Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 202, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

August 18, 2009Cecil County, Maryland; Berks County, Chester County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 2009, 6:48 PM EDT for Cecil County, Maryland; Berks County, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 72 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 18, 2009, 6:48 PM EDT (22:48 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 2009, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
72 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cecil County, MD, Berks County, PA, Chester County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:47 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 18, 6:50 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG1 Se Blake, MDTREES DOWN ON LITTLE ELK CREEK
Aug 18, 6:50 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 Nnw Cherry Hill, MDTREES AND WIRES DOWN IN TOWN OF FAIR HILL.
Aug 18, 7:00 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG2 S Oxford, PANUMEROUS TREES DOWN SOUTH OF OXFORD.

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, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 59 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 2009-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 810 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, Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD at 12:00Z on 2009-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
810 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1015 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 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 182248
SVRPHI
MDC015-PAC011-029-190000-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0202.090818T2248Z-090819T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
648 PM EDT TUE AUG 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF READING...
  NORTHERN CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ELKTON...
  CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WEST CHESTER...

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 644 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND
  DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 12
  MILES WEST OF HONEY BROOK...OR 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF LANCASTER...
  AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HONEY BROOK AROUND 705 PM EDT...
  NEW MORGAN AND ELVERSON AROUND 715 PM EDT...
  7 MILES NORTH OF GLENMOORE AROUND 720 PM EDT...
  BIRDSBORO AROUND 725 PM EDT...
  PUGHTOWN AROUND 735 PM EDT...
  9 MILES NORTH OF CHESTER SPRINGS AROUND 740 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 GREATEST KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

&&

LAT...LON 4039 7626 4045 7554 4024 7573 4020 7560
      4005 7544 3985 7564 3982 7572 3971 7581
      3955 7579 3956 7610 3972 7624 3973 7615
      3978 7607 3987 7601 3992 7601 4003 7595
      4011 7595 4014 7590
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 257DEG 24KT 4015 7609

$$

NIERENBERG
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KPHI 182341
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
741 PM EDT TUE AUG 18 2009

MDC015-182352-
/O.CAN.KPHI.SV.W.0202.000000T0000Z-090819T0000Z/
CECIL MD-
741 PM EDT TUE AUG 18 2009

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHERN CECIL COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 4039 7626 4045 7554 4024 7573 4020 7560
      4005 7544 3985 7564 3987 7572 3986 7585
      3987 7601 3992 7601 4003 7595 4011 7595
      4014 7590
TIME...MOT...LOC 2342Z 257DEG 24KT 4023 7563

$$

PAC011-029-190000-
/O.CON.KPHI.SV.W.0202.000000T0000Z-090819T0000Z/
CHESTER PA-BERKS PA-
741 PM EDT TUE AUG 18 2009

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
FOR SOUTHERN BERKS AND CHESTER COUNTIES...

AT 741 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE
HAIL...AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED NEAR PUGHTOWN...OR 17 MILES SOUTHEAST OF READING...MOVING
EAST AT 30 MPH.

LAT...LON 4039 7626 4045 7554 4024 7573 4020 7560
      4005 7544 3985 7564 3987 7572 3986 7585
      3987 7601 3992 7601 4003 7595 4011 7595
      4014 7590
TIME...MOT...LOC 2342Z 257DEG 24KT 4023 7563

$$

NIERENBERG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks60 min
Aug 18, 7:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIDelaware53 min
Aug 18, 7:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia68 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2009Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Maryland, 2009Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2009

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.