A band of low-topped convection with semi-persistent/embedded lightning moved across the lower Susquehanna Valley during the late evening. The storms exhibited occasional bowing segments/comma-head structures within a highly sheared and low instability environment.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 band of low-topped convection with semi-persistent/embedded lightning moved across the lower Susquehanna Valley during the late evening. The storms exhibited occasional bowing segments/comma-head structures within a highly sheared and low instability environment. Isolated wind damage was reported in York and Lancaster Counties.
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 Oct 28, 7:17 PM EST, 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 817 PM EDT WED OCT 28 2015 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL SWING ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY...FOLLOWED BY DRIER CONDITIONS. A SEASONABLY COLDER LAKE EFFECT SHOWER/NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN WILL END THE WEEK. THE TEMPERATURES SHOULD REBOUND NICELY OVER THE WEEKEND WITH FAIR WEATHER. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT/... RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN TRACKING NORTH THROUGH MY EASTERN ZONES...WITH MORE DISORGANIZED BANDS OF RAIN AFFECTING CENTRAL AND WESTERN LOCATIONS. THE EASTERN RAINS ARE ON THE NOSE OF A LOW LEVEL JET CORE SURGING UP ALONG THE COASTAL PLAIN. THE WESTERN RAINS SEEM MORE ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LOW LEVEL CONFLUENCE AND MARKS THE EASTERN EXTENT OF SOME UNSTABLE AIR...WITH EVEN A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES SHOWING UP FROM TIME TO TIME. THE LARGER PICTURE SHOWS THE COLD FRONT ENTERING EASTERN OHIO...WITH A HARD TO FIND/DIFFUSE EAST-WEST WARM FRONT BISECTING OUR FCST AREA. HRRR SHOWS BANDS OF RAIN CONTINUING THROUGH ABOUT MIDNIGHT BEFORE BECOMING MORE SHOWERY IN NATURE AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. && .SHORT TERM /MIDNIGHT THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY/... COLD/OCCLUDED FRONT MOVES THROUGH OVERNIGHT BUT THE REAL PUSH OF THE NEW AIRMASS DOES NOT COME UNTIL THURSDAY MORNING. THUS...THE TEMPS COULD REMAIN MILD ALL NIGHT WITH PLENTY OF CLOUD COVER AROUND AND JUST A 30-40 DEG WIND SHIFT BEHIND THE INITIAL CONVECTIVE LINE. THE LOWS WILL BE CLOSE TO NORMAL MAXES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...ABOUT 15 TO 20F ABOVE NORMALS. NOT MUCH RISE IS SEEN IN TEMPS ON THURSDAY. BUT SOME SUN SHOULD BREAK THROUGH POST-FRONT. WRAP AROUND/LAKE EFFECT MOISTURE WILL START TO CLOSE BACK IN ON THE NW THURS EVENING. WINDS MAY BE GUSTIER IN MANY LOCATIONS THURSDAY COMPARED TO TODAY AS THE DRY AIR MOVES IN AND DEEP VERTICAL MIXING TO 5-7 KFT AGL TAPS WESTERLY WINDS OF 50 KTS AT THE TOP OF THE LAYER. MEAN GUSTS WILL LIKELY BE IN THE 30-35 KTS RANGE...BUT A FEW COULD TICKLE THE 40 KT RANGE ACRS THE HIGHER TERRAIN. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW PATTERN ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEPARTING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER SOUTHEASTERN CANADA WILL TRANSITION TOWARD A MILDER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE EXACT TIMING/STRENGTH OF A SERIES OF SHORTWAVE EJECTIONS FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS IS YET-TO-BE DETERMINED AND WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN A LOWER CONFIDENCE FCST WITH RESPECT TO THE PCPN PATTERN OVER THE REGION. HOWEVER...THE 28/12Z MODEL AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE REMAIN VERY CONSISTENT IN BUILDING AN ANOMALOUS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN U.S. BY NEXT TUE-WED WHICH WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY SUPPORT MAX/MIN TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE CLIMO INTO EARLY NOVEMBER. A SHOT OF MODESTLY COLDER AIR IN THE NW FLOW ALOFT WILL FOLLOW A SECONDARY FROPA AND BRING LAKE EFFECT/HIGHER ELEVATION SHOWERS TO THE NW ALLEGHENIES LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. TEMPS STILL LOOK MARGINAL FOR SNOW BUT WILL KEEP MENTION OF RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FCST. AS MENTIONED...CONFIDENCE IS LOW REGARDING OVERALL RAIN RISK AND TIMING/PLACEMENT/EXTENT LATER THIS WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. DRY WX SHOULD PREVAIL DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY. THE OP ECMWF AND GFS WANT TO DEVELOP A SRN STREAM LOW EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A CONSENSUS APPROACH PLACING THE HIGHEST POPS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MASON DIXON LINE. && .AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... A DEEP STORM WILL TRACK NORTHWARD ACROSS THE UPPER GREAT LAKES LATE TODAY. IT/S SOUTHWARD TRAILING COLD FRONT /AND WARM FRONT/ WILL BRING GUSTY SE TO SOUTH WINDS...PERIODS OF MDT TO HEAVY RAIN...AND WIDESPREAD MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH AT LEAST THIS FIRST HALF OF TONIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT LLWS AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD/OCCLUDED FRONT THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT. THERE IS SOME RISK FOR STRONG TO EVEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE TODAY...AND MORE LIKELY THIS EVENING...GIVEN INCREASE IN DEWPOINTS AND VERY STRONG LLVL WIND FIELDS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE NWD ADVANCING WARM FRONT. THE STEADY RAIN WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST TONIGHT...AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. A DRY SLOT SHOULD HELP CLEAR IT OUT EARLY THU...BUT SOME SHOWERS AND LOWER CIGS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. GUSTY WEST TO WSW WIND AOA 30 KTS EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES AFTER 15Z WEDNESDAY AS COLDER AIR MOVES IN ALOFT AND COMBINES WITH LIMITED SFC HEATING THROUGH THE BKN STRATO CU DECK. OUTLOOK... THU...WINDY. AM SHOWERS/LOW CIGS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW. FRI-SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. && .HYDROLOGY... RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON HAVE GENERALLY RANGED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES. MINOR FLOODING DUE TO CLOGGED STORM DRAINS...PONDING/STANDING WATER WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. MINOR RISES ARE FORECAST ON AREA RIVERS..STREAMS AND CREEKS BUT NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE/LAMBERT NEAR TERM...LA CORTE/LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...STEINBUGL AVIATION...CERU/MARTIN HYDROLOGY...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 342 AM EDT WED OCT 28 2015 PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-025>028-034>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-290745- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD- NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-JUNIATA- BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND- ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 342 AM EDT WED OCT 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE THE MOST LIKELY THREAT. VERY MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. PAZ024-033-290745- CAMBRIA-SOMERSET- 342 AM EDT WED OCT 28 2015 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EDT THIS MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND 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. THERE IS ALSO A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE THE MOST LIKELY THREAT. VERY MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:06 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph caused structural damage to a home on Line Road in North Hopewell Twp.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Mountville.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Mountville.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Roseville.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires on Canaan Grove Road near Kleinfeltersville.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Bareville.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Newmanstown.
A thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and wires near Denver.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, October 2015
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 601420, 601413, 601414, 601415, 601419, 601416, 601417, 601418.