Alert archive / Delaware / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

June 13, 2009Sussex County, Delaware

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at Jun 13, 2009, 5:21 PM EDT for Sussex County, Delaware. It was in force for 54 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: Jun 13, 2009, 5:21 PM EDT (21:21 UTC)
Expired: Jun 13, 2009, 6:15 PM EDT
In force: 54 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Sussex County, DE

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 29 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:23 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	Remark
Jun 13, 6:14 PM EDT	HAIL 1	2 Sw Sycamore, DE	QUARTER SIZE HAIL

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

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 80 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: 844 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 910 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KPHI 132121
TORPHI
DEC005-132215-
/O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0005.090613T2121Z-090613T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
521 PM EDT SAT JUN 13 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SUSSEX COUNTY IN SOUTHERN DELAWARE...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN...

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 519 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  BRIDGEVILLE...OR 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF GEORGETOWN...MOVING   
  SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. EVEN WITHOUT A TORNADO THIS STORM IS CAPABLE
  OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ELLENDALE AND 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF SEAFORD BY
  530 PM EDT...
  GEORGETOWN...8 MILES NORTHEAST OF SYCAMORE AND 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  MILTON BY 545 PM EDT...
  MILLSBORO BY 605 PM EDT...
  8 MILES NORTH OF SELBYVILLE AND 9 MILES WEST OF BETHANY BEACH BY
  615 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3845 7554 3869 7568 3892 7542 3883 7520
      3880 7516 3878 7507 3865 7505 3863 7506
      3860 7504 3859 7505 3859 7504 3846 7503
      3844 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 2120Z 309DEG 22KT 3878 7556

$$
 

TFG

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KPHI 132143
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
543 PM EDT SAT JUN 13 2009

DEC005-132215-
/O.CON.KPHI.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-090613T2215Z/
SUSSEX DE-
543 PM EDT SAT JUN 13 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR SUSSEX
COUNTY...

AT 541 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF
GEORGETOWN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS
HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL FROM
CAROLINE COUNTY INTO KENT AND SUSSEX COUNTIES.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  GEORGETOWN AND SYCAMORE BY 555 PM EDT...
  MILLSBORO...DAGSBORO...FRANKFORD AND 9 MILES WEST OF LONG NECK BY
  615 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TO 80 MPH.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3844 7509 3853 7553 3874 7560 3879 7553
      3873 7531 3871 7522 3867 7515 3865 7505
      3863 7506 3860 7504 3859 7505 3859 7504
      3846 7503 3844 7505
TIME...MOT...LOC 2142Z 309DEG 21KT 3870 7550

$$
 
TFG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 13, 2:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	New Castle	67 min
Jun 13, 2:27 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	New Castle	4 hr
Jun 13, 3:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	New Castle	58 min
Jun 13, 4:50 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	Kent	3 hr
Jun 13, 4:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Kent, Sussex	53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Delaware, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes 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.