Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 214, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 10, 20084 counties in Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 10, 2008, 11:09 AM EDT for 4 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 66 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
Aug 10, 2008, 11:09 AM EDT (15:09 UTC)
Expired
Aug 10, 2008, 12:15 PM EDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chester County, PA, Delaware County, PA, Montgomery County, PA, Philadelphia County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:12 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
Aug 10, 11:10 AM EDTHAIL 1.752 Se Exton, PA
Aug 10, 11:15 AM EDTHAIL 0.88Exton, PA
Aug 10, 11:15 AM EDTHAIL 2West Chester, PA

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 10, 10:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 214 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 2008-08-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 771 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 2008-08-10The 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
771 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
923 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KPHI 101509
SVRPHI
PAC029-045-091-101-101615-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0214.080810T1509Z-080810T1615Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1109 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  DELAWARE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 1215 PM EDT

* AT 1103 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  GRADYVILLE...OR ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF WEST CHESTER...AND MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 22 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  LIONVILLE...NEWTOWN SQUARE...BROOMALL...CHESTER SPRINGS...PAOLI...
  TROUT LAKE...RADNOR TOWNSHIP...BRYN MAWR...VALLEY FORGE...
  PHOENIXVILLE...KING OF PRUSSIA...NORRISTOWN...CHESTNUT HILL...
  COLLEGEVILLE...PLYMOUTH MEETING...AMBLER...WILLOW GROVE AND
  LANSDALE

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM SUNDAY
EVENING FOR NORTHERN DELAWARE AND NEW JERSEY AND EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4032 7539 4013 7509 3986 7542 3998 7579
TIME...MOT...LOC 1509Z 211DEG 19KT 3995 7546

$$

RNS
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KPHI 101540
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1140 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2008

PAC029-045-091-101-101615-
/O.CON.KPHI.SV.W.0214.000000T0000Z-080810T1615Z/
DELAWARE PA-PHILADELPHIA PA-CHESTER PA-MONTGOMERY PA-
1139 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2008

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 PM EDT
FOR MONTGOMERY...EAST CENTRAL CHESTER...CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA AND
NORTHERN DELAWARE COUNTIES...

AT 1133 AM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...AND
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
DEVON-BERWYN...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF WEST CHESTER...MOVING 
NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. 

A SPOTTER IN WEST CHESTER REPORTED 2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BRYN
MAWR...SPRING CITY...ROYERSFORD...NARBERTH...KING OF PRUSSIA...
AUDUBON...WEST CONSHOHOCKEN...CONSHOHOCKEN...BRIDGEPORT...WEST
NORRITON...TRAPPE...COLLEGEVILLE...TROOPER...EAGLEVILLE...
NORRISTOWN...EVANSBURG...PLYMOUTH MEETING...CHESTNUT HILL...EAST
NORRITON...WYNDMOOR...SKIPPACK...FLOURTOWN...BLUE BELL...WYNCOTE...
ORELAND...GLENSIDE...AMBLER...FORT WASHINGTON...KULPSVILLE...
HARLEYSVILLE...NORTH WALES...SPRING HOUSE...MAPLE GLEN...LANSDALE AND
WILLOW GROVE

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT SUNDAY
EVENING FOR NORTHERN DELAWARE AND NEW JERSEY AND EASTERN
PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4032 7539 4013 7509 3989 7538 4007 7569
TIME...MOT...LOC 1539Z 221DEG 26KT 4006 7539

$$

RNS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 10, 10:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester57 min
Aug 10, 10:44 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIDelaware61 min
Aug 10, 11:32 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIChester, Delaware3 hr
Aug 10, 11:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIDelaware59 min
Aug 10, 12:09 PM EDTTornado WarningPHIDelaware36 min
Aug 10, 12:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIChester, Delaware, Montgomery4 hr
Aug 10, 12:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery84 min
Aug 10, 12:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIDelaware, Philadelphia95 min
Aug 10, 1:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton115 min
Aug 10, 1:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Chester, Montgomery65 min
Aug 10, 1:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester, Montgomery58 min
Aug 10, 3:05 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIChester3 hr
Aug 10, 3:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks40 min
Aug 10, 4:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester75 min
Aug 10, 5:25 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIBerks, Montgomery110 min
Aug 10, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester, Delaware75 min
Aug 10, 5:59 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIChester, Delaware2 hr
Aug 10, 6:45 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIPhiladelphia2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.