Alert archive / New Jersey / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS New York, NY

July 18, 1997Essex County, Union County, New Jersey

NWS New York, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 1997, 7:15 PM EDT for Essex County, Union County, New Jersey. It was in force for 45 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 18, 1997, 7:15 PM EDT (23:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1997, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS New York, NY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Essex County, NJ, Union County, NJ

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:14 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 7:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 63Union, NJ
Jul 18, 7:40 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 51Irvington, 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 18, 4:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 120 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 537 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 1997-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 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
537 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1397 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 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 KNYC 182321 RRA
SVRNYC
NJC013-039-190000-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
715 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM EDT
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY
 
   ...ESSEX COUNTY...UNION COUNTY
 
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
 
 
AT 7:13 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MORRIS AND SOMERSET
COUNTIES OF NEW JERSEY. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EASTSOUTHEAST AT
AROUND 30 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS U|NTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:24 PM EDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
428 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0230 PM    SEA CLIFF                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   NASSAU                         EXTENSIVE DAMAGE REPORTED
                                          BY NASSAU COUNTY EOC IN
                                          SEA CLIFF...SANDS POINT..
                                          AND ELMONT.

0230 PM    PARAMUS                   NJ
07/18/97   BERGEN                         *** 1 DEAD ***
                                          TREE FELL KILLING PARKING
                                          LOT ATTENDANT AT PARAMUS
                                          COUNTRY CLUB. INITIAL
                                          REPORT.

0235 PM    BABYLON                   NY   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        ESTIMATED IN NORTH BABYLON

0245 PM    FARMINGDALE RPBLC ARPT    NY   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        SQUALL AT REPUBLIC AIRPORT

0250 PM    BABYLON                   NY   1 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   SUFFOLK

0250 PM    DEER PARK                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        *** 12 INJ ***
                                          ROOFS BLOWN OFF TWO
                                          BUILDINGS...INITIAL
                                          ESTIMATE OF INJURIES TO
                                          PEOPLE INSIDE BUILDINGS.

0252 PM    DEER PARK H                NY   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   SUFFOLK

0308 PM    BOHEMIA                   NY   58 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK
Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:28 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
428 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0230 PM    SEA CLIFF                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   NASSAU                         EXTENSIVE DAMAGE REPORTED
                                          BY NASSAU COUNTY EOC IN
                                          SEA CLIFF...SANDS POINT..
                                          AND ELMONT.

0230 PM    PARAMUS                   NJ
07/18/97   BERGEN                         *** 1 DEAD ***
                                          TREE FELL KILLING PARKING
                                          LOT ATTENDANT AT PARAMUS
                                          COUNTRY CLUB. INITIAL
                                          REPORT.

0235 PM    BABYLON                   NY   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        ESTIMATED IN NORTH BABYLON

0245 PM    FARMINGDALE RPBLC ARPT    NY   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        SQUALL AT REPUBLIC AIRPORT

0250 PM    BABYLON                   NY   1 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   SUFFOLK

0250 PM    DEER PARK                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        *** 12 INJ ***
                                          ROOFS BLOWN OFF TWO
                                          BUILDINGS...INITIAL
                                          ESTIMATE OF INJURIES TO
                                          PEOPLE INSIDE BUILDINGS.

0252 PM    DEER PARK                 NY   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   SUFFOLK

0308 PM    BOHEMIA                   NY   58 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   SUFFOLK
Local storm report, Jul 18, 5:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
600 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0250 PM    DEER PARK                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        *** 1 INJ ***
                                          TOP LAYER OF FACTORY PLANT
                                          ROOF STRIPPED OFF. GARAGE
                                          DOOR AND WINDOWS BLOWN
                                          INTO THE FACTORY. DEBRIS
                                          BLOWN ABOUT 300 YARDS,
                                          SOME FELL ONTO CARS.
Local storm report, Jul 18, 6:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
600 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0250 PM    DEER PARK                 NY   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   SUFFOLK                        *** 1 INJ ***
                                          TOP LAYER OF FACTORY PLANT
                                          ROOF STRIPPED OFF. GARAGE
                                          DOOR AND WINDOWS BLOWN
                                          INTO THE FACTORY. DEBRIS
                                          BLOWN ABOUT 300 YARDS,
                                          SOME FELL ONTO CARS.
Local storm report, Jul 18, 6:22 PM EDT, 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
622 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0428 PM    HAMDEN                    CT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN

0429 PM    NEW HAVEN                 CT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN

0435 PM    GUILFORD                  CT   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN                      10 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN

0448 PM    GUILFORD                  CT   50 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN
Local storm report, Jul 18, 6:23 PM EDT, 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
622 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0428 PM    HAMDEN                    CT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN

0429 PM    NEW HAVEN                 CT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN

0435 PM    GUILFORD                  CT   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN                    4  10 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN

0448 PM    GUILFORD                  CT   50 MPH TSTM GUST
07/18/97   NEW HAVEN

The office that day

Everything else NWS New York, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 7:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOKXBergen, Hudson41 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Jersey, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.