Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 3, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 3, 2003
Start: 2003-08-03T14:40
End: 2003-08-03T14:40
Location: Pennsylvania

August 3, 2003 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: $3,000
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 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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 2:00 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 2:00 PM EST, 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
300 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

WL CONT FFA FOR ENTIRE CWA THRU 10 PM. HEAVIEST PCPN CURRENTLY ACRS
SRN PTN CWA...WITH BACK EDGE MOVG INTO FAR WRN COUNTIES.

CHC POPS MENTIONED IN ZNS THRU THU...THEN DRY.

FCSTID =   14
PIT   65  81  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
HLG   65  82  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
MGW   65  81  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
ZZV   65  82  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
PHD   64  81  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
FKL   63  79  62  78 /  60  50  50  40
DUJ   63  79  62  78 /  60  50  50  40
LBE   65  81  64  80 /  60  50  50  40
BTP   64  80  63  79 /  60  50  50  40
IDI   64  80  63  79 /  60  50  50  40
ODM   62  77  60  77 /  60  50  50  40

.PBZ...
MD...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONE MDZ001.

OH...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
OHZ039>041...OHZ048>050...OHZ057>059...OHZ068>069.

PA...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
PAZ007>009...PAZ013>016...PAZ020>023...PAZ029>032.

WV...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
WVZ001>004...WVZ012...WVZ021>023...WVZ041.

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 4:51 AM EST, 9 hours 49 minutes before

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-031100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
551 AM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND
GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. REPEAT
HEAVY RAINS OF AN INCH OR MORE IN AN HOUR OR TWO INCHES IN THREE
HOURS CAN CAUSE STREAMS AND CREEKS TO COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ON MONDAY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BOTH TODAY AND MONDAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 12:06 PM EST, 2 hours 34 minutes before

OHZ039-040-049-050-058-059-068-069-WVZ001>004-012-032000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
106 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

...HEAVY RAIN MOVING INTO THE AREA...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION
AND WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY IN HEAVY
RAIN.

PERSONS LIVING NEAR STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS SHOULD MONITOR WATER
LEVELS CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF WATER
BEGINS TO RISE.

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 1:35 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

WVZ022-023-031930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
235 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA...

AT 235 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH MONONGALIA AND PRESTON COUNTIES.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

BE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL...HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY
WINDS TO 40 MPH.  HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER AND
REDUCED VISIBILITY ALONG ROADWAYS.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE HIGH WATER OR STORM-RELATED DAMAGE...PLEASE
CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL-FREE AT 1-877-633-6772.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

Local storm report, Aug 3, 2:23 PM EST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
323 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

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

0245 PM    GREENSBURG                PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   45 MPH WINDS, SHINGLES
                                          TORN FROM ROOFS. REPORTED
                                          BY SKYWARN SPOTTERS

0246 PM    LATROBE                   PA   .75 INCH HAIL
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   REPORTED BY SKYWARN
                                          SPOTTERS

0250 PM    LATROBE                   PA   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY PUBLIC

0310 PM    PLEASANT UNITY            PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   LARGE TREES DOWN REPORTED
                                          BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

0322 PM    DERRY                     PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   LARGE TREES DOWN REPORTED
                                          BY SKYWARN SPOTTERS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 2:28 PM EST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
328 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

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

0255 PM    COUNTY-WIDE               OH   FLASH FLOODS
08/03/03   MONROE                         NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED IN
                                          WESTERN PART OF COUNTY
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0302 PM    1 S BARNSVILLE            OH   FLASH FLOODS
08/03/03   BELMONT                        STATE RT 800 SOUTH OF
                                          BARNSVILLE REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

Local storm report, Aug 3, 2:34 PM EST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
334 PM EDT SUN AUG 3 2003

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

0330 PM    BAILEYS MILL              OH   FLASH FLOODS
08/03/03   BELMONT                        ST RT 147 UNER 3 FEET OF
                                          WATER REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT

0255 PM    GREENSBURG                PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/03/03   WESTMORELAND                   ROOF BLOWN OFF BUILDING AT
                                          VALLEY GREEN GOLF COURSE
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Westmoreland

When: August 3, 2:40 PM EST
Where: Westmoreland County, 2 mi S of Latrobe
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.267, -79.383

Many large trees down.

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, August 2003

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: 5334117.