Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2010

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 14, 2010Berks County, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at May 14, 2010, 5:38 PM EDT for Berks County, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 37 min. 7 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
May 14, 2010, 5:38 PM EDT (21:38 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 2010, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Berks County, PA, Lehigh County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:38 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
May 14, 5:46 PM EDTHAIL 1.75Allentown, PAGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN WEST ALLENTOWN.
May 14, 5:50 PM EDTHAIL 1Allentown, PAQUARTER SIZE HAIL IN ALLENTOWN
May 14, 5:50 PM EDTHAIL 1.758 W Allentown, PAGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN FOGELSVILLE.
May 14, 5:50 PM EDTHAIL 2.53 Se Claussville, PADAMAGE TO VEHICLES, SOME WINDOWS DAMAGED.
May 14, 5:55 PM EDTTSTM WND GST 60Allentown, PAA FEW TREES DOWN
May 14, 5:55 PM EDTHAIL 1.75Allentown, PAHAIL AS LARGE AS GOLF BALLS IN THE ALLENTOWN AREA, ALSO A FEW TREES DOWN IN LEHIGH COUNTY.
May 14, 5:57 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUDEmmaus, PAA COUPLE OF FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTINGS IN LEHIGH COUNTY

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
May 14, 3:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 2010-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2010-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 160 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
557 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
187 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

779 
WFUS51 KPHI 142138
TORPHI
PAC011-077-142215-
/O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0001.100514T2138Z-100514T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
538 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHERN LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN...

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 534 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  CLAUSSVILLE...OR 14 MILES WEST OF ALLENTOWN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ANCIENT OAKS BY 550 PM EDT...
  ALLENTOWN BY 555 PM EDT...
  EMMAUS...ZIONSVILLE AND ALLENTOWN BY 600 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
FRIDAY EVENING FOR DELAWARE AND NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND AND NEW JERSEY
AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4067 7574 4057 7539 4054 7535 4045 7546
      4043 7549 4056 7581
TIME...MOT...LOC 2138Z 294DEG 29KT 4058 7572

$$

HAYES
2 follow-up statements
234 
WWUS51 KPHI 142154
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
554 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010

PAC011-077-142215-
/O.CON.KPHI.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-100514T2215Z/
BERKS PA-LEHIGH PA-
554 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR SOUTHERN
LEHIGH AND NORTHEASTERN BERKS COUNTIES...

AT 552 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ANCIENT OAKS...OR
7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALLENTOWN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ZIONSVILLE AND EMMAUS BY 600 PM EDT...
  COOPERSBURG BY 610 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
FRIDAY EVENING FOR DELAWARE AND NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND AND NEW JERSEY
AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4067 7574 4057 7539 4054 7535 4045 7546
      4043 7549 4056 7581
TIME...MOT...LOC 2154Z 294DEG 29KT 4053 7557

$$

HAYES
925 
WWUS51 KPHI 142212
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
612 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010

PAC011-077-142222-
/O.EXP.KPHI.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-100514T2215Z/
BERKS PA-LEHIGH PA-
612 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN LEHIGH AND NORTHEASTERN BERKS
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM EDT...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
FRIDAY EVENING FOR DELAWARE AND NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND AND NEW JERSEY
AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

LAT...LON 4067 7574 4057 7539 4054 7535 4045 7546
      4043 7549 4056 7581
TIME...MOT...LOC 2212Z 294DEG 29KT 4047 7540

$$

HAYES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 3:52 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHICarbon, Monroe53 min
May 14, 4:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHICarbon57 min
May 14, 4:26 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHICarbon, Northampton64 min
May 14, 4:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks63 min
May 14, 5:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks, Lehigh, Northampton56 min
May 14, 5:07 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHINorthampton53 min
May 14, 5:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Chester, Montgomery56 min
May 14, 5:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton67 min
May 14, 6:11 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHICarbon64 min
May 14, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia65 min
May 14, 6:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIChester, Delaware55 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2010Every tornado warning in 2010Tornadoes in 2010

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.