Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

May 23, 20114 counties in Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at May 23, 2011, 7:30 PM EDT for 4 counties in Pennsylvania. It was in force for 30 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: May 23, 2011, 7:30 PM EDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired: May 23, 2011, 8:00 PM EDT
In force: 30 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Carbon County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Monroe County, PA, Northampton County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:32 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 23, 7:36 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Palmerton, PA	TREES DOWN... FUNNELS SIGHTED ALSO.

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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 147 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 11 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.

488 
WFUS51 KPHI 232330
TORPHI
PAC025-077-089-095-240000-
/O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0007.110523T2330Z-110524T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
730 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  CENTRAL NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN CARBON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL MONROE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 728 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR JORDAN
  VALLEY...OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF LEHIGHTON...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  NEFFS...EMERALD...SLATINGTON AND SCHNECKSVILLE BY 735 PM EDT...
  WALNUTPORT AND COFFEETOWN BY 740 PM EDT...
  NORTHAMPTON BY 745 PM EDT...
  BEERSVILLE BY 750 PM EDT...
  BATH BY 800 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

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 4066 7522 4062 7575 4073 7581 4074 7578
      4077 7579 4090 7531
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 254DEG 26KT 4070 7567

$$

PO

1 follow-up statement

462 
WWUS51 KPHI 232345
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
745 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

PAC025-077-089-095-240000-
/O.CON.KPHI.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110524T0000Z/
LEHIGH PA-NORTHAMPTON PA-CARBON PA-MONROE PA-
745 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL MONROE...EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN CARBON...CENTRAL NORTHAMPTON
AND NORTH CENTRAL LEHIGH COUNTIES...

AT 740 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A CIRCULATION WITH 
THIS STORM ABOVE THE GROUND. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR 
WALNUTPORT...OR 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF ALLENTOWN...MOVING EAST AT 35 
MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BEERSVILLE AND NORTH CATASAUQUA BY 750 PM EDT...
  BATH AND CHAPMAN BY 755 PM EDT...
  NAZARETH...EASTLAWN GARDENS...STOCKERTOWN AND TATAMY BY 800 PM
  EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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 4066 7557 4072 7563 4075 7564 4079 7561
      4090 7531 4066 7522
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 261DEG 28KT 4072 7551

$$
 
TFG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 23, 5:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Delaware, Philadelphia	55 min
May 23, 5:47 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Berks	43 min
May 23, 6:21 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Berks, Chester, Montgomery	54 min
May 23, 6:30 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	PHI	Carbon, Northampton	60 min
May 23, 7:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton	38 min
May 23, 7:58 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PHI	Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton	32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.