Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 31, 1998Berks County, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at May 31, 1998, 9:07 PM EDT for Berks County, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 48 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: May 31, 1998, 9:07 PM EDT (01:07 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 1998, 9:55 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Whole counties

Counties Berks County, PA, Lehigh County, PA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where
May 31, 9:10 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Moselem Spgs, PA
May 31, 9:13 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Alburtis, PA
May 31, 9:20 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Kutztown, 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 5:00 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 223 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: 3110 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1063 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 277 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 3.0
Supercell composite: 18.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

001 
WFUS1 KPHL 010109 RRA
TORPHL

PAC011-077-010155-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
907 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BERKS COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
  SOUTHERN LEHIGH COUNTY IN PENNSYLVANIA

* UNTIL 955 PM EDT

* AT 905 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND
  SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND IN RICHMOND
  TOWNSHIP BERKS COUNTY NEAR FLEETWOOD MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  HOSENSACK AT 913 PM EDT
  EMMAUS AT 916 PM EDT
  ALLENTOWN AT 916 PM EDT

DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN THIS TORNADO WITH YOUR CAR OR OTHER VEHICLE.
ABANDON CARS OR MOBILE HOMES FOR SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...GET IN A CULVERT OR DITCH AND COVER
YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IN A HOME OR BUSINESS...SEEK SHELTER IN A BASEMENT...OR AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

FOR THE LATEST STORM INFORMATION...PLEASE TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE
TELEVISION OUTLET.

KRAUS/DELISI


&

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 8:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks	64 min
May 31, 8:37 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Berks	33 min
May 31, 9:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks	46 min
May 31, 9:39 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Berks, Chester	36 min
May 31, 9:43 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Bucks	32 min
May 31, 10:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Monroe	34 min
May 31, 10:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Bucks, Montgomery	49 min
May 31, 11:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Northampton	34 min
Jun 1, 12:17 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Berks	48 min
Jun 1, 12:40 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Chester	50 min
Jun 1, 12:54 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Bucks	31 min
Jun 1, 1:00 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Delaware	50 min
Jun 1, 1:15 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Philadelphia	35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 1998 Every tornado warning in 1998 Tornadoes in 1998

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.