Tropical Storm in Pennsylvania, September 18 to 19, 2003

Hurricane Isabel came ashore around midday on September 18th between Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The storm continued on a northwesterly track up through Virginia where it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, and by early Friday morning, September 19th, it was near Latrobe, PA and heading northwest at about 30 miles per hour. The storm exited Pennsylvania by early afternoon, the 19th, with improving conditions beginning state-wide.Rain from the outer bands of Isabel reached southeastern areas of PA by about midday on Thursday, September 18th, and continued to spread northwestward across the remainder of the state throughout the day and evening hours. Heavy rain was falling in southern portions of the State College county warning area (CWA) by late afternoon. Gusty winds were also developing over these southern areas as well.Rain and wind continued overnight, affecting most of State College's CWA into Friday morning. Rainfall amounts exceeded 3 inches in far southwestern areas, with much of the central CWA seeing in excess of 1 inch of rain. Far north and northeastern areas saw less than an inch on average.Sustained winds of 30 mph on average accompanied Isabel as it tracked northward, but damaging gusts of between 50 and 60 mph occurred over a wide area. After a summer of above-normal rainfall, creating soft soils and with trees still in full bloom, the gusty winds resulted in hundreds of reports of trees or tree limbs being knocked down. These took down utility poles and power lines in many parts of the CWA, causing numerous power outages as well as property damage. Significant tree and power line damage was reported in 29 of State College's CWA counties, with the most significant damage over the lower Susquehanna region. Statewide, 1.4 million people lost power. The peak wind gust recorded was 73 mph in Lancaster County. One death (Lancaster County) was attributed to the storm, when a car struck a downed tree.