Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Binghamton, NY

July 15, 2026Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

NWS Binghamton, NY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 2026, 3:52 PM EDT for Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 38 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 2026, 3:52 PM EDT (19:52 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Binghamton, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Luzerne County, PA

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:54 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 273 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, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2026-07-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 915 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2026-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 117 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
915 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-362 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1305 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

021 
WUUS51 KBGM 151952
SVRBGM
PAC079-152030-
/O.NEW.KBGM.SV.W.0113.260715T1952Z-260715T2030Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Binghamton NY
352 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Central Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania...

* Until 430 PM EDT.

* At 352 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Sweet Valley,
  or 14 miles north of Berwick, moving southeast at 35 mph.

  HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage 
           to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
  Wilkes-Barre, Muhlenberg, Nanticoke, Plymouth, Edwardsville,
  Larksville, Ashley, Dorrance, Slocum, and Preston.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4124 7628 4133 7620 4121 7575 4104 7590
TIME...MOT...LOC 1952Z 294DEG 29KT 4126 7618 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

DK
1 follow-up statement
836 
WWUS51 KBGM 152027
SVSBGM

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Binghamton NY
427 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

PAC079-152036-
/O.EXP.KBGM.SV.W.0113.000000T0000Z-260715T2030Z/
Luzerne PA-
427 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CENTRAL LUZERNE COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 430 PM EDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.  However, heavy
rain and frequent lightning is still possible with this thunderstorm.

&&

LAT...LON 4124 7628 4133 7620 4121 7575 4104 7590
TIME...MOT...LOC 2026Z 294DEG 29KT 4115 7586 

$$

DK

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 15, 2:07 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • 1) Smoke is expected the next couple of days from active wildfires in south central Canada. 2) Cooler and more unsettled weather will move into the area for the end of the week into the weekend.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 2:07 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Binghamton NY
207 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Forecast high temperatures were lowered even further and it
still may not be enough as the smoke is looking potentially very
thick. Smoke was also added to the grids through Thursday night.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Smoke is expected the next couple of days from active
wildfires in south central Canada.

2) Cooler and more unsettled weather will move into the area
for the end of the week into the weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...

Another active day for wildfires across Southern Canada into
northern Minnesota released gratuitous amounts of smoke over
the last several days. With faster flow aloft, we saw some
elevated smoke yesterday but today the surface smoke will be
moving in. Vertically integrated smoke in both the HRRR and the
RAP show that we will see periods of thick smoke today through
tomorrow. Surface visibility may fall below 3 miles with the
smell of smoke likely. Temperatures this afternoon and tomorrow
were lowered by about 5 degrees but that may not be enough.
Areas under the thicker smoke yesterday were 10 to 15 degrees
cooler than modeled for highs.

Tomorrow is a tough temperature forecast as there is potential
for the smoke to remain thick. Smoke allows for long wave
radiation to pass through so cooling is not affected so
overnight lows tonight may end up being cooler than forecast as
well. Thick smoke remaining Thursday would prevent heating from
a cooler start so highs could be on the upper 60s to low 70s
rather than mid to upper 80s but the confidence was not there to
lower them that much.

Atmospheric flow does not change much into Friday so if the
fires remain burning at an elevated intensity, Friday could be
another smokey day.

KEY MESSAGE 2...

A trough digs into the Northeast late Friday into the weekend
with a broad surface low moving through. This will likely bring
widespread showers and thunderstorms to the region. 0-6 km shear
is between 30 and 40 knots so a few storms in the afternoon
after day time heating may become severe. We remain on the
eastern edge of the large ridge in the Western US so remain in a
favorable severe pattern into early next week as well.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...

Visible satellite imagery shows a large swath of wildfire smoke
stretching from western Ontario across the northern Great Lakes
and into CNY and the Twin Tiers. This plume of smoke and haze
is continuing to drift south with a mix of predominately VFR
and MVFR visby that is expected to continue into tomorrow. Where
the smoke is most dense, IFR restrictions are possible on
occasion. There is some uncertainty how thick the smoke will be
later this evening/overnight (especially between 22Z-06Z) as the
HRRR smoke model shows the surface smoke becoming slightly less
dense before becoming thicker once again. The surface smoke
does look to be even more dense tomorrow, especially by late
morning and into the afternoon which can result in IFR visby.
ELM, ITH and SYR have the best chance of IFR restrictions prior
to 18Z tomorrow.

Outlook:

Thursday afternoon through Friday...Visibility restrictions
likely at times due to wildfire smoke from Canada. MVFR seems to
be the most confident forecast at this time, but local IFR
cannot be ruled out Thursday afternoon and evening. Wildfire
smoke density is still uncertain for Friday at this time.

Saturday and Sunday...Scattered showers and thunderstorms with
associated restrictions possible.

Monday...Mainly VFR.

&&

.BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...None.
NY...Air Quality Alert until midnight EDT tonight for NYZ009-
     015>018-022>025-036-037-044>046-055>057-062.

&&

DISCUSSION...AJG/BJG
AVIATION...DK
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 15, 2:37 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Binghamton NY
237 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

NYZ009-015>018-022>025-036-037-044>046-055>057-062-PAZ038>040-043-
044-047-048-072-161845-
Northern Oneida-Yates-Seneca-Southern Cayuga-Onondaga-Steuben-
Schuyler-Chemung-Tompkins-Madison-Southern Oneida-Cortland-Chenango-
Otsego-Tioga-Broome-Delaware-Sullivan-Bradford-Susquehanna-
Northern Wayne-Wyoming-Lackawanna-Luzerne-Pike-Southern Wayne-
237 PM EDT Wed Jul 15 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central New York and
northeast Pennsylvania.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Smoke and poor air quality is expected at times today.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Smoke is expected to linger into Thursday and potentially into
Friday.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Binghamton, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 4:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBGMLuzerne29 min
Jul 15, 4:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatBGMLuzerne31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.