Shortwave ascent and forcing out ahead of a cold front supported scattered thunderstorms in northwestern Pennsylvania in the afternoon hours. Sufficient MLCAPE values of 500-1000 J/kg and 30-40 knots of effective shear supported a few instances of tree damage.
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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.
Shortwave ascent and forcing out ahead of a cold front supported scattered thunderstorms in northwestern Pennsylvania in the afternoon hours. Sufficient MLCAPE values of 500-1000 J/kg and 30-40 knots of effective shear supported a few instances of tree damage.
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 Jun 20, 12:57 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 157 PM EDT Sat Jun 20 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Increased coverage of passing showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. A Marginal Risk of severe weather has been introduced for Monday. High confidence still on soaking rainfall on Monday. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Scattered showers and storms Saturday afternoon 2) More widespread rain chances return Sunday night and Monday. There is high confidence in a soaking rainfall, but low confidence in the threat of flooding. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1... Expect troughing to linger across the area today. This coupled with strong surface heating, will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop across the area today. Surface parameters suggest with a 500 to 750 J/KG SB CAPE and 500 J/KG DCAPE, some sub severe wind gusts seem more likely. In fact, model soundings suggest a 40 mph wind gust at best for this afternoon. In addition, heavy downpours are not likely to occur either as PWATs from mesoanalysis shows values of 0.8 to 0.9. Conditions today will favor a more diurnal trend for convection today. Thus, showers and thunderstorms are expected to dissipate and come to an end by sunset or just after. KEY MESSAGE 2... The mid-level ridge axis reaches the CWA around 00Z Monday, after which moisture surges northeastward into our region ahead of a surface low which will be riding up the Ohio Valley. Precipitable water likely surges into the 1.7 to 1.8 inch range by Monday, which reaches the 90th to 95th percentile of climatology. This, coupled with an east-west oriented warm front across the region, suggests rounds of moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely during the Sunday night to Monday period. The NBM probs for rainfall show greater than 80% for 1 inch of rainfall from Sunday morning through Monday morning. The probs for 1.5 inches have gone down a bit from the previous run with roughly 40% to 50% with 2 inches showing 20% to 30%. This slight decrease due to the slightly southern track aligns with the slight being pulled out of the area and thus the area is only expected to be under a marginal outlook for Monday. It will depend on training storms and how much rain falls in a short period of time to be concerned for a potential flood threat. The other impact for Monday will be a severe potential as a Marginal outlook was introduced for wind gusts. As the boundary sags south, the afternoon heating may be enough to spawn a few strong thunderstorms with the potential for damaging winds. However, morning showers and cloud cover could sabotage the amount of instability. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms have begun to develop across the region due to the weak shortwave passage. Cloud tops will struggle to cool below -10C to -15C given relatively weak buoyancy, so any lightning activity should remain fairly isolated with the highest confidence of this and precipitation coverage at FKL and DUJ. TEMPOs for TSRA were used here, while other terminals to the south have PROB30s for SHRA with low confidence in rain-induced restrictions. Any activity should end by sunset as the shortwave departs, with a VFR evening. Some gusts of around 20 knots out the west during this afternoon. Localized areas of fog or lower stratus may develop Sunday morning as winds calm and clouds clear. Currently, MGW/LBE and FKL/DUJ have the best chance for this, however, they were omitted from the TAFs due to low confidence in its occurrence. During the day on Sunday, skies will remain SCT through early afternoon when BKN ceilings move in ahead of the incoming system. CIG/VIS restrictions are likely Sunday night into Monday. Outlook... Probabilities favor overnight Sunday into Monday for widespread showers (low probability thunderstorms) resulting in MVFR/IFR restrictions as a deeper trough/surface low combo travels through the Ohio River Valley region. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && DISCUSSION...Shallenberger AVIATION...CL/Lupo
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1226 PM EDT Sat Jun 20 2026 OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029- 031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-211630- 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- 1226 PM EDT Sat Jun 20 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Numerous showers and thunderstorms, some of them with heavy rainfall, are expected Sunday night into Monday night. There is the potential for isolated flooding issues, particularly in urban and poor drainage areas. If the risk of more widespread flooding increases, a Flood Watch may be necessary. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. Shallenberger
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:59 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Large limb down onto power lines on Terrace Avenue.
Tree down into power lines near Peffer Road and Long Road.
Trees uprooted and trunks snapped in a mile stretch along Jones Farm 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, June 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: 1353533, 1353534, 1353536.