Pennsylvania, 2002

Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 3, 2002

August 3, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees in Sinking Spring.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees in Sinking Spring.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 2:53 PM EST, 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 2:53 PM EST, 27 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
353 PM EDT SAT AUG 3 2002

SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS FIRING UP ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH IS
WASHING OUT AS IT CREEPS SLOWLY SOUTH.  THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD DIE
DOWN AFTER SUNSET SO HAVE INCLUDED AN INTO THIS EVENING PERIOD.

HIGH PRES OVER THE GREAT LAKES THIS AFTN WILL MOVE EAST OVERNIGHT
AND OFF THE COAST SUNDAY. AS A RESULT, SW FLOW RE-ESTABLISHES ITSELF
AFTER A BRIEF RESPITE TODAY. CANT RULE OUT A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM
ANYWHERE IN THE CWA ON SUNDAY, BUT THINK CHANCES ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO
LEAVE OUT OF FCST. SUNDAY LOOKS LIKE A RETURN TO THE MUGGY AND HOT
CONDITIONS WHICH CONTINUES INTO MONDAY SO EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING FOR
URBANIZED AREAS OF THE PHL METRO AREA HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO MON.
VIGOROUS COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST ON MON WITH A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MON AFTN IN POCONOS AND EXTREME
NW NEW JERSEY. AS FRONT MOVES SOUTH CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS REST OF CWA MONDAY EVENING AND NIGHT. DYNAMICS AND
MOISTURE LEVELS AS INDICATED BY MODEL RUNS SUGGEST A POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WEATHER MON AFTN AND NIGHT.  FRONT MOVES THROUGH ENTIRE CWA
BY TUE MORNING AND BY TUE NIGHT COOLER AIR WILL BE WELL ESTABLISHED
OVER FORECAST AREA.

ON QUIET ON THE MARINE RIGHT NOW BUT SCA MAY BE NEEDED TUE NIGHT
INTO WED ON THE COAST AND LOWER BAY AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

FCSTID = 24
MPO   65  89  67  88 /   0  10  10  30
ABE   67  91  69  91 /   0  10  10  30
RDG   67  91  69  91 /   0  10  10  30
PHL   72  94  74  95 /   0  10  10   0
12N   65  91  67  89 /   0  10  10  30
SMQ   69  93  69  91 /   0  10  10   0
TTN   70  93  71  92 /   0  10  10   0
MIV   72  91  71  90 /   0  10  10   0
ACY   75  86  75  84 /   0  10  10   0
ILG   71  93  72  94 /   0  10  10   0
DOV   71  93  73  93 /   0  10  10   0
GED   71  93  73  93 /   0  10  10   0
ESN   71  93  73  93 /   0  10  10   0

.PHI...
DE...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING THROUGH MONDAY FOR ZONE DEZ001.

MD...NONE.

NJ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING THROUGH MONDAY FOR ZONES
NJZ015...NJZ017>019.

PA...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING THROUGH MONDAY FOR ZONES
PAZ067>071.

JJM

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Berks

When
August 3, 3:20 PM EST
Where
Berks County, Sinking Spg
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.333, -76.083

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, August 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5318062.