Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 152, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 4, 2004Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Cecil County, Maryland; New Castle County, Delaware

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 2004, 7:49 PM EDT for Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Cecil County, Maryland; New Castle County, Delaware. It was in force for 56 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 4, 2004, 7:49 PM EDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
Aug 4, 2004, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties New Castle County, DE, Cecil County, MD, Delaware County, PA, Montgomery County, PA, Philadelphia County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:51 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 4, 7:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 187 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2004-08-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2004-08-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1125 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 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 
WUUS51 KPHI 042349
SVRPHI
DEC003-MDC015-PAC045-091-101-050045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
748 PM EDT WED AUG 4 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
  PHILADELPHIA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
  DELAWARE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
  CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND.
  NEW CASTLE COUNTY IN NORTHERN DELAWARE.

* UNTIL 845 PM EDT

* AT 742 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
  EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING
  FROM COLLEGEVILLE TO RISING SUN...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 23
  MILES NORTHWEST OF PHILADELPHIA TO 13 MILES WEST OF NEWARK...AND
  MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  NORRISTOWN AND KING OF PRUSSIA BY 755 PM EDT...
  RADNOR TOWNSHIP...PLYMOUTH MEETING...AMBLER AND NEWARK BY 800 PM
  EDT...
  LIMA...BRYN MAWR...BROOMALL AND TALLEYVILLE BY 805 PM EDT...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE ACROSS 
SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. 
SEEK SHELTER NOW INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM 
WINDOWS

LAT...LON 3972 7611 3972 7579 3982 7569 3984 7561
      3987 7561 3999 7544 4007 7537 4013 7551
      4015 7550 4015 7553 4021 7559 4027 7553
      4010 7499 3961 7572 3965 7617

$$

SZATKOWSKI

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 4, 7:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Chester73 min
Aug 4, 7:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIKent51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2004Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Maryland, 2004Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Delaware, 2004Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.