Storm developed ahead of an approaching cold front on July 16, 2018. Neither CAPE nor shear were very impressive, but a couple of storms managed to produce wind damage across northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania.
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.
Storm developed ahead of an approaching cold front on July 16, 2018. Neither CAPE nor shear were very impressive, but a couple of storms managed to produce wind damage across northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania. Heavy rainfall brought flash flooding to portions of McKean and Potter Counties during the evening hours.
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 16, 2:33 PM EST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 333 PM EDT Mon Jul 16 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Very warm and humid weather will persist into Tuesday. Showers and thunderstorms will precede a cold front which will move through during the day on Tuesday. Canadian high pressure will follow and bring a refreshing change back to much lower humidity and near to slightly below normal temperatures for the second half of the week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 2 AM TUESDAY MORNING/... Best convection so far is off the lake breeze just to our NW. These are inching eastward thru time. The few cells which managed to pop off the highest terrain have died quickly. They were nearly motionless, so anything which can grow up through the cap of warm air aloft could make very heavy rain. 91/72 here at the office at 2 PM. Some of the hottest and muggiest we've seen this summer. Additional storms are expected to grow before sunset, but then a short break later this evening and early tonight. Expect more widespread convection to move in/develop over the NW after midnight. && .SHORT TERM /2 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TUESDAY/... A cold front will reach the northwest mountains around or very shortly after sunrise Tuesday morning and take much of the daylight hours to get past Lancaster Co. However, about half of the area will be dry after 18Z. High PWAT air, increasing deep layer shear (20-30 kt) and the cold front may lead to strong thunderstorms depending on the amount of sunshine. SPC has a portion of east Central PA in a marginal risk for severe. Most likely timing for the strongest storms would be generally during the afternoon hours when heating meets up with the front, forcing and modest shear. Maxes will be highest in the SE, but most places won't be more than 3-4F away from their normals. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... Drier air and building pressure behind the cold front Tuesday night into Wednesday helps clear things out and drop high temperatures Wednesday about 5 degrees over Tuesday - but biggest change will be that lowering dewpoints will make humidity levels become notably more comfortable. High pressure over PA Wednesday night will bring the coolest morning of the week before it slided east off the coast on Thursday. Flow aloft will shift from northwest to southwest and surface winds will turn southeast. GFS hints at a marine layer moving into lower Susq Thursday night and a return of higher dew points may bring some patchy morning fog. Next system slowly approaches by late Friday but stalls over the Great Lakes as inverted trough develops on top of it. This system will slowly work eastward into the Northeast over the weekend bringing a return of unsettled weather. A weak low center trying to form on the coastal front off the Carolinas Saturday progged to move north to just of the Delmarva for Sun/Mon, enhancing shower/tstm threat for eastern half of CWA. && .AVIATION /20Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A few showers/storms have popped up, but only a very few. BFD is the terminal with the highest chc for a storm this evening. But, JST and AOO are also close to some tall cu which have started on the highest ridges. While some of the sun-supported storms will die off, the larger-scale forcing and approach of a cold front will keep isold-sct storms going through much of the night, mainly in the NW. Not much fog is expected tonight with mild temps and at least 50pct cloud cover in most places. The cold front may reach KERI around sunrise and then slow a little as it should take most of the day to get thru KLNS. But, BFD should be dry aft 15Z and UNV/JST/AOO may be dry by 18Z. Some storms with gusty winds and heavy rain are expected, mainly in IPT, MDT and LNS where peak heating will meet up with CFROPA. IFR is poss in any of the storms. Drier and less humid conditions start Tues morning in the NW and evening in the SE and last for the rest of the week. .Outlook... Wed-Fri...AM valley fog N, otherwise, no sig wx expected. Sat...SHRA/TSRA poss vcty warm front. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SYNOPSIS...Dangelo NEAR TERM...Dangelo SHORT TERM...Dangelo LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...Dangelo
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service State College PA 405 AM EDT Mon Jul 16 2018 PAZ004>006-010-011-037-170815- Warren-McKean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Tioga- 405 AM EDT Mon Jul 16 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Strong to possibly severe thunderstorms with gusty winds are possible later today and tonight ahead of an approaching cold front. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. The probability of hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ028-036-056>059-063>066-170815- Juniata-Franklin-Perry-Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-Cumberland-Adams- York-Lancaster- 405 AM EDT Mon Jul 16 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Maximum heat index values could approach 100 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Strong to possibly severe thunderstorms with gusty winds are possible Tuesday afternoon along a cold front. Heavy rain with these thunderstorms may be enough to cause localized flooding issues. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ012-017>019-024>027-033>035-041-042-045-046-049>053-170815- Northern Clinton-Clearfield-Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Cambria- Blair-Huntingdon-Mifflin-Somerset-Bedford-Fulton-Northern Lycoming- Sullivan-Southern Clinton-Southern Lycoming-Union-Snyder-Montour- Northumberland-Columbia- 405 AM EDT Mon Jul 16 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. The probability of hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Strong to possibly severe thunderstorms with gusty winds are possible during the late morning and early afternoon hours on Tuesday along a cold front. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The State College radar (KCCX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:19 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and power lines, one of which fell onto a vehicle, on the 800 block of Gill Hollow Road.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down a tree across the 4700 block of Davey Hill Road.
Widespread flash flooding was reported across the Potter County. In Bingham Township road closures included Collins Hill Road in the area of Bingham Road and Windfall Road, Bingham Center Road at Bacon Road, and Bingham Center Road in the area of 218. Pusher Siding Road was under 3 feet of water and approximately 1000 feet of the roadway was washed out.
In Genessee Township, Ellisburg Road between Main and Ridge roads was briefly closed and water was approximately a foot deep. Ellisburg Road in the area of Dogtown Road had three homes under water, no injuries.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down several large tree limbs in the 2400 block of Mathews Run Road.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down a tree across the 700 block of Arnot Road in Blossburg Township.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees amd wires along Route 549 near Jobs Corners.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 2018
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: 762890, 762892, 769683, 762894, 762895, 762896.