Late evening convection initiated along a southeastward moving cold front in a broken line. Marginal MLCAPE values up to 500 J/kg with 30-40 knots of line-normal effective shear produced sporadic wind damage in northwestern PA with reports of trees down.
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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.
Late evening convection initiated along a southeastward moving cold front in a broken line. Marginal MLCAPE values up to 500 J/kg with 30-40 knots of line-normal effective shear produced sporadic wind damage in northwestern PA with reports of trees down.
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 9, 6:39 PM EST, 41 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 739 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Confidence in thunderstorm timing has increased this evening, with the potential for severe storms north and northwest of Pittsburgh. Frost/freeze concerns remain for Monday night, with perhaps a slightly higher potential for freezing temperatures in some locations north of I-80. Updated for 00z TAF issuance. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) There is a marginal risk for damaging winds and large hail with a decaying line of thunderstorms entering northwest PA this evening. 2) Great Lakes and eastern CONUS troughing will maintain near to below average temperature and periodic rain chances into next week, with potential for frost/freeze concerns Monday night. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1... Breaks in the cloud cover have occurred over the region this afternoon, which has resulted in some surface heating through the day. Current mesoanalysis shows ML CAPE around 500 j/kg across northern OH and NW PA, ahead of an approaching cold front. A line of showers and thunderstorms has developed along and ahead of this front across southern Ontario through SE lower MI and NW OH. Extrapolation of this line indicates it should reach Mercer county around 8 PM, and continue ESEwd thereafter through the evening. Expect current instability levels to remain nearly steady through the early evening hours, before quickly waning after 9-10pm. 0-6km shear is expected to reach 40-50kt this evening in advance of the front. With the later arrival of the storms, and diminishing instability later this evening, it appears there is a brief window for the potential for severe storms, generally from 7-8 pm through 10-11pm. It still appears that damaging wind is the main hazard from these storms, though large hail is also possible. The linear nature of the line should preclude a more significant tornado threat, though directional shear indicates some rotation in embedded cells is not out of the question. Storms should decay to sub-severe levels as they sink south towards east-central OH/far southwest PA late this evening. Rapid weakening should then continue, with the line nearly totally dissipating as a few showers along the I-70 corridor overnight. KEY MESSAGE 2... Ensembles remain in good agreement that large-scale troughing remains in place over the Great Lakes/northeast CONUS through at least the end of the next work week, with near to below- normal temperatures throughout. A few shortwaves move through the larger trough through the period, providing shower chances. Minor strength/timing differences remain in the various solutions. One such wave completes passage on Monday, with surface high pressure building in its wake Monday night, along with 850mb temperatures dipping below zero. There is fairly high confidence in clear and calm conditions as the high center moves overhead. This will represent our next (potentially last until fall?) chance at frost/freeze conditions. NBM probabilities of minimum temperatures 36 or below are 50 percent or greater to the north and east of Pittsburgh, as well as in valley locations in the terrain. Headlines may eventually be needed. && .AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Areawide VFR begins the TAF period. A line of currently non- severe thunderstorms is on the doorstep of the area. At this time only one or two embedded thunderstorms look to be severe but these trends will be monitored. The low levels are expected to decouple here shortly with gusts abating, but heavier thunderstorms can still bring wind gusts between 40-50 mph. Cloud bases in these storms are still VFR and it seems possible that all ports, even those that see thunderstorms, could remain VFR through the evening with a possible reduction in CIGs to MVFR overnight. Storms advance southeast between now and 06Z, with decaying lightning chances as a transition to broken showers becomes increasingly. After 6Z Sun, brief periods of MVFR are favored for all airports save for MGW and ZZV where they should remain VFR through the rest of the night. Wind will be less than 10 knots. MVFR may still be holding on by sunrise on Sunday, but continued dry advection behind the front and subtle high pressure intrusion favor scattering and raising of CIGs north of I-70 by early afternoon. South of I-70 there could be another round of spotty showery activity Sunday afternoon for MGW. Outlook... VFR should return areawide Monday/Tuesday under high pressure. Restriction chances return in rainfall with a crossing low pressure system on Wednesday. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && DISCUSSION...WM/CL AVIATION...AK/McMullen
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 415 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 OHZ049-050-057>059-068-069-PAZ021-022-029-031-073>078-WVZ001>004-012- 021-509>514-102015- Harrison-Jefferson OH-Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe- 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- 415 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, southwest Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. OHZ039>041-048-PAZ007>009-013>016-020-102015- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Mercer-Venango-Forest- Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver- 415 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio and western Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Tonight. There is a Marginal Risk, or level 1 out of 5, for severe thunderstorms this evening, mainly between 7 pm and 11 pm. Damaging wind is expected to be the main hazard, though large hail is also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. WM
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 559 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 PAZ007>009-100000- Mercer-Venango-Forest- Including the cities of Sharon, Hermitage, Grove City, Oil City, Franklin, and Tionesta 559 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 ...Strong Thunderstorms Approaching... At 559 pm National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a line of strong thunderstorms moving southeast across Lake Erie. This line is expected to move across the area between 7:30 pm and 9 pm this evening. Strong wind gusts up to 50 mph and small hail are likely in some of these storms. There is also a potential for isolated occurrences of damaging wind gusts and large hail. WM
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 731 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 OHZ041-PAZ013>016-020-022-100145- Columbiana-Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Armstrong- Including the cities of East Liverpool, Salem, Columbiana, New Castle, Ellwood City, Butler, Clarion, Punxsutawney, Brookville, Aliquippa, Beaver Falls, Ambridge, Monaca, Kittanning, and Ford City 731 PM EDT Sat May 9 2026 ...Thunderstorms With Gusty Winds Approaching... At 7:30 pm, National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a line of showers and thunderstorms across northwest Pennsylvania and northern Ohio, moving southeast at 35 mph. These storms will move across the area between 8:45 pm and 10:00 pm. Wind gusts from 40 to 50 mph will be possible with these storms. WM
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:21 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree down along Habarka Road.
Wires down along Highland Street.
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, May 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: 1336866, 1336868.