A strong shortwave and surface trough approached the Mid-Atlantic. The incoming disturbance encountered a very warm, moist, and unstable airmass.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A strong shortwave and surface trough approached the Mid-Atlantic. The incoming disturbance encountered a very warm, moist, and unstable airmass. The result was strong to severe thunderstorms developing, producing damaging wind gusts and downing trees and power lines in Delaware.
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 Jul 16, 6:40 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
740 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
A thermal trough will remain in place over the East Coast through
Wednesday as Bermuda high pressure remains offshore. A cold front
will move across the region on Wednesday night into Thursday and
stall to our south through the weekend. High pressure briefly builds
into the area Friday through Sunday before another front approaches
the area into early next week.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect for the entire
CWA through 10 PM. A new line of convection has formed along the
same boundary as the previous convection earlier this evening,
near and southeast of the I-78 corridor. Abundant instability
continues to fuel this instability and will continue to do so as
it propagates to the east-southeast towards the I-95 corridor.
DCAPE values in excess of over 1000 J/kg will support scattered
severe thunderstorms this evening with damaging winds and
downpours. Southeast of the I-95 corridor, storms may begin to
weaken as low-level lapse rates decrease with increasing
influence from the marine layer. However, if any storms become
more cold-pool dominant, they may be able to overcome this and
continue to progress southeastward. Overall, showers and
thunderstorms are expected to taper off by midnight across the
region. Warm and humid again tonight with lows in the 70s,
though not much below 80 in and around Philadelphia.
Dangerous heat continues into Wednesday again with many locations
seeing heat index values over 100 by the afternoon. While cloud
coverage and possible storms (severe weather and hydro discussion
below) may limit temperatures from getting too out of hand, dew
points will likely increase a bit and linger in the low 70s during
the afternoon hours, leading to continued oppressive heat. As a
result, heat headlines will be carried into Wednesday given the
compounded effect from numerous days with dangerous heat.
For the storms on Wednesday, a slow-moving cold front will create a
marathon of severe weather and hydro concerns beginning early
afternoon through the late night hours. Abundant instability and
PWAT values over 2 inches will fuel the potential for training
thunderstorms across the region. Much of the storms during the
afternoon will stay north and west of the I-95 corridor with storms
in the afternoon and nighttime largely impacting areas south and
east. SPC currently has a Slight Risk of severe weather across much
of the region with a Marginal across much of the Jersey Shore and
Delaware Beaches. The WPC has a Slight Risk for excessive rainfall
for the urban corridor with a Marginal Risk for the rest of the
CWA.
&&
.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Scattered thunderstorms are expected to continue through the first
half of Wednesday night ahead of the advancing cold front. Heavy
rain and locally gusty winds will be the main threats as the line of
storms work their way through the area. Storms should eventually
give way to just some residual showers before tapering off from
northwest to southeast overnight. Low temps will fall in the upper
60s to low 70s.
The cold front should fully cross through the region by Thursday
morning but will begin to slow down as it passes to our south and
east. So while, the northern half of the area will begin to see some
clearing, the southern half of the area (especially near the coast),
will see cloud cover linger throughout the day. Isolated showers and
storms may hang up along the coast as well, but overall, this chance
remains uncertain/low. On the bright side, this cold front will
knock down temps with highs in the low to mid 80s.
By Thursday night and Friday, the cold front will slide far enough
to our south, allowing the drier airmass behind the front to fully
filter into the region. Skies will become mostly clear at night with
just a few fair weather clouds during the day on Friday. Temps will
be very close to normal with highs in the mid to upper 80s and lows
in the 60s. The biggest change is that with the drier airmass, dew
points will be back in the 50s, so it will feel much more
comfortable outside compared to earlier this week.
&&
.LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...
The long term will encompass a much more seasonable, sensible and
comfortable weather period compared to the previous two weeks. Broad
high pressure will build in from the north and west through much of
the weekend with just a stationary boundary located near the
southern Delmarva. A few impulses will transverse along the boundary
which may cause a few isolated to scattered showers/storms through
the weekend but this will primarily be confined to the Delmarva and
southernmost New Jersey. Elsewhere, a dry weekend is anticipated
with a mix of clouds and sun. Some better energy and forcing then
approaches on Monday and Tuesday, which brings the threat for a more
widespread potential for showers and thunderstorms back to the area.
In terms of temperatures, a very comfortable airmass will be in
place for mid-July. Temps will generally be in the mid to upper 80s
with dew points in the 60s. This will keep heat indicies in close
proximity to the actual air temperature, so no heat headlines are
expected in the near future.
&&
.AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
The following discussion is for KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG,
KILG, KMIV, KACY and surrounding areas.
Tonight...Mainly VFR overall but scattered showers and
thunderstorms are producing strong winds and rapid visibility
reductions at times. Wind gusts in excess of 40 kt and VSBYs
less than 1SM in heavy rain possible in the strongest storms.
KILG/KMIV/KACY have slightly lower probability of seeing any
thunderstorms/restrictions. SHRA/TSRA taper off by 02-04Z. VFR
overall. SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Moderate confidence.
Wednesday...VFR in the morning before showers and thunderstorms in
the afternoon and into the evening could result in sub-VFR
conditions. Winds mainly out of the southwest around 10 kts.
Moderate confidence.
Outlook...
Wednesday night...Sub-VFR conditions likely with scattered
thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe with locally damaging
winds.
Thursday through Sunday...Primarily VFR. A chance of a thunderstorm
at KACY/KMIV on Thursday with a slight chance of a thunderstorm over
the weekend. Otherwise, no significant weather expected.
&&
.MARINE...
Although conditions may approach Small Craft Advisory criteria
tonight, it looks like conditions will fall just short. SW winds 15
to 20 kt this afternoon, then diminishing to 10 to 15 kt tonight.
Seas 3 to 4 feet.
SCA conditions possible later on Wednesday as gusts near 20-25 kts
with seas building near or just shy of 5 feet. Showers and
thunderstorms may produce winds in excess of 40 kts.
Outlook...
Wednesday night...SCA conditions likely. S-SW winds around 10-20 kt
and seas around 4-6 feet.
Thursday through Sunday...No marine headlines expected. Winds will
generally range between 5-15 kt with seas of 2-4 feet.
Rip Currents...
For Wednesday, the south-southwest flow will increase to around
15-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Wave heights in the surf
zone are again forecast to be around 1-3 feet with a 5-7 second
period. Therefore, a MODERATE RISK for the development of
dangerous and life threatening rip currents is again in place
for the Jersey Shore in Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties,
and a LOW risk for the Jersey Shore in Monmouth county and
Delaware Beaches.
Late day showers and thunderstorms are possible along both the
Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches.
Some areas of fog at times will cause reduced visibility along
the shoreline.
For Thursday, winds will turn more offshore out of the west to
northwest and decrease to around 10 mph. Wave heights will
mainly remain around 1-2 feet with a 5-7 second period. As the
winds should be weaker and directed offshore across the region,
the risk for the development of dangerous and life threatening
rip currents is forecast to decrease to LOW on Thursday for all
coastal zones.
For specific beach forecasts, visit weather.gov/beach/phi
&&
.CLIMATE...
Georgetown and Reading tied their record highs for yesterday July
15th. Georgetown also tied its record warm lowest temperature for
Monday with 75 degrees. For today and Wednesday, near record breaking
temperatures (both highs and lows) are possible. We've included the
records for our climate sites below.
Record High Temperatures (today)
July 16
Site Record/Year
Allentown (ABE) 101/1988
AC Airport (ACY) 100/1983
AC Marina (55N) 100/1983
Georgetown (GED) 97/1953 & 1992
Mount Pocono (MPO) 93/1988
Philadelphia (PHL) 102/1988
Reading (RDG) 100/1900
Trenton (TTN) 102/1988
Wilmington (ILG) 100/1983
Record Warmest Low Temperatures (today)
July 16
Site Record/Year
Allentown (ABE) 76/1983
AC Airport (ACY) 77/1983
AC Marina (55N) 80/2013
Georgetown (GED) 80/1955
Mount Pocono (MPO) 70/1955
Philadelphia (PHL) 80/2013
Reading (RDG) 78/1955
Trenton (TTN) 78/1983
Wilmington (ILG) 77/2013
Record High Temperatures (Wednesday)
July 17
Site Record/Year
Allentown (ABE) 99/1999
AC Airport (ACY) 99/2012
AC Marina (55N) 95/1937
Georgetown (GED) 100/2019
Mount Pocono (MPO) 91/1999
Philadelphia (PHL) 102/1988
Reading (RDG) 102/1988
Trenton (TTN) 100/1988
Wilmington (ILG) 100/1988
&&
.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for PAZ060>062-
070-071-101>106.
Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for PAZ054-055.
NJ...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for NJZ007>010-
012-013-015>023-027.
Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for NJZ001-014.
DE...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for DEZ001>003.
Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for DEZ004.
MD...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for MDZ012-015-
019-020.
MARINE...None.
&&
SYNOPSIS...DeSilva/Robertson
NEAR TERM...AKL/MJL
SHORT TERM...DeSilva
LONG TERM...DeSilva
AVIATION...AKL/DeSilva/MJL
MARINE...AKL/DeSilva/MJL
CLIMATE...Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
837 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0825 PM Tstm Wnd Gst West Grove 39.86N 75.84W
07/16/2024 M52 MPH Chester PA Mesonet
West Grove SECCRA - DEOS Site.
&&
DeSilvaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
839 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Kennett Square 39.87N 75.68W
07/16/2024 M55 MPH Chester PA Mesonet
Kennett Square DEOS Site.
&&
DeSilvaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
852 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0820 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Coatesville 39.98N 75.82W
07/16/2024 Chester PA Public
Trees down with estimated 60 mph wind gusts.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
914 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0859 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Northeast Philadelphia 40.08N 75.01W
07/16/2024 M54 MPH Philadelphia PA ASOS
KPNE: Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
&&
DeSilvaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
916 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Logan Twp 39.80N 75.37W
07/16/2024 M44 MPH Gloucester NJ Mesonet
NJWXNET: Logan Twp.
&&
DeSilvaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
917 PM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0905 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Moorestown 39.98N 74.90W
07/16/2024 M44 MPH Burlington NJ Mesonet
NJWXNET: Moorestown.
&&
DeSilvaThe Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:19 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Live local news coverage report of 2 people rushed to hospital after tree fell onto a home in Wilmington. Time estimated. Exact location not known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Delaware in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Delaware, July 2024
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: 1206509.