Alert archive / Delaware / Tornado Warnings in 2023

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

July 3, 2023Sussex County, Delaware; Caroline County, Maryland

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this tornado warning at Jul 3, 2023, 7:43 PM EDT for Sussex County, Delaware; Caroline County, Maryland. It was in force for 17 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: Jul 3, 2023, 7:43 PM EDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired: Jul 3, 2023, 8:00 PM EDT
In force: 17 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

Counties Sussex County, DE, Caroline County, MD

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:47 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 3, 7:50 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Bridgeville, DE	Tree limbs down onto power lines. Approximately 2100 customers without power from the Bridgeville to Seaford to Blades areas. Time estimated from radar.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 3, 2:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 95 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: 1776 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1219 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

224 
WFUS51 KPHI 032343
TORPHI
DEC005-MDC011-040000-
/O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0022.230703T2343Z-230704T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
743 PM EDT Mon Jul 3 2023

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  West central Sussex County in southern Delaware...
  Southeastern Caroline County in eastern Maryland...

* Until 800 PM EDT.
    
* At 743 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Smithville, or 10 miles northeast of Hurlock,
  moving northeast at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Bridgeville and Smithville. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3869 7575 3874 7579 3884 7565 3883 7564
      3871 7555
TIME...MOT...LOC 2343Z 241DEG 20KT 3873 7572 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Staarmann

1 follow-up statement

361 
WWUS51 KPHI 032350
SVSPHI

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
750 PM EDT Mon Jul 3 2023

MDC011-040000-
/O.CAN.KPHI.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-230704T0000Z/
Caroline MD-
750 PM EDT Mon Jul 3 2023

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN CAROLINE COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out 
of the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for
central and southern Delaware...and eastern Maryland.

LAT...LON 3869 7571 3879 7572 3884 7565 3883 7564
      3871 7555
TIME...MOT...LOC 2350Z 247DEG 21KT 3874 7567 

$$

DEC005-040000-
/O.CON.KPHI.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-230704T0000Z/
Sussex DE-
750 PM EDT Mon Jul 3 2023

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL SUSSEX COUNTY...
    
At 750 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Bridgeville, or 13 miles northeast of Hurlock,
moving northeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

Locations impacted include...
Bridgeville.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3869 7571 3879 7572 3884 7565 3883 7564
      3871 7555
TIME...MOT...LOC 2350Z 247DEG 21KT 3874 7567 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Staarmann

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 2, 8:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Kent, Sussex	51 min
Jul 2, 8:52 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PHI	New Castle	2 hr
Jul 2, 8:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Kent, Sussex	48 min
Jul 3, 7:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	PHI	Kent, Sussex	59 min
Jul 3, 6:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PHI	Queen Anne's, Talbot	63 min
Jul 3, 7:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threat	PHI	Caroline, Talbot	45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Delaware, 2023 Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 2023 Every tornado warning in 2023 Tornadoes in 2023

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.