A well-developed squall line cross the region during the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 26th. The environment, including a 40-50 knot low-level jet and some 1000-1500 J/kg of surface-based CAPE, helped to maintain the intensity of the line across eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia and into Pennsylvania, before fading somewhat after sunset to the north and east of Pittsburgh.
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 PBZ wrote it up.
A well-developed squall line cross the region during the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 26th. The environment, including a 40-50 knot low-level jet and some 1000-1500 J/kg of surface-based CAPE, helped to maintain the intensity of the line across eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia and into Pennsylvania, before fading somewhat after sunset to the north and east of Pittsburgh. Widespread damage to trees and power lines was reported, with a few instances of structural damage as well.
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 26, 1:26 PM EST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 226 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A line of potentially strong to severe thunderstorms will move through Sunday night with additional storms possible for Memorial Day, some of which could also be strong to severe. Periodic rain chances and cooler temperatures then take hold through the upcoming week as we're plagued by an East Coast upper trough. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Another round of strong to severe storms possible this evening - Damaging wind, a spin up tornado, and excessive rainfall will be the main threats ------------------------------------------------------------------- Flat upper ridging and surface high pressure make a brief appearance in the wake of Saturday's cold front and provide a dry day through this afternoon. This will be the best day of the holiday weekend with little noticeable difference in the airmass behind the cold front as NBM probability for >85F is 40-60% mainly from Pittsburgh south. It will feel on the muggier side too with dew points in the low to mid 60s. The only wrinkle will be increasing moisture in developing southwest flow aloft that will overspread mid/upper level clouds this afternoon ahead of a line of showers and thunderstorms that will move across the area. Latest CAMs have been consistent advancing an already developed squall line across the Tennessee Valley into our area with the support of an upper shortwave. Most likely timing to reach our western- most counties being around 5pm. The highest threat for severe will be in eastern Ohio where a Slight Risk (2/5) is in place; elsewhere the Marginal (1/5) remains. Despite the line's arrival into western PA around sunset, it may be able to maintain its strength aided by a developing 30-50 knot 850 mb jet and hi res ensemble mean CAPE of 1000-1500 J/kg. Of concern with this line will be primarily damaging wind, but a conditional QLCS tornado threat may exist as well. Forecast soundings depict a veering wind profile ahead of the line (resultant of the increasing south/southwest LLJ atop a southerly/southeasterly surface wind), 20-30 kt of 0-3 km shear oriented nearly line-normal to the northwest/southeast oriented squall line, and up to 100 J/kg of 3CAPE to promote stretching. Thus, if the line remains balanced/shear dominant, in addition to a damaging wind threat, any part of the line that surges with an orientation perpendicular to the 0-3 km shear vector may support the risk for QLCS tornadogenesis. The one question, and potential limiting factor for tornadoes, will be DCAPE values >750 J/kg which may aid in making the line cold pool dominant and thus limiting the tornado threat. The 2% tornado risk has been expanded further east because of this concern. Heavy rain may accompany the line as well which could pose a localized flooding concern especially across urban areas and locations that got the most rain the past 24 hours. The line will push out of our area around midnight and give us brief break before additional energy pivots around an upper low across the Great Lakes and redevelopment of rain showers is expected south and west of Pittsburgh. Hi res ensemble 90th percentile (reasonable worst case scenario) doesn't paint much more than 0.30"/hr rates, so despite this area seeing the most rain in the past 24 hours, don't expect to see widespread flooding concerns outside of perhaps some minor issues in flood prone areas. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Another round of potentially strong to severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon - Daily rain chances and below normal temperatures take over ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ensembles indicate only slight deviations from the mean in regard to the depth of an upper trough and additional shortwave energy traversing an upper low spinning across the Great Lakes through mid week. Aided by daytime heating and slow passage of a cold front, yet another round of strong to severe thunderstorms is possible on Monday with most of our area again outlined in a Marginal Risk save for the higher elevations of PA/WV which are in a Slight Risk. With the threat for any lingering boundaries from Sunday or other focuses of development not being resolved by current CAMs, confidence in coverage and development is low. That said, initiation along the ridges by late morning quickly moving off to our east is possible. Along and ahead of the cold front, we'll likely see additional convection across eastern OH and western PA, but destabilization remains in question owing to breaks of cloud coverage as southwest flow aloft advects in moisture ahead of the front. Large spreads in NBM low end vs. high end coverage lend lower confidence to this aspect of the forecast. Mean CAPE is progged around 800 J/kg and effective shear near 30 knots, so some strong to severe storms are possible with primary threats of damaging wind and hail, but trends will need to be monitored. Highs Monday will be thus be cooler than those over the weekend with mid 70s most likely but dependent on the cloud cover. The upper low will swing more shortwaves around its base and aid in daily, diurnally driven scattered precipitation chances as well as below normal temperatures. Late Tuesday into Wednesday morning may feature the highest rain chances as a more potent shortwave and surface trough cross the region with 24 hour totals ranging from a trace to 0.75" at most. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Cool temperatures continue through the end of the week - Dry weather favored to take over by Thursday ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Thursday, ensemble disagreement increases with the axis and strength of the upper trough, but any flavor of solutions doesn't kick it out of the eastern CONUS until toward next weekend. Broad surface high pressure should build on Thursday and turn the area dry, but it's possible that it's slower to build and shower chances continue into Thursday especially as a potent upper wave makes one final pass through the area before upper ridging finally builds with decent confidence among the long range ensembles. Lows may dip as cool as the low to mid 40s come mid to late week as the cooler airmass settles in with highs 5-8 degrees below average. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... A scattered to broken cu field has developed this afternoon with cigs hovering at low-end VFR levels for the most part (3-5kft AGL). Thickening cirrus may result in this cu field diminishing somewhat as we head into late afternoon, before low clouds increase again as a squall line enters the area from the west. The timing for the line of thunderstorms has remain largely unchanged as of the 18Z update and is expected to reach ZZV around 22Z, PIT around 00Z, and DUJ around 03Z. This initial line of convection may have embedded strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging straight-line winds and possibly a brief tornado or two. After the first line passes through, a brief lull is expected, followed by another round of showers and possibly a few thunderstorms during overnight hours, starting mainly after 05Z at ZZV, 08Z at PIT, and 11Z at DUJ. With this second overnight round will also come more widespread restrictions as ceilings lower to MVFR levels (IFR also possible at FKL/DUJ). These showers and restrictions continue through Monday morning, likely not improving until the tail end (or just beyond) the current 24hr TAF cycle. Winds remain light and generally out of the south through this evening and tonight before veering to more southwesterly and increasing slightly to around 10-12 knots with infrequent gusts to 20 knots by Monday morning. .Outlook... Conditions return to VFR Monday afternoon, but periodic restrictions and rain chances continue through mid-week as a series of disturbances move through the region. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && SYNOPSIS...MLB NEAR TERM...MLB SHORT TERM...MLB LONG TERM...MLB AVIATION...Cermak
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 201 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024 OHZ041-050-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029-031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012- 021-509>514-271815- Columbiana-Jefferson OH-Mercer-Venango-Forest-Lawrence-Butler- Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-Washington-Greene- Westmoreland-Higher Elevations of Westmoreland-Fayette- Higher Elevations of Fayette-Indiana-Higher Elevations of Indiana- Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia- Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston- Eastern Preston-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker- 201 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms are expected late this evening and into the overnight. Some storms may be severe with damaging wind, hail, and tornadoes possible. Heavy rainfall could lead to localized flooding concerns. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms are possible again on Monday. Some may be strong to severe with wind and hail being the main threats. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed. OHZ039-040-048-049-057>059-068-069-271815- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Coshocton-Harrison-Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont- Noble-Monroe- 201 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms are expected late this evening and into the overnight. Some storms may be severe with damaging wind, hail, and tornadoes possible. Heavy rainfall could lead to localized flooding concerns. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms are possible again on Monday. Some may be strong to severe with wind and hail being the main threats. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed. MLB
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
308 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM Lightning 1 SSW Downieville 40.67N 80.01W
05/25/2024 Allegheny PA Broadcast Media
Lightning struck a home on McFadden Drive causing a
house fire. No injuries.
&&
Event Number PBZ2404758
MLBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
313 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0242 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Vanport 40.68N 80.33W
05/25/2024 Beaver PA Broadcast Media
Trees down and carport blown around. Time estimated via
radar.
&&
Event Number PBZ2404759
MLBPreliminary Local Storm Report...Corrected
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
321 PM EDT Sun May 26 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0242 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Vanport 40.68N 80.33W
05/25/2024 Beaver PA 911 Call Center
Trees down on River Road
&&
Corrected event time
Event Number PBZ2404707
MLBThe Cincinnati radar (KILN), 164 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:56 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree and power lines were down on Chamberlain Road, closing it.
Multiple wires were down at the intersection of Cambridge Road and Denman Avenue.
A tree fell on to a trailer on Orme Avenue.
Power lines were reported down on North College Street.
A report of several uprooted trees was relayed.
Trees and power lines were blown down in town.
Trees were reported down on Route 226 at Mile Marker 17.
A tree was downed onto County Road 47 outside Scio.
A tree was downed on Amsterdam Road.
Trees were downed on to State Route 7, closing the road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2024
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: 1183556, 1183557, 1183558, 1183559, 1183568, 1183560, 1183563, 1183565, 1183567, 1183566.