Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 257, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

September 9, 20087 counties in Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 9, 2008, 8:51 AM EDT for 7 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 39 min. 2 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
Sep 9, 2008, 8:51 AM EDT (12:51 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 2008, 9:30 AM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Berks County, PA, Bucks County, PA, Carbon County, PA, Chester County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Montgomery County, PA, Northampton County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:53 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
Sep 9, 8:54 AM EDTTSTM WND GST 37Reading, PAA 37 MPH WIND GUST WAS MEASURED AT THE READING AIRPORT.
Sep 9, 9:00 AM EDTTSTM WND DMGReading, PAMULTIPLE TREES DOWN IN BERKS COUNTY

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

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 106 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, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 2008-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1988 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 2008-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1988 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
557 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KPHI 091251
SVRPHI
PAC011-017-025-029-077-091-095-091330-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0257.080909T1251Z-080909T1330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
851 AM EDT TUE SEP 9 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHERN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL CARBON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  NORTHWESTERN BUCKS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  NORTH CENTRAL CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  NORTHWESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 930 AM EDT

* AT 849 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS
  OF AROUND 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
  EXTENDING   FROM EMERALD TO 13 MILES WEST OF HONEY BROOK...OR
  ALONG A LINE   EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES SOUTH OF LEHIGHTON TO 11
  MILES NORTHEAST OF   LANCASTER...AND MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  EMERALD...READING...KUTZTOWN AND FLEETWOOD BY 855 AM...
  BERLINSVILLE...NEFFS...CLAUSSVILLE AND SCHNECKSVILLE BY 900 AM...
  BEERSVILLE AND NORTHAMPTON BY 910 AM...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY
RESULT IN LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE IN AREAS WHERE
WATER IS CROSSING THE ROAD.

IN ADDITION TO HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND 
LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE 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.

LAT...LON 4071 7584 4075 7577 4083 7513 4001 7573
      4003 7595 4010 7595 4014 7590 4031 7615
TIME...MOT...LOC 1250Z 277DEG 30KT 4074 7570 4014 7613

$$

MPD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 8:40 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICarbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton50 min
Sep 9, 8:51 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHIBerks, Lehigh3 hr
Sep 9, 9:09 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPHINorthampton3 hr
Sep 9, 9:21 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe and 3 more39 min
Sep 9, 9:30 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIChester, Montgomery3 hr
Sep 9, 9:41 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIBucks3 hr
Sep 9, 9:59 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHIBucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia3 hr
Sep 9, 10:57 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks48 min

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.