A sharp cold front crossed Central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of the 30th. Strong westerly wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph developed in the wake of the frontal passage, toppling trees and bringing down wires across portions of the western and northern mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS CTP wrote it up.
A sharp cold front crossed Central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of the 30th. Strong westerly wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph developed in the wake of the frontal passage, toppling trees and bringing down wires across portions of the western and northern mountains.
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 Jan 30, 2:58 AM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 258 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TUESDAY...DRAGGING A SHARP COLD FRONT THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY. ALONG AND JUST IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT...STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL OCCUR. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE UP FROM THE GULF COAST STATES...AND WILL BRING A MIX OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD IN FOR SUPER-BOWL WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWING PLUME OF MOISTURE EXTENDING FROM THE GULF COAST NORTHWARD INTO PENNSYLVANIA. DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING TROF WILL CONTINUE TO FUNNEL HIGH PWAT AIR NORTH ALONG THE APPALACHIANS OVERNIGHT. REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC SHOWING HEAVIEST BAND OF RAIN BAND OVR CENTRAL PA ATTM...WITH LIGHTER RAIN OVR THE NW AND SE CORNERS OF THE STATE. LATEST OPER GFS/NAM SUGGEST UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN WILL FALL OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE CENTRAL COUNTIES. COLD AIR DAMMING EAST OF MTNS SHOULD KEEP WINDS RELATIVELY LIGHT EAST OF THE ALLEGHENYS UNTIL ARRIVAL OF COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT. HOWEVER...EXPECT WINDS TO STEADILY INCREASE OVR THE THE LAURELS AND NW MTNS OVERNIGHT. GUSTS TO ARND 30KTS CURRENTLY OBSERVED OVER EASTERN OHIO. HAVE HAD REPORTS OF DENSE FOG WITH NR ZERO VISIBILITIES ALONG THE RIDGETOPS OF THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS THIS EVENING. LOW VSBYS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE RIDGETOPS UNTIL ARRIVAL OF FRONT LATE TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT SHUD BE JUST ON THE WESTERN PA BORDER BY 06Z WITH A LINE OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY EVEN SOME EMBEDDED THUNDER MOVING INTO THE STATE. SURFACE BASED LIS WILL BE TYPICALLY UNIMPRESSIVE FOR LATE JANUARY...BUT THE STRONG NEG TILTED UPPER TROF THAT WILL BE SHEARING OUT WILL LEAD TO A RAPID INCREASE IN MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...EQUATING TO TOTAL TOTALS NEARING 50 LATER TONIGHT OVER WESTERN PARTS OF THE FCST AREA. WITH FROPA OCCURING BTWN 09Z-13Z...THINKING IS THE CHANCE FOR A WELL ORGANIZED LINE OF CONVECTION WILL NOT BE ESPECIALLY HIGH. HOWEVER THIS IS THE KIND OF PATTERN WE HAVE SEEN MANY TIMES IN THE PAST WHERE A NARROW COLD FRONTAL RAIN BAND BECOMES THE FOCUS OF SOME SEVERE GUSTS AT AND NEAR THE FRONT SO WE CANNOT RULE OUT STRONG WINDS RIGHT AROUND FROPA. RAIN SHOULD TRANSITION TO SNOW SHWRS OVR THE ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT ACCUMS WILL BE MINOR. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY/... WEDNESDAY WILL BE A TRANSITION DAY WITH THE FRONT PASSING AND STRONG WIND GUSTS USHERING IN ANOTHER QUICK SHOT OF COLDER AIR. NAM/GFS BOTH SHOW AN ISALLOBARIC PRESSURE RISE ON THE ORDER OF 15-20MB PASSING THRU WESTERN PA EARLY IN THE DAY. HAVE PUT A HIGH WIND WARNING UP FOR THE LAURELS UP THRU THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS FOR GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH. THE REST OF THE AREA HAS BEEN COVERED WITH AN ADVISORY. WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE SHOWING UP IN THE OPERATIONAL MODELS...AND THE LATEST ENSEMBLES SHOWING A RAPID SHUTOFF OF THE PRECIP AFTER 09Z...TOMORROW SHUD BE A DAY OF FAIRLY RAPID WEATHER IMPROVEMENT EXCEPT FOR THE STRONG GUSTY WINDS. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... GUSTY WINDS SHOULD DIE DOWN FAST WED EVENING/NIGHT AS WEAK SHORT- LIVED HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN FROM THE WEST/SOUTHWEST. SKIES SHOULD CLEAR OUT IN MANY PLACES WITH LOTS OF DRY AIR OVERHEAD AND FLOW NOT COMING OFF OF LAKE ERIE. WITH LIGHTENING WINDS...THE TEMPS WILL GET INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS IN THE NORTH. THURS WILL BE DRY AND SEASONABLE AS NEXT STORM BREWS TO OUR SOUTHWEST. THURSDAY NIGHT...A STRONG SW FLOW ALOFT WILL CARRY DEEP MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. PRECIP SHOULD BEGIN AS A PERIOD OF SNOW OR SLEET LATE THURS NIGHT - WENT WITH HIGH LIKELY TO CATG POPS FOR LAST HALF OF THE NIGHT. FRIDAY LOOKS WET OR SNOWY - DEPENDING ON YOUR LOCATION. BUT SOLID EVIDENCE FROM THE MODELS AND ENSEMBLES TO GO WITH 90 POPS ALL OVER FOR THE DAYLIGHT HRS FRIDAY. P-TYPE IS STILL IN QUESTION...AS STORM COULD HAVE A COASTAL LOW AND MAIN LOW TO THE WEST OF US. BUT...THE MOST LIKELY SOLN IS THAT THE NW WILL BE MOSTLY SNOW AND/OR SLEET...WITH A SIG PORTION /THE CENTRAL THIRD TO TWO-THIRDS/ OF CWA GETTING A GENERAL MIX OF SNOW...ZR AND IP. OF COURSE...THE SE WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE TO TURN OVER TO PLAIN RAIN ON FRIDAY. PRECIP SHOULD TAPER OFF FRIDAY EVENING...WITH DRIER BUT NOT REALLY COLD AIR RUSHING IN FROM THE WEST/SOUTHWEST - AGAIN. WITH THIS DIRECTION OF POST-FRONTAL FLOW AND A HIGH PRESSURE OF NON-POLAR ORIGIN...WILL KEEP FCST MILD AND DRY FOR SUPER-WEEKEND. ADDITIONAL MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTHWEST LOOKS TO CREEP IN BY MONDAY...SO WILL GO WITH CHC POPS AND MORE MIXED PRECIP FOR THE START OF THE WORK WEEK. && .AVIATION /07Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... STEADY RAIN MOVING EAST BUT RAIN SHOWERS PERSISTING ACROSS THE REGION. CONDITIONS VARIABLE WITH SOME IFR/MVFR BUT A LARGE AREA OF VFR AT 07Z. CHANGES ARE ON THE WAY HOWEVER AS A COLD FRONT MOVING IN QUICKLY FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL CROSS THE CWA BY SUNRISE...USHERING IN A LARGE CHANGE IN AIRMASS ALONG WITH A PERIOD OF VERY STRONG WINDS. FROPA WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A 2 HOUR WINDOW OF WIND SHEAR AND GUSTY RAIN SHOWERS /TRANSITIONING TO SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE WEST/. THE COLDER AIR WILL SWEEP IN AS WINDS TURN WESTERLY AND INCREASE TO 20-30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 40-60 MPH. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE TO MVFR/IFR ACROSS THE WEST THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS WHILE IN THE EAST A SHORTER PERIOD OF MVFR WILL OCCUR. BY THIS AFTERNOON WE/LL SEE A RAPID IMPROVEMENT TO VFR EVERYWHERE AS DRY AIR AND STRONG SUBSIDENCE PUSH INTO THE AREA. TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY WILL BE DOMINATED BY DRY HIGH PRESSURE...WHILE ANOTHER MORE SIGNIFICANT STORM GATHERS ON THE GULF COAST. THE EXPECTED TRACK OVER THE STATE WOULD SUGGEST A RAPID DECREASE IN CIG/VIS THURS NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. ANOTHER COMPLICATION COULD BE A WINTRY MIX AS INDICATORS ARE POINTING TO THE POTENTIAL FOR A PERIOD OF SLEET/FREEZING RAIN AT THE ONSET. SAT AND MOST OF SUPER-BOWL SUNDAY SHUD ONCE AGAIN BE FAIR AS HIGH PRESSURE MAKES A RETURN. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM EARLY THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ012-018-019-025>028-034>036-041-042-045-046- 049>053-056>059-063>066. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 AM EARLY THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ004>006-010-011-017-024-033-037. && SYNOPSIS...DANGELO/LACORTE NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...LACORTE LONG TERM...DANGELO AVIATION...RXR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 144 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008 PAZ012-018-019-025>028-034>036-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059- 063>066-310645- NORTHERN CLINTON-NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON- MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND- ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 144 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WIND ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A MOISTURE LADEN STORM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND HEAD QUICKLY NORTHEAST...POSSIBLY BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MIXED PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION MAY START AS A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO PLAIN RAIN...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY AND AREAS TO THE EAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE BACK TO SNOW SHOWERS FRIDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ005-006-010-011-017-024-033-037-310645- MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-CLEARFIELD-CAMBRIA-SOMERSET-TIOGA- 144 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. HIGH WIND WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A MOISTURE LADEN STORM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND HEAD QUICKLY NORTHEAST...POSSIBLY BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MIXED PRECIPITATION OR SNOW TO THE REGION LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE PRECIPITATION MAY START AS A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD OF SNOW. THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL LIKELY CHANGE BACK TO A PERIOD OF STEADY SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS LATE FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ004-310645- WARREN- 144 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. HIGH WIND WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A MOISTURE LADEN STORM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND HEAD QUICKLY NORTHEAST...POSSIBLY BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MIXED PRECIPITATION OR SNOW TO THE REGION LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE PRECIPITATION MAY START AS A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD OF SNOW. THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL LIKELY CHANGE BACK TO A PERIOD OF STEADY SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS LATE FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. LAMBERT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Somerset County 911 reported several trees and wires down across the southern part of the county.
PennDot reported trees down across Clearfield County.
PennDot reported several trees and wires down in Ridgway Township.
PennDot reported trees and wires down in Cherry Grove Township.
McKean County emergency management reported trees and wires down across portions of the county.
PennDot reported trees down in Germania Township.
PennDot reported trees and wires down across Cameron County.
Cambria County 911 center reported trees down throughout the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2008
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: 72201, 72190, 72192, 72200, 72196, 72198, 72189, 72186.