Alert archive / Maine / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Gray, ME

July 18, 2008York County, Maine; Strafford County, New Hampshire

NWS Gray, ME issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 2008, 6:13 PM EDT for York County, Maine; Strafford County, New Hampshire. It was in force for 21 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 18, 2008, 6:13 PM EDT (22:13 UTC)
Expired: Jul 18, 2008, 6:34 PM EDT
In force: 21 min
Issued by: NWS Gray, ME
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties York County, ME, Strafford County, NH

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 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

Time	Report	Where
Jul 18, 6:15 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Madbury, NH
Jul 18, 6:20 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	Durham, NH
Jul 18, 6:25 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	Dover, NH

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 18, 1:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 98 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: 1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1449 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 102 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
WFUS51 KGYX 182213
TORGYX
MEC031-NHC017-182245-
/O.NEW.KGYX.TO.W.0002.080718T2213Z-080718T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
613 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY MAINE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN STRAFFORD COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE...
  SOUTHERN YORK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MAINE...

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 612 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DURHAM...
  MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  DURHAM...DOVER AND SOUTH ELIOT.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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.

PLEASE REPORT A TORNADO...HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN
DO SO SAFELY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY
EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LAT...LON 4313 7103 4317 7107 4327 7102 4319 7073
      4311 7077 4310 7079 4312 7082 4312 7086
      4310 7087 4308 7090
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 292DEG 22KT 4318 7096

$$

SJC

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KGYX 182234
SVSGYX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
634 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2008

MEC031-NHC017-182244-
/O.CAN.KGYX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-080718T2245Z/
STRAFFORD NH-YORK ME-
634 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL YORK AND SOUTHEASTERN 
STRAFFORD COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY
EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LAT...LON 4313 7103 4317 7107 4327 7102 4319 7073
      4311 7077 4310 7079 4312 7082 4312 7086
      4310 7087 4308 7090
TIME...MOT...LOC 2234Z 292DEG 22KT 4313 7080

$$

SJC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Gray, ME issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 18, 12:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, Oxford	49 min
Jul 18, 1:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, York	50 min
Jul 18, 1:23 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		97 min
Jul 18, 1:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland	37 min
Jul 18, 1:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Oxford	47 min
Jul 18, 2:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	York	40 min
Jul 18, 2:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, York	37 min
Jul 18, 2:10 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		95 min
Jul 18, 2:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, York	55 min
Jul 18, 2:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, Oxford, York	53 min
Jul 18, 3:18 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		57 min
Jul 18, 4:11 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		64 min
Jul 18, 4:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, Oxford, York	42 min
Jul 18, 5:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	York	41 min
Jul 18, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Cumberland, York	53 min
Jul 18, 5:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	York	48 min
Jul 18, 6:06 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		54 min
Jul 18, 6:24 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		66 min
Jul 18, 6:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	York	56 min
Jul 18, 7:01 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		15 min
Jul 18, 7:14 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GYX		61 min
Jul 18, 11:11 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Carroll, Coos, Grafton	34 min
Jul 18, 1:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Belknap, Carroll, Grafton	40 min
Jul 18, 2:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Belknap, Carroll, Grafton, Strafford	34 min
Jul 18, 3:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Grafton	49 min
Jul 18, 4:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Carroll, Grafton	45 min
Jul 18, 4:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Grafton	49 min
Jul 18, 4:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Grafton, Merrimack	52 min
Jul 18, 4:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Grafton, Merrimack, Sullivan	38 min
Jul 18, 4:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Belknap, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford	47 min
Jul 18, 5:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Merrimack	40 min
Jul 18, 5:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Grafton, Merrimack, Sullivan	51 min
Jul 18, 5:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Strafford	42 min
Jul 18, 6:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GYX	Rockingham	33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Maine, 2008 Tornado Warnings in New Hampshire, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.