Tornado in Pennsylvania, July 21, 2003

Name: Tornado in Pennsylvania, July 21, 2003
Start: 2003-07-21T16:00
End: 2003-07-21T16:05
Location: Pennsylvania

July 21, 2003 · NWS CTP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, 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: $20,000
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 State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 3:10 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 3:10 PM EST, 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA...CORRECTION
410 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

WIDESPREAD SEVERE EVENT UNFOLDING...SO WL BE BRIEF. CURRENT POWERFUL
MCV ACROSS NW MTNS HEADING ENE...WITH LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ATTACHED TO FEATURE AT SOUTHERN EDGE. STRONG MID LEVEL WINDS MIXING
RIGHT DOWN TO SFC IN WAKE OF THIS LINE...AND JUST SW OF MCV CORE.
HAD SEVERAL OBS OF 50+ MPH WINDS. THIS FEATURE WL CONTINUE MOVING
ENE ACROSS N CENTRAL AREA THROUGH THIS EVE. SUBSIDENCE BEHIND
FEATURE WL LIMIT ADDITIONAL CONVECTION EARLY THIS EVE ACROSS
NW...BUT ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY SHOULD REFIRE LATER TNT. ADDITIONAL
ACTIVITY ALSO SHOULD REFIRE LATER TONIGHT ACROSS SW AND CENTRAL
ZONES. WL INCLUDE LIKELIES MOST AREAS...EXCEPT CAT CENTRAL. MORE
SCATTERED ACTIVITY ACROSS FAR SE.

FOR TUE-THU...ASSOCIATED DYNAMICS LIMITED...BUT INSTAB AND
LINGERING FRONT SHOULD PROVIDE SCTD ACTIVITY. SFC WAVE DEVELOPS TO
OUR SSW TUE NT...SPREADING MORE RAIN ACROSS AREA LATE TUE NT INTO
WED. LOOKS COOL AND WET FOR WED...WITH POTENTIAL FOR HVY RAIN IN AT
LEAST PORTION OF AREA. SHOWERS SHOULD LINGER WITH DECAYING UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH THU.

THU NT AND BEYOND...WARMER AND DRIER FOR THU-SAT...THEN MORE RW/TRW
FOR SUN-MON...ESP ACROSS NORTHWEST AND N-CENTRAL. ALSO...WL KEEP FFA
THROUGH EARLY TUE AM IN CASE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY REFIRES...ESP GIVEN
TDYS HVY RAINFALL.

.CTP...
PA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT ALL COUNTIES EXCEPT
ADAMS...LANCASTER...YORK.
...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUES AM FOR NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS.

KL

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 21, 3:44 AM EST, 12 hours 16 minutes before

PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063>066-211045-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
444 AM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL SPARK SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND
TONIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME LOCALLY SEVERE. IN
ADDITION...FLOODING RAINS MAY OCCUR WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. A FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS FOR
TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE WATCH AREA MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED AS THE
RAIN DEVELOPS AND MOVES SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO MID WEEK...WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY FLOODING RAINS OCCURRING IN SOME AREAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 12:45 PM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-
056>059-063-220000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
145 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

BEDFORD...BLAIR...CAMBRIA...CAMERON...CLEARFIELD...COLUMBIA...
CUMBERLAND...DAUPHIN...ELK...FRANKLIN...FULTON...HUNTINGDON...
JUNIATA...LEBANON...MCKEAN...MIFFLIN...MONTOUR...NORTHERN CENTRE...
NORTHERN CLINTON...NORTHERN LYCOMING...NORTHUMBERLAND...PERRY...
POTTER...SCHUYLKILL...SNYDER...SOMERSET...SOUTHERN CENTRE...SOUTHERN
CLINTON...SOUTHERN LYCOMING...SULLIVAN...TIOGA...UNION AND WARREN.

A COLD FRONT...JUST NORTH OF LAKE ERIE...WILL SLOWLY PUSH SOUTHWARD
TOWARD PENNSYLVANIA LATE TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THE
WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE WITH SOME
OF THE STORMS THAT FORM LATER TODAY.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/CTP

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 2:24 PM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

PAZ018-019-024>028-033>036-056-063-212030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
324 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

...STRONG WINDS...SOME ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
SOMERSET...FRANKLIN...CUMBERLAND...BEDFORD...PERRY...JUNIATA...
HUNTINGDON...BLAIR...MIFFLIN...FULTON...CAMBRIA AND CENTRE
COUNTIES...

THIS AFTERNOON STRONG WINDS WERE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA CAUSING
SOME TREES TO FALL. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORM.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WIND SPEEDS.
SECURE OUTDOOR ITEMS THAT CAN BE BLOWN AWAY.

ONDREJIK

Local storm report, Jul 21, 2:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE, PA
350 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

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

0255 PM    TROUTVILLE                PA   POSSIBLE FUNNEL
07/21/03   CLEARFIELD

0312 PM    CURWENSVILLE              PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/21/03   CLEARFIELD                     TREES DOWN

0330 PM    ST MARYS                  PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/21/03   ELK                            TREES AND WIRES DOWN
                                          THROUGHOUT THE TOWN

RH/VC

Local storm report, Jul 21, 3:25 PM EST, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE, PA
425 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

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

0345 PM    KANE                      PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/21/03   MCKEAN                         STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE
                                          CAUSING SEVERAL TREES,
                                          LIMBS, AND WIRES
                                          DOWN.REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0345 PM    GREENCASTLE               PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/21/03   FRANKLIN                       TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0345 PM    PETERSBURG                PA   WIND DAMAGE
07/21/03    NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN

RH

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Juniata

When: July 21, 4:00 PM EST to 4:05 PM EST
Where: Juniata County, 2 mi SW of East Salem
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.600, -77.267

The National Weather Service in State College and Juniata county emergency management officials surveyed storm damage and interviewed residents in central Juniata county. The team determined that an F1 tornado with peak winds of up to 80 mph touched down in central Juniata county near East Salem from about 5:00 pm to 5:05 pm Monday July 21 2003. Extensive tree damage occurred along the tornado path. The roof of a home was lifted off as well as partial damage to roofs of several barns. In one location a tree limb was driven into a barn door. Eyewitnesses described a roaring horizontal wind with blinding visibility lasting only a minute or so at the time damage occurred. The tornado appeared to first touch down in western Delaware Township just less than two miles southwest of East Salem. The tornado continued east-northeastward across Route 333 for about another mile before dissipating. The tornado path was about 3 miles long and several hundred yards wide with peak winds to 80 mph based on visible damage. There were no reported injuries.

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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 The tornado archive for Pennsylvania, 2003 Warnings in Pennsylvania, July 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: 5367844.