Alert archive / Maryland / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 13, 2002Cecil County, Kent County, Maryland

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at May 13, 2002, 4:02 PM EDT for Cecil County, Kent County, Maryland. It was in force for 43 min. 6 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 13, 2002, 4:02 PM EDT (20:02 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 2002, 4:45 PM EDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Whole counties

Counties Cecil County, MD, Kent County, MD

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where
May 13, 4:08 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Betterton, MD
May 13, 4:20 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Crystal Beach, MD
May 13, 4:20 PM EDT	Tornado F1	Earleville, MD
May 13, 4:20 PM EDT	Tornado F1	Town Pt, MD
May 13, 4:30 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 56 E	Chesapeake City, MD
May 13, 4:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Rising Sun, MD

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 13, 1:30 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 129 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: 313 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -110 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1186 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 117 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 127 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KPHI 132002
TORPHI
MDC015-029-132045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
401 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND
  NORTHERN KENT COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT.

* AT 401 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 14 MILES WEST OF BETTERTON...OR ABOUT 15 MILES
  EAST OF BALTIMORE. THIS DANGEROUS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
  THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND LARGE 
  HAIL AS IT MOVED ACROSS WEST OF CHESAPEAKE BAY.  


* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  BETTERTON AT 415 PM.
  CECILTON AT 425 PM.
  ELKTON AT 435 PM.

THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING STORM.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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

 
$$

LAT...LON 3941 7644 3924 7637 3933 7579 3964 7581

TFG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 12, 8:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's	38 min
May 13, 4:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Cecil	65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 2002 Every tornado warning in 2002 Tornadoes in 2002

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.