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...

AT 11 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS A LINE HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS FROM ALLENTOWN TO READING AND THROUGH LANCASTER
PENNSYLVANIA. THESE WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT AROUND 35 MILES AN
HOUR. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS THEY WILL MOVE THROUGH BUCKS...
MONTGOMERY...CHESTER...DELAWARE AND PHILADELPHIA COUNTIES THEN ACROSS
THE DELAWARE INTO SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. THESE STORM MAY CONTAIN STRONG
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...HAIL AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH.
DANGEROUS AND SOMETIMES DEADLY LIGHTNING IS A DEFINITE THREAT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE.
ISOLATED TORNADOES CANq ALSO DEVELOP WITHOUT WARNING UNDER THESE
SITUATIONS.

BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.

NC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 11:10 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester65 min
Jul 7, 11:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIDelaware53 min
Jul 7, 12:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIPhiladelphia43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.