Residence time in the warm sector across central Pennsylvania led to increasingly unstable conditions in a relatively moist environment during the afternoon and evening hours of July 25, 2025. A pre-frontal trough began moving into this environment with ample shear in place to support continued updraft formation.
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.
Residence time in the warm sector across central Pennsylvania led to increasingly unstable conditions in a relatively moist environment during the afternoon and evening hours of July 25, 2025. A pre-frontal trough began moving into this environment with ample shear in place to support continued updraft formation. Thunderstorms began to form during the afternoon hours, continuing to gain strength as they moved into an increasingly unstable and sheared environment across the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Severe thunderstorms continued moving southeastward across the Commonwealth, producing scattered instances of thunderstorm wind damage, including multiple trees on residences, across the south-central mountains. Wind damage become more widespread as thunderstorms began moving into the Susquehanna Valley, with the most concentrated swath of damage observed in Lebanon County.
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 25, 9:48 AM EST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 1048 AM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 .SYNOPSIS... * Max Heat Index reaches/exceeds 100F this afternoon for areas near and south of Interstate 80 * Rounds of thunderstorms are probable this weekend with continued hot/humid weather before a cooldown arrives to kick off the month of August && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... 1045 am update... We've added a row of counties (from Columbia west-southwest down to Huntingdon) to the Heat Advisory this afternoon. Meso-analysis and sounding interrogation late this morning shows a warm and relatively moist layer of air just above the surface across the southern half of PA, which should somewhat inhibit the ability to mix surface dew points downward this afternoon. Slightly higher dew points (up to the mid 70s) edges Heat Index values above 100F a bit farther to the north. Previous discussion... Showers and TSRA moving east into the western forecast area border along and just ahead of a cold front. Area is diminishing as it moves east and left slight to low chance PoPs with ridging aloft/heat dome. HeatRisk ramps to level 3 of 4 (major) across most of CPA Friday with max heat index values 95-100+ degrees fcst across the central and eastern valleys particularly near and southeast of the I99/US220 corridor. We issued a heat advisory for a portion of south central PA where confidence is highest (>80%) in observing max heat indices 100-104F. There may be a few isolated 105F or slightly higher but not enough to warrant any ramping of the heat products. Heat Advisory will last from afternoon through sunset. Latest HREF data suggests iso-sct t-storms are likely to develop along the eastern I-99 / I-80 corridor during the mid afternoon and slide southeast through sunset. SPC keeps a marginal risk (1 of 5) across this area with any higher risk just to the east of our forecast area today. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... Similar to the longer term pattern this summer, model data indicates the front stalls out and becomes wavy or quasi stationary over central PA by 12Z Sat. Any locations that receive rain Friday may also experience some low clouds/fog on Saturday morning as moisture rich air and weak forcing remains in place. Best chance at this time is in the northwest mountains. On Saturday, a low amplitude shortwave trough translating around the northern periphery of the upper ridge should trigger one or more rounds of showers and storms along wavy/stationary/warm front into Saturday night. Latest guidance has trended down quite a bit in terms of storm coverage, with some indications that much of the day on Saturday could be rain free for most of the region (best chance for widespread/longer- lasting showers/storms in the Laurels). && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Best large scale forcing will now arrive on Sunday with the passage of the low amplitude mid level trough. This should ignite another round of showers and storms with max QPF signal over eastern PA. We should get a little break in precip Sunday night into Monday before the next quick moving wave in the WNW flow arrives Monday night into Tuesday. Timing of waves and associated precip is likely to change to some extent for early next week based on the current spread/diffs in the model data. Hot/humid conditions will stick around through the extended period as well, with heat index values flirting with the century mark a couple days. Ensemble data suggests a pattern change is likely to evolve by the end of the forecast period/beginning of August as the upper level flow becomes more amplified, with the ridge building north across the Rockies and a trough from Canada building southward across the Great Lakes and the Northeast. This should bring a return to much more pleasant conditions behind a cold front on Thursday. && .AVIATION /15Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Few showers and storms to the west at sunrise. With winds becoming westerly early on, expect showers and storms to be rather scattered in nature today, then as in past events, as convergence will be more limited. More in the way in dry weather by next Monday. Outlook... Sat-Sun...Mainly dry, not as hot, with isolated to scattered TSRA and brief restrictions possible each afternoon/evening. Mon-Tue...VFR. && .CLIMATE... A record high temperature of 87 degrees was tied at Bradford Thursday. This ties the record set back in 2001. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for PAZ026>028-035- 036-049>053-056>059-063>066. && SYNOPSIS...Dangelo NEAR TERM...Jurewicz/Dangelo/Tyburski SHORT TERM...Tyburski LONG TERM...Steinbugl/Banghoff/Tyburski AVIATION...Martin CLIMATE...NPB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service State College PA 1053 AM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024-025-033-034-037-041-042-045-046- 261500- Warren-McKean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Northern Clinton-Clearfield- Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Cambria-Blair-Somerset-Bedford-Tioga- Northern Lycoming-Sullivan-Southern Clinton-Southern Lycoming- 1053 AM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. Scattered thunderstorms are expected this afternoon. Isolated occurrences of strong, damaging gusts are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Locally heavy rainfall is possible on Saturday and could result in isolated flooding especially in places that can experience rapid runoff. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ026>028-035-036-049>053-056>059-063>066-261500- Huntingdon-Mifflin-Juniata-Fulton-Franklin-Union-Snyder-Montour- Northumberland-Columbia-Perry-Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-Cumberland- Adams-York-Lancaster- 1053 AM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... 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. Heat Advisory. Scattered thunderstorms are also expected this afternoon. Isolated occurrences of strong, damaging gusts are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Locally heavy rainfall is possible on Saturday and could result in isolated flooding especially in places that can experience rapid runoff. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. Jurewicz
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service State College PA 112 PM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 PAZ024>028-033>036-049>053-056>059-063>066-260000- Cambria-Blair-Huntingdon-Mifflin-Juniata-Somerset-Bedford-Fulton- Franklin-Union-Snyder-Montour-Northumberland-Columbia-Perry- Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-Cumberland-Adams-York-Lancaster- 112 PM EDT Fri Jul 25 2025 ...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE... Scattered thunderstorms will move across Central PA this afternoon and produce gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall. A few of the storms could produce damaging wind gusts. Please monitor NOAA Weather Radio and available media sources for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
The State College radar (KCCX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:52 UTC.
17 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down a tree into a house in Bellefonte. No injuries were reported.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down on Long Street near the intersection of Cooper Street in Spring Mills.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees onto New Lancaster Valley Road east of Milroy.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down onto Clark Road near Snydertown.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down onto South Main Street in Herndon.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down onto Dark Hollow Road blocking the roadway near Mecks Corner.
A severe thunderstorm and an associated gust front, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees and wires down in North Lebanon Township.
A gust front associated with a severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees and wires down in Lebanon.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down a tree next to Weis Market in Huntingdon.
A gust front associated with a severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees and wires down in Cornwall.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down onto Smith Valley Road at the intersection of Boot Hill Lane blocking one lane of roadway near Mapleton.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph knocked a tree down onto Big Spring Road blocking one lane of the roadway near Newville.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees blocking the roadway west of Waterville.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down a tree and a set of wires down onto Springwood Road west of Ore Valley.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees and communication lines onto and along New Berlin Highway in Franklin Township.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down into a house near the intersection of Fearnot Road and Honey Moon Trail Road. No injuries reported.
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down a tree and a set of wires on Forest Drive near Redners Market near Hegins.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 2025
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: 1276550, 1276554, 1276556, 1276559, 1276561, 1276563, 1276565, 1276567, 1276571, 1276569, 1276573, 1276576, 1276577, 1276579, 1276581, 1276585, 1276587.