Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 21, 2004

Name: Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 21, 2004
Start: 2004-05-21T02:00
End: 2004-05-21T02:00
Location: Pennsylvania

May 21, 2004 · 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 May 21, 1:50 AM EST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 21, 1:50 AM EST, 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
250 AM EDT FRI MAY 21 2004

ISOLATED AREA OF +RA FELL OVRNGT OVR THE EXTREME NERN ZONES OF THE
CWA.  OTHERWISE SHRA/TSRA CONT TO DEVELOP OVR OH AND OFF LAKE ERIE
WITH APPRCH OF MCS.  MRNG POP NMBRS HAVE BEEN BUMPED TO LIKELY WITH
MENTION OF +RA INCLUDED OVR NRN AND WRN ZONES.

POSITION OF WEAK FRONT OVR NRN CWA ALNG WITH OUTFLOW BNDRIES FM THIS
ACTIVITY WL DETERMINE TSRA FOCUS...SO HAVE NOT PLAYED WITH CHC/SCT
NMBRS MUCH PAST TDA.  MINOR ADJUSTMENTS ONLY TO TEMPS.

&&
.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...NONE.
OH...NONE.
WV...NONE.
MD...NONE.
&&

15

Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 4:02 AM EST, 21 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
502 AM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-200901-
ALLEGHENY PA-ARMSTRONG PA-BEAVER PA-BELMONT OH-BROOKE WV-BUTLER PA-
CARROLL OH-CLARION PA-COLUMBIANA OH-COSHOCTON OH-FAYETTE PA-
FOREST PA-GARRETT MD-GREENE PA-GUERNSEY OH-HANCOCK WV-HARRISON OH-
INDIANA PA-JEFFERSON PA-JEFFERSON OH-LAWRENCE PA-MARION WV-
MARSHALL WV-MERCER PA-MONONGALIA WV-MONROE OH-MUSKINGUM OH-NOBLE OH-
OHIO WV-PRESTON WV-TUCKER WV-TUSCARAWAS OH-VENANGO PA-WASHINGTON PA-
WESTMORELAND PA-WETZEL WV-
502 AM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
THIS EVENING ACROSS THE AREA...BUT MAINLY OVER EAST CENTRAL
OHIO...THE WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE AND NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREAT WILL BE FROM HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE AREA
ON FRIDAY.  THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL AGAIN BE FROM HAIL AND DAMAGING
WIND GUSTS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

15

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 8:42 PM EST, 5 hours 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
942 PM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0920 PM     FLASH FLOOD      7 NNW OIL CITY          41.52N 79.76W
05/20/2004                   VENANGO            PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROAD FLOODING AT INTERSECTION OF BUCKSTON RD AND RTE 8.

&&

Special weather statement, May 20, 9:15 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1015 PM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

PAZ015-016-210338-
CLARION PA-JEFFERSON PA-
1015 PM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

...TORRENTIAL RAIN FALLING ON PART OF THE REGION...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ACROSS NORTHERN PARTS OF
CLARION AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES PENNSYLVANIA.  UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN
COULD FALL IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR...POSSIBLY CAUSING FLOODING IN LOW
SPOTS AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

NEVER DRIVE THROUGH FLOODWATERS, IT COULD BE TOO DEEP TO CROSS
THROUGH SAFELY.  BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO
RECOGNIZE THE DANGER.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS ALSO OCCURRING.  WHEN THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES, MOVE INDOORS.

AREAS AFFECTED INCLUDE... LEEPER, SIGEL, WARSAW, AND NEAR THE
JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT.  STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES OR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

Local storm report, May 20, 9:52 PM EST, 4 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1052 PM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1045 PM     FLASH FLOOD      7 N OIL CITY            41.53N 79.70W
05/20/2004                   VENANGO            PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROAD FLOODING ROUTE 220 AND RUSSEL CORNERS RD. ALSO ROUTE
            8 AT PETROLEUM CENTER RD.

&&

Local storm report, May 20, 10:48 PM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1148 PM EDT THU MAY 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1130 PM     FLASH FLOOD      7 NE BROOKVILLE         41.23N 78.99W
05/20/2004                   JEFFERSON          PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ALLENS MILLS ROAD FLOODED.

1132 PM     FLASH FLOOD      5 N BROOKVILLE          41.23N 79.08W
05/20/2004                   JEFFERSON          PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            RICHARDSVILLE ROAD FLOODED.

&&

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 21, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Jefferson County, Punxsutawney
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.950, -78.967

Numerous 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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, May 2004

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: 5398769.