Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 126, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 26, 2012Berks County, Lehigh County, Northampton County, Pennsylvania

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 26, 2012, 6:10 PM EDT for Berks County, Lehigh County, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 95 min. 2 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
Jul 26, 2012, 6:10 PM EDT (22:10 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 2012, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
95 min
Issued by
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Berks County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Northampton County, PA

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:13 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
Jul 26, 6:42 PM EDTTSTM WND GST 56Reading, PA
Jul 26, 6:43 PM EDTTSTM WND GST 50Reading, PA

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
Jul 26, 3:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Phillips Aaf/Abe, MD (KAPG), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 2012-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 59 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 2012-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 238 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
59 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-282 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1017 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
238 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
239 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.

361 
WUUS51 KPHI 262210
SVRPHI
PAC011-077-095-262345-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SV.W.0126.120726T2210Z-120726T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
610 PM EDT THU JUL 26 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF READING...
  LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN...
  SOUTH CENTRAL NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 605 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
  HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE
  LOCATED FROM WESTERN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY TO NORTHERN DAUPHIN
  COUNTY...AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  STRAUSSTOWN AROUND 630 PM EDT...
  WANAMAKERS...WOMELSDORF...HAMBURG AND BERNVILLE AROUND 640 PM
  EDT...
  WERNERSVILLE...SHOEMAKERSVILLE...LENHARTSVILLE AND LEESPORT AROUND
  645 PM EDT...
  WYOMISSING AROUND 650 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM. WHILE
NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A TORNADO IS
SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A STURDY
STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY! REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE
ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 4050 7643 4052 7624 4058 7602 4065 7599
      4069 7588 4062 7520 4060 7520 4050 7540
      4042 7548 4044 7553 4023 7571 4025 7606
      4049 7643
TIME...MOT...LOC 2209Z 270DEG 49KT 4077 7632 4037 7672

$$

IOVINO
1 follow-up statement
857 
WWUS51 KPHI 262240
SVSPHI

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
640 PM EDT THU JUL 26 2012

PAC011-077-095-262345-
/O.CON.KPHI.SV.W.0126.000000T0000Z-120726T2345Z/
BERKS PA-LEHIGH PA-NORTHAMPTON PA-
640 PM EDT THU JUL 26 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT
FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NORTHAMPTON...LEHIGH AND BERKS COUNTIES...

AT 635 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER
SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS 
WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN 
BERKS COUNTY AND INTO THE LEHIGH VALLEY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  WERNERSVILLE...SHOEMAKERSVILLE...LENHARTSVILLE AND LEESPORT BY 645
  PM EDT...
  WYOMISSING HILLS...WYOMISSING...WHITFIELD AND WEST WYOMISSING BY
  650 PM EDT...
  FLYING HILLS AND COFFEETOWN BY 655 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY! REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE
ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1-877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT 
THURSDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4050 7643 4052 7624 4058 7602 4065 7599
      4069 7588 4062 7520 4060 7520 4050 7540
      4042 7548 4044 7553 4023 7571 4025 7606
      4049 7643
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 270DEG 49KT 4076 7578 4037 7618

$$

IOVINO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 26, 7:41 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementPHICarbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton64 min
Jul 26, 5:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICarbon, Monroe54 min
Jul 26, 5:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICarbon, Lehigh, Northampton74 min
Jul 26, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIMonroe42 min
Jul 26, 6:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBucks83 min
Jul 26, 6:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIBerks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia89 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2012Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.