Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in a hot and muggy airmass just south of a weak frontal boundary draped across southern Pennsylvania on July 23, 2016. York and Lancaster County were impacted by damaging winds and hail.
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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.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in a hot and muggy airmass just south of a weak frontal boundary draped across southern Pennsylvania on July 23, 2016. York and Lancaster County were impacted by damaging winds and hail.
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 23, 3:05 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 405 PM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Pennsylvania will be on the northern edge of the subtropical ridge into next week. A series of weakening cold fronts will bring the mention of isolated mainly afternoon or evening showers or thunderstorms, but most of the time it will be fair, very warm and humid but rain free. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... A weak cold front pretty much bisects the state east to west with lower dewpoints from about State College northward. Models show this slightly drier air settling south through late day before the front pretty much becomes indistinguishable. I still have the smallest of chances for a pop up storm along the Pa-Md border but the mid levels are still quite warm so confidence is low. Just another hot dry day in a recent string of hot dry days. Weak high pressure will settle over the area overnight. Other than another night of patchy late night fog, it will be fair and mild with lows mainly in the 60s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... Sunday will feature abundant sunshine for most of the day...along with very warm to hot temps. 850 mb temps will be very similar to today's readings leading to highs once again well up into the 80s to low/mid 90s. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Big story in the extended fcst is the expected heat wave lasting into early in the upcoming week, as the axis of the subtropical ridge briefly shifts from the plains to the northeast conus. Anomalous upper lvl ridging building over PA should bring hot and mainly dry wx this weekend, as warm temps aloft suppress convection. Next chance of shra/tsra for most of the area comes Monday ahead of shortwave working across the Great Lakes. However, any rainfall Monday is likely to do little to stem the dry pattern we have been in. Heat indices around 100F appear possible by Monday across the Susq Valley, as higher dewpoints are advected into the area ahead of potential convection. Overnight lows are also a concern as the area doesn't cool off at night through the weekend with Southern PA lows in the 70s with highest readings Monday morning. Some modest cooling appears likely by Tue/Wed of next week behind weak cold front. However, temps still likely to remain somewhat abv normal within a generally zonal flow. Midweek weather looks dry again, with just low pops for isolated tstms. Fri looks to be the next higher chance for tstm impacts areawide as another cool front progged to move through. && .AVIATION /20Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Widespread VFR is the rule as of early afternoon, and it will continue into the overnight with just some areas of fog expected for a couple of hours either side of sunrise in a few locations. A gusty west to WNW wind will diminish to 10kt or less around or just after sunset this evening. There is a very small chance for a shower or thunderstorm to pop up over the very southern portions of the flying area later this afternoon or early evening. No mention of this low probability event in the TAFs at this time. Sunday also looks hot and dusty. Winds should be lighter with the surface ridge overhead. OUTLOOK... MON...Scattered restrictions possible with a cold front bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms. TUE-WED...No sig wx. THU...mainly VFR with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SYNOPSIS...La Corte NEAR TERM...La Corte SHORT TERM...La Corte LONG TERM...Lambert/Gartner AVIATION...La Corte
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 532 AM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016 PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>026-033>035-037-041-042-240945- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD- NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-SOMERSET- BEDFORD-FULTON-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- 532 AM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY MONDAY EVENING...ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE THE PRIMARY WEATHER IMPACTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. PAZ027-028-036-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-240945- MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION- SNYDER-MONTOUR-NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL- LEBANON-CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 532 AM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HEAT INDICES WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY EVENING...ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE THE PRIMARY WEATHER IMPACTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LAMBERT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
351 PM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016
PAZ066-232015-
LANCASTER PA-
351 PM EDT SAT JUL 23 2016
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT PARTS OF LANCASTER COUNTY UNTIL
415 PM EDT...
AT 350 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
QUARRYVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
GAP...QUARRYVILLE...SMITHVILLE...KIRKWOOD...CHRISTIANA...
GEORGETOWN...REFTON...BUCK...STRASBURG...ATGLEN AND WILLOW STREET.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
&&
LAT...LON 3982 7616 3997 7633 3999 7597 3996 7599
3993 7598 3993 7600 3987 7599 3988 7600
3985 7601 3985 7602 3983 7602 3983 7604
3981 7603 3977 7606
TIME...MOT...LOC 1950Z 240DEG 49KT 3994 7613
MARTINThe Sterling radar (KLWX), 160 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:18 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm produced winds near 60 mph, blowing the roof off of a trailer in Rapho Township.
A sever thunderstorm produced nickel to quarter-sized hail in Lancaster.
A severe thunderstorm produced winds of near 70 mph, knocking down multiple trees in Manor Township.
A severe thunderstorm produced winds near 60 mph, knocking down trees and power lines in Sadsbury Township and Christiana Borough.
A severe thunderstorm produced quarter-sized hail in Airville.
A severe thunderstorm produced quarter-sized hail in Loganville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 2016
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: 638876, 638873, 638877, 638878, 638874, 638875.