Mid-afternoon thunderstorms both in broken line segments and single cells developed along and ahead of a cold front. Marginal effective shear values up to 30 knots and MLCAPE of 500-1000 J/kg supported severe thunderstorms producing both wind and hail.
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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.
Mid-afternoon thunderstorms both in broken line segments and single cells developed along and ahead of a cold front. Marginal effective shear values up to 30 knots and MLCAPE of 500-1000 J/kg supported severe thunderstorms producing both wind and hail. Wind was primarily confined to northern West Virginia along a DCAPE gradient of 600-700 J/kg. Mid-level lapse rates up to 6.5 C/km and up to 300 J/kg of hail growth zone CAPE supported numerous reports of quarter size within storms across western 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 May 13, 11:42 AM EST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1242 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... A slight upward adjustment of precipitation chances and rain amounts tomorrow, accompanied by a slight downward adjustment of temperatures next week. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) A 1 out of 5 severe risk remains this afternoon, with the primary threat being damaging winds. 2) Cool temperatures Thursday rebound to hot temperatures to start next week, with increased heat risk. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1... The marginal (or 1 out of 5) severe risk this afternoon is still in play. As clouds depart to the east today, a narrow warm sectors will remain positioned over the area allow for instability generation with mostly clear skies ahead of a cold front. As the cold front approaches, it will act as the forcing for initiation. Confidence in the existence of storms today is high along the front for western PA / northern WV, but the probability of a severe environment is lower. SPC mesoanalysis and observations agree in the ability to develop 500 to 1000 J/kg MLCAPE (1000 to 1500 J/kg SBCAPE) within the warm sector. This is already above the 13Z NBMs 75th percentile. There is also high enough confidence to develop >30kts of bulk shear, with perhaps as much as 40kts for northern WV. That being said, organized convection is becoming increasingly likely. DCAPE is correspondingly about 500 to 700. The main uncertainty in strong storms will be dry air aloft. Most CAMS have dew point depressions increasing above the 800 to 700mb layer. While this would conditionally heighten wet- bulbing potential, DCAPE, and hail growth potential, the main concerns is that there will not be enough SBCAPE to wet- bulb a parcel through a deep dry air layer aloft. If storms do wet- bulb and get taller, severe threat would be higher as they become more unstable, which positively feeds back to DCAPE and wind/hail potential. The most likely timing and area for any severe threat is northern WV and western PA, vaguely between 1pm and 7pm. The cold front will progress from west to east, and so will the threats along it. KEY MESSAGE 2... Thursday will be defined by cold temperatures, as the cold-core of an upper trough moves overhead. This will also allow for shower development into the day. Overnight, clearing is favored with limited frost potential. Starting Friday and running through the beginning of next week, upper ridging will ensue. Temperatures will climb around 15 degrees above average to start next week. This will bring with it some heat risk, with most areas seeing moderate heat risk for Sunday through Tuesday. There's still a bit of uncertainty in temperatures. The NBM deterministic punches above its weight for because of cold-season bias correction, while much of the raw ensemble guidance shows temperatures topping out in the mid-to- upper 80s, with perhaps a high end of low 90s for Tuesday. Because of this, in coordination with WPC, temperatures will be "lowered" to start next week, but still remaining quite warm. As we often have to worry about with heat, we will also be keeping an eye on severe weather chances. With the ridge building in Saturday, we will have to monitor ridge-riding convection, with CIPS already showing 15% contour for severe, with CSU ML showing a 5% contour. Non-zero chances persist thereafter in downburst potential under the ridge and upstream convection in NW flow aloft. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Along a passing cold front, chance for showers and thunderstorms will increase this afternoon across the area, save ZZV where the front has already passed. With clearing this morning, enough heating to has materialized to generate some strong to severe thunderstorms possibly organizing into a line or broken line as they move across the area. Development is favored after 18z and progressing southeastward into the evening. Have included TEMPO groups and associated periodic restrictions in thunderstorms in the most likely timeframe. Strong wind gusts are the primary threat which has been noted in TEMPO groups based on convection in upstream obs, but small hail is possible as well. Thunderstorms depart to the east as a cold front sweeps through the area this evening bringing a wind shift from southwest to northwest. More widespread restrictions settle in behind the front overnight most likely in the form of MVFR/IFR cigs (highest IFR probability for FKL/DUJ) as wind remains elevated. Low, but not zero IFR probability extends as far south as PIT though hi res soundings aren't near as aggressive, so erred with low-end MVFR outside of FKL/DUJ. With weak lift beneath a cold core upper low overhead and a conditionally unstable, saturated near-surface profile, MVFR cigs, drizzle, and light showers are likely to persist into at least the morning hours on Thursday. With mixing, cigs should gradually rise, but we'll likely struggle to rid ourselves of the restrictions until later in the afternoon. Wind gusts will pick up to around 20 knots by late morning our of the west-northwest. Outlook... Restrictions continue into Thursday morning before gradual improvement by the evening hours when VFR returns through Friday beneath surface high pressure. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && DISCUSSION...Milcarek AVIATION...MLB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1204 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026 OHZ041-049-050-059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029-031- 073>078-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-141615- Columbiana-Harrison-Jefferson OH-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- 1204 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. After morning rain, a line of showers and thunderstorms may have isolated instances of damaging wind this afternoon. The highlighted threat is within a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) from the Storm Prediction Center. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. OHZ039-040-048-057-058-141615- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Coshocton-Muskingum-Guernsey- 1204 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. Milcarek
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
154 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM Hail 1 NE Franklin 41.40N 79.83W
05/13/2026 M1.00 Inch Venango PA Public
&&
SKHPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
306 PM EDT Wed May 13 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0214 PM Hail 4 NW Fryburg 41.39N 79.51W
05/13/2026 E1.00 Inch Venango PA Public
&&
SKHThe Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:08 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree down along Mountaineer Highway at the intersection of Barker Run Road.
Tree down along Catawba Road.
Trees down on Smithtown Road near Route 119.
Multiple trees reported down on Pricketts Fort Road.
A tree was down on Squirrel Run Road.
Complete metal roof removal of Smokin Jacks Bar and Grill.
Numerous trees uprooted on the west side of Moran Road.
A severe thunderstorm crossed northern West Virginia through|Monongalia and Preston Counties on the afternoon of May 13th, 2026.|This storm produced wind damage and quarter size hail as it tracked|across the northern part of the state. Weak mid-level rotation|tightened and intensified as the storm reached western Preston|County and produced a brief tornado. The damage produced by this|storm, surveyed by UAS and security cameras, was determined to be tornadic and representative of an EF-0 with peak wind of 85 mph. Initial damage began along the west side of Moran Road, 3 miles east of Reedsville, WV, where trees were uprooted and a roof was blown off a restaurant. This was deemed to be a surge of straight line wind damage. The character of the damage then became tornadic on the east side of Moran Road where several trees were uprooted, trunks of a few dead trees snapped, and large branches scattered within a wooded area. The tornado then continued through a few hundred yards of thick woods with sporadic tree damage noted before reaching Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo. Here, trees were snapped, uprooted, and large branches were scattered across the property. Security cameras on the property recorded a clear tornadic circulation, and visible convergence patterns in the |felled trees further confirmed the tornadic damage. The tornado then |dissipated on the east side of the zoo with no further distinguishable |path. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh would like to thank Preston |County Emergency Management officials for their aerial footage and|aid with this survey.
Large tree uprooted along Kingwood Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for West Virginia, 2026Warnings in West Virginia, 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: 1336881, 1336882, 1336879, 1336880, 1336883, 1336885, 1336884, 1336886, 1336888, 1338532, 1336887.