Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 272, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

November 15, 2008Lehigh County, Northampton County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 15, 2008, 4:33 PM EST for Lehigh County, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 38 min. 1 report 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
Nov 15, 2008, 4:33 PM EST (21:33 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 2008, 5:11 PM EST
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Lehigh County, PA, Northampton County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:32 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
Nov 15, 4:40 PM ESTTSTM WND DMG3 E Emmaus, PATREE REPORTED DOWN IN UPPER SAUCON TOWNSHIP.

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
Nov 15, 2:56 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 203 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2008-11-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2008-11-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 246 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
604 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
246 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
314 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 152133
SVRPHI
PAC077-095-152230-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0272.081115T2133Z-081115T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
433 PM EST SAT NOV 15 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 530 PM EST

* AT 427 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
  OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR EMMAUS...OR ABOUT NEAR
  ALLENTOWN...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  OLD ORCHARD...WILSON AND 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NAZARETH BY 440 PM...
  9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BELFAST BY 445 PM...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM SATURDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY AND NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4091 7516 4084 7511 4075 7521 4063 7525
      4048 7552 4077 7553
TIME...MOT...LOC 2133Z 232DEG 50KT 4058 7535

$$

NIERENBERG
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KPHI 152211
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
511 PM EST SAT NOV 15 2008

PAC077-095-152221-
/O.CAN.KPHI.SV.W.0272.000000T0000Z-081115T2230Z/
LEHIGH PA-NORTHAMPTON PA-
511 PM EST SAT NOV 15 2008

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHAMPTON AND EASTERN LEHIGH
COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE THUNDERSTORM HAS WEAKENED AND MOVED EAST OF THE AFFECTED AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY AND NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4091 7516 4084 7511 4075 7521 4063 7525
      4048 7552 4077 7553
TIME...MOT...LOC 2211Z 232DEG 50KT 4090 7480

$$

TFG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 3:54 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks38 min
Nov 15, 4:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery60 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.