Clusters of thunderstorms formed downstream of a mid-level wave in an environment with around 500 J/kg of MLCAPE and 40 knots of effective shear. Despite the meager instability, thunderstorms were able to reach severe levels with areas of tree and power line damage reported in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
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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 PBZ wrote it up.
Clusters of thunderstorms formed downstream of a mid-level wave in an environment with around 500 J/kg of MLCAPE and 40 knots of effective shear. Despite the meager instability, thunderstorms were able to reach severe levels with areas of tree and power line damage reported in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
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 Apr 16, 1:24 PM EST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 224 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Overall, there was minimal change to the forecast. There is still a Marginal Risk for severe storms this afternoon and evening. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms later this afternoon and evening, with damaging wind gusts the primary threat. 2) A cold front Saturday afternoon and evening will bring another round of strong to potentially severe thunderstorms. Damaging wind again appears to be the most likely threat. 3) Much above-normal temperatures continue until the Saturday cold front passage. Behind it, temperatures crash to much below-normal levels. Frost/freeze concerns return by early next week, and even a few Sunday night snowflakes are possible. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1... Another round of strong to severe storms will be possible later this afternoon and evening, and SPC has maintained the Marginal Risk for the area. Currently, warm air aloft is keeping a lid on convection across the region. CAMs have been consistent in showing convection holding off until the latter half of the afternoon when the warm cap (still evident in latest aircraft observations) begins to erode. A sfc trough will begin crossing eastern OH zones around 4PM, continuing east through early evening, coinciding with effective shear around 40-50kts and MLCAPE around 500 J/kg. This should result in isolated to scattered thunderstorms with coverage slowly increasing into the late afternoon/early evening as activity crosses our region. The environment looks less favorable than yesterday with less instability and weaker lapse rates. Damaging wind is the most likely impact from stronger storms, especially if they organize into clusters/short lines. A shortwave digging across the Tennessee Valley will help to dislodge what has been a stubborn southeast CONUS ridge Thursday night as the afternoon and evening showers and storms work their way out after sunset. Behind this wave, a brief period of mid-level ridging should allow for a break from the daily thunderstorm activity for most of Friday and Friday night. KEY MESSAGE 2... A stronger cold front is still slated to cross during the afternoon/evening hours of Saturday, bringing better dynamics and another chance of organized severe weather. The main question with this boundary remains timing, which would have implications on how much instability will be available. This will depend at least in part on the speed and orientation of the associated 500mb shortwave trough. Ensemble clusters suggest some fairly minor differences in strength and timing with this wave as well as the surface boundary. Machine- learning guidance from NCAR and CSU continue to highlight the area for potential severe weather, and SPC has portions of the forecast area under either a Marginal or Slight Risk at Day 3. Ensemble soundings during that period depict generally poor mid- level lapse rates and modest low- level hodograph curvature, suggesting damaging wind gusts would again be the most likely impact. KEY MESSAGE 3... Much above-normal temperatures continue into Saturday as ridging begins to build back over the region Friday and Saturday ahead of the mentioned front. There may be some modest potential to approach records on Saturday, especially if the front is later than currently projected, allowing for a longer period of warm southwest flow. NBM probabilities of 80 or warmer may be a bit overstated, but much of the area from Pittsburgh south should have at least a 50/50 shot of reaching that level. Meanwhile, behind the front, the script flips, and northeast CONUS troughing leads to daytime high temperatures some 10-15 degrees below normal for Sunday and Monday, before approaching climatology on Tuesday. Frost/freeze products may need to be issued by early next week, and some Sunday night snowflakes are a possibility. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR diurnal cu has sprouted this afternoon in a warm environment but are so far struggling to gain much growth with poor lapse rates and a cap evident on latest PIT ACARS soundings. Upstream obs closer to a surface trough in Ohio are indicating a bit better growth but still in a lackluster environment for strong convection. That said, a line of broken showers and storms are now developing along and ahead of the trough, and there remains a low probability that some could be strong to severe. Today's primary threat will be gusty wind and heavy rain with profiles not very supportive of hail. These storms can bring brief bouts of MVFR restrictions or a few dips to IFR, but with notable 15-20 degree dew point depressions, cloud bases even within convection will be high and restriction is likely to come more from visibility. Altogether, CAMs are in good agreement on a ~20z arrival to ZZV, ~22z to western PA, and exiting past LBE by ~00z, though CAMs still support some lingering showers behind the trough, so have kept a PROB30 group for this for a few hours after the storms exit. Timing has been broken down with prevailing groups showing the greatly increased confidence in timing of this convection, but lightning is lower confidence given thermodynamic profiles, so have opted for prevailing SHRA with TEMPOs for TSRA. Wind gusts out of the southwest will hold stout afternoon with mixing to 20-25 kts ahead of the frontal passage. Behind the front, winds shift to more westerly and gradually diminish after sunset. CIGs are expected to begin to fall overnight Thursday night with 50-70% probability for MVFR, highest north, quickly overspreading from north to south. Guidance has slowed down a bit and pulled north with the extent of restrictions, but a period of IFR for FKL/DUJ is still favored in the latter half of the overnight hours. Outlook... Friday should be mostly dry following Thursday evening's weak frontal passage. However, another low pressure system and a stronger cold front approach the area on Saturday, returning shower and thunderstorm chances (and associated restrictions) to the region through the weekend. Dry weather and VFR conditions are then favored as we head into early next week with a pattern shift following the weekend cold front. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && DISCUSSION...CL/88 AVIATION...MLB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1210 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026 OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029- 031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-171615- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH- Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-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- 1210 PM EDT Thu Apr 16 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. There is a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat, with a lesser chance of large hail. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Saturday will bring another threat for severe thunderstorms as a strong cold front crosses the region. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. 88
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:52 UTC.
13 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was reported down on a utility pole.
A tree was reported down on wires.
A tree was reported down on wires.
Electrical wires were reported down.
A tree was reported down.
A tree was reported down on wires.
A tree was reported down on wires.
Several trees reported down making the road impassable.
A tree was reported down.
Tree down across Road.
A tree was reported down.
A tree was reported down.
Report of snapped tree on Horsecreek Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, April 2026
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: 1330041, 1330042, 1330043, 1330044, 1330045, 1330053, 1330054, 1330055, 1330063, 1330058, 1330059, 1330060, 1330062.