Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 13, 2002
Start: 2002-05-13T19:15
End: 2002-05-13T19:15
Location: Pennsylvania

May 13, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm tore down large limbs and wires in Westtown Township. PECO Energy reported about 2,600 of its customers lost power in Chester County.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 tore down large limbs and wires in Westtown Township. PECO Energy reported about 2,600 of its customers lost power in Chester County.

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 May 13, 5:48 PM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 5:48 PM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
648 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TORNADO BOX EXPIRES AT 7 PM...AND WL NOT BE EXTENDED.
ZONES WL BE UPDATED AT 7 PM TO REMOVE SVR WORDING. NO OTHER CHGS FOR
NOW AS WE COULD SEE MORE SHWRS/TSTMS WITH CDFNT IN A FEW HRS.

.PHI...FLOOD WATCH TIL 11 PM DE1 MD8 NJ1,7-10,12-13,15-20
           AND PA54-55,60-62,67-71
       SML CRAFT ADVY CST AND DE BAY.

KRAUS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 2:00 PM EST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
300 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

235 PM    BOYERTOWN                  PA   HAIL
05/13/02  BERKS                           0.75 INCH

JJM

Special weather statement, May 13, 2:00 PM EST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

NJZ012>014-020-026-140300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
300 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

...MINOR TIDAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE AROUND THIS EVENING/S HIGH
TIDE...

TODAY/S ONSHORE WIND FLOW IN COMBINATION WITH THE HIGH ASTRONOMICAL
TIDES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW MOON MAY RESULT IN SOME MINOR TIDAL
FLOODING THIS EVENING.  THE TIDAL FLOODING MAY BE ENHANCED BY HEAVY
RAINFALL THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THIS EVENING/S THUNDERSTORMS.

THE MINOR TIDAL FLOODING MAY AFFECT THE COUNTIES OF OCEAN...MONMOUTH
AND MIDDLESEX.

DO NOT PARK YOUR VEHICLE IN A LOCATION THAT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO TIDAL
FLOODING.

TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

IOVINO

Local storm report, May 13, 3:00 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
400 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

235 PM    BOYERTOWN                  PA   HAIL
05/13/02  BERKS                           0.75 INCH

340 PM    LORANE                     PA   FLOODING
05/13/02  BERKS                           FLOODING ALONG
                                          SHELBOURNE ROAD

JJM

Local storm report, May 13, 4:45 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
545 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

235 PM    BOYERTOWN                  PA   HAIL
05/13/02  BERKS                           0.75 INCH

340 PM    LORANE                     PA   FLOODING
05/13/02  BERKS                           FLOODING ALONG
                                          SHELBOURNE ROAD

435 PM    CHESAPEAKE CITY            MD   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  CECIL                           NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

513 PM                               PA   FLOODING
05/13/02  BERKS                           FLOODING ALONG MANATAWNY
                                          CREEK

520 PM    MIDDLETOWN                 DE   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  NEW CASTLE                      A FEW WIRES DOWN

530 PM    ATCO                       NJ   HAIL
05/13/02  CAMDEN                          DIME-SIZE HAIL

JJM

Local storm report, May 13, 6:30 PM EST, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
730 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

235 PM    BOYERTOWN                  PA   HAIL
05/13/02  BERKS                           0.75 INCH

340 PM    LORANE                     PA   FLOODING
05/13/02  BERKS                           FLOODING ALONG
                                          SHELBOURNE ROAD

435 PM    EARLEVILLE                 MD   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  CECIL                           BARN AND CINDERBLOCK
                                          SHED DESTROYED. PORCH
                                          BLOWN OFF HOUSE.
                                          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.

435 PM    CHESAPEAKE CITY            MD   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  CECIL                           NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

445 PM    RISING SUN                 MD   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  CECIL                           TREES AND WIRES DOWN

513 PM                               PA   FLOODING
05/13/02  BERKS                           FLOODING ALONG MANATAWNY
                                          CREEK

515 PM    UPPER POTTSGROVE           PA   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  MONTGOMERY                      TREES AND WIRES DOWN

520 PM    MIDDLETOWN                 DE   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  NEW CASTLE                      A FEW WIRES DOWN

525 PM    CHESILHURST                NJ   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  CAMDEN                          LIMBS DOWN

530 PM    ATCO                       NJ   HAIL
05/13/02  CAMDEN                          DIME-SIZE HAIL

540 PM    WATERFORD TWP              NJ   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/13/02  CAMDEN

540 PM    HAMMONTON                  NJ   WALL CLOUD
05/13/02  ATLANTIC

615 PM    BAYVILLE                   NJ   HAIL
05/13/02  OCEAN                           GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL

620 PM    HOLIDAY CITY               NJ   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02  OCEAN                           TREES AND WIRE DOWN

JJM

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chester

When: May 13, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Chester County, Westtown
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.933, -75.550

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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, May 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: 5300240.