The village that is now called Stormstown was located on one of the area’s earliest roads. Laid out in 1791-92, the road served as a main route for the shipment of Centre County iron west to Pittsburgh. First settler Abraham Elder’s tavern, on the east end of the village, was a stopping place for iron haulers. In 1812 David Storm recorded a plat of 30 lots, plus a school lot, that he named Walkerville, on the west side of present-day Municipal Lane in the middle of Stormstown. The origin of the Walker connection has not yet been tracked down. Some twenty years after Walkerville was established, Caleb Way slowly started selling off lots between Walkerville and the former site of Elder’ tavern, in an area that was briefly called Wayville. Eventually, by the time of the Civil War, the whole area was called Stormstown. The enterprises of the village included a gristmill, sawmill, distillery, tannery, wagon maker, and several craftsmen’s shops – blacksmith, weaver, potter, and chairmaker. An Easter fire in 1867 destroyed twenty-six buildings, many of which were never rebuilt.
April 2022 Weather Summary
April was 1.7 F below normal for temperature. The high for the month was 83.2 F, recorded on April 24. The low for the month was 26.8 F, recorded on April 11. There were 7 days at or below 32 F. There were 535 heating degree days and 14 cooling degrees days.
April was a below-normal month for precipitation with 2.84 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.67 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.65 inches recorded on April 7. There were 14 days of rain >.01 in, 6 >.10 in and 0 > 1 in.
It snowed about 5 inches on April 18.
High wind speed of 43 mph on April 16.
2022 Western PA Spring Simulated Emergency Test
The Western PA (WPA) Section Spring Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was held this morning from 9 AM until 12:30 PM EDT (1300-1630 UTC). I was an active participant serving as an official relay station.
The purpose of the SET was to find out the strengths and weaknesses in providing emergency communications. It also provided a public demonstration of the value to the public that amateur radio provides, particularly in time of need. It also helped radio amateurs to gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated emergency conditions.
The emergency test scenario was as follows: freezing rain and dense fog made for hazardous road conditions. A train hit a tractor trader containing hazardous materials of unknown composition and several rail cars derailed. Local utilities were affected and power lines were arcing in the area. People are also experiencing eye and throat irritation. National Weather Service Skywarn and American Red Cross were activated.
The amateur radio propagation today was generally poor. However, radio messages were successfully handled. I was asked to monitor the 60-meter band but there was nothing but noise. I regularly checked into the WinLink digital stations WIAW and W6IDS. The latter had a significantly better signal on the 40-meter band. I also checked in with a local 2-meter station to pass messages (traffic), and into a voice net on the 75-meter band.
At end of the exercise, I had originated one message, sent 3, received 2, and delivered 1 for a total of 7 messages handled.
March 2022 Weather Summary
March was 4.1 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 71.5 deg. F, recorded on March 18. The low for the month was 12.5 deg F, recorded on March 4. There were 2 days where the maximum temperature was at or below 32 F, and there were 16 days where the minimum temperature was at or below 32 F. There were 741 heating degree days and 3 cooling degree days.
March was a near-normal month for precipitation with 3.25 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.13 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.25 inches recorded on March 31. There were 13 days of rain >.01 in, 9 >.10 in and 1 > 1 in. There was also 11.1 inches of snow. There was pea-sized hail observed during a severe thunderstorm on March 31.
High wind speed of 42 mph on March 7.
Our Pack
We have five dogs now. I brought home our latest addition to the pack in December.
This is Toby, our male Scottish Terrier, and he is 6-years-old. He’s a bit of a kleptomaniac since he likes to steal shoes, gloves, etc. just to be chased. His other pastime is barking at rabbits. He loves belly rubs, but his dislikes are thunder, fireworks, and going to the vet.
This is Tillie, a female Scottish Terrier, and Toby’s sister, who is also 6-years-old. She is the spokesdog of the pack. Tillie will remind us when it’s mealtime, when to put on their lighted collars, and when the other dogs are getting in trouble. She also serves as my alarm clock in the morning. One of her pastimes is chasing rabbits. Toby and Tillie’s Gotcha Day was October 13, 2015.
This is Trixie, our female 5-year-old West Highland Terrier. She likes to play tug-of-war. She also likes playing with our older Scotties. She has the best wigglebutt around and is quite happy most of the time. Right now, she is dealing with being the middle child. Her Gotcha Day was March 3, 2017.
Tripper is now 3 and a half years old and he has grown up a great deal. He is larger and heavier than his sister, Trixie, but he is still a puppy at heart. He is not a morning dog and is a bit grumpy when he gets up. Even so, his mood remains mercurial but less so as time passes. His gotcha day was August 17, 2018.
Our newest member of the pack is Trisha, a female Scottish Terrier. She was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio, and her gotcha day was December 16, 2021. Her age was not known until we discovered that she already had an ID chip. The chip was scanned and we found out her birthdate is 12/21/2018. She plays with every toy she encounters, especially if they squeak. She is still a bit shy around strangers but is slowly coming out of her shell. Otherwise, she is mischievous, playful, and very active.
Summary of Winter 2021-2022
Meteorological Winter is officially over. Here is a brief summary of December 1, 2021-February 28, 2022 in Stormstown, PA:
Number of Days Max T <= 32 F: 24
Number of Days Min T <= 32 F: 72
Number of Days Min T <= 0 F: 2
Max T: 65.9 F – December 16, 2021
Min T: -6.2 F – January 1, 2022
Dec Dep from Normal: 6.5 F
Jan Dep from Normal: -2.9 F
Feb Dep from Normal: 1.7 F
Heating Degree Days: 3077
Cooling Degree Days: 0
Dec Precip: 2.69″, -0.49″ below normal
Jan Precip: 1.29″, -1.63″ below normal
Feb Precip: 4.34″, 1.88″ above normal
February 2022 Weather Summary
February was 1.7 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 61.8 deg. F, recorded on February 21. The low for the month was 5.7 deg F, recorded on February 15. There were 6 days when the maximum was at or below 32 F and 25 days when the minimum temperature was at or below 32 F. There were 958 heating degree days and 0 cooling degree days.
February was an above-normal month for precipitation with 4.34 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 1.88 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.63 inches recorded on February 3. There were 13 days of rain >.01 in, 8 >.10 in and 2 > 1 in.
There were 3.4 inches of snow for the month, with a maximum daily total of 1.7 inches on February 25. The 3-day total recorded on February 1-3 was 14.9 inches.
High wind speed of 40 mph on February 19.
The most significant event this month was the snow squall that passed through our area on February 20. There were whiteout conditions for a brief time.
January 2022 Weather Summary
January was 3.8 deg F below normal for temperature. The high for the month was 53.8 deg. F, recorded on January 1. The low for the month was -6.1 deg F, recorded on January 27. There were 18 days when the maximum was at or below 32 F, 30 days when the minimum temperature was at or below 32 F, and 2 days when the minimum temperature was at or below 0 F. There were 1261 heating degree days and 0 cooling degree days.
January was a below-normal month for precipitation with 1.29 inches of liquid precipitation recorded, which was 1.82 inches below normal. The maximum liquid precipitation in a single day was 0.37 inches recorded on January 1. There were 9 days of rain >.01 in, 4 >.10 in and 0 > 1 in.
There were 13.8 inches of snow for the month, with a maximum daily total of 5.1 inches on January 16.
High wind speed of 38 mph on January 17.
December 2021 Weather Summary
December was 6.9 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 65.9 deg. F, recorded on December 16. The low for the month was 15.8 deg F, recorded on December 20. There were 17 days when the minimum temperature was at or below 32 F and 0 days when the maximum temperature was at or below 32 F. There were 816 heating degree days and 0 cooling degree days.
December was a below-normal month for precipitation with 2.69 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.44 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.05 inches recorded on December 28. There were 12 days of rain >.01 in, 7 >.10 in and 1 > 1 in.
High wind speed of 40 mph on December 11.
Snowfall for December: 3.0 inches
2021 Stormstown Weather Summary
Overall, the year’s temperatures were above normal. The annual mean of 52.0 F was 1.8 F above normal. The annual precipitation of 40.17 inches was 0.53 inches below normal.
2021 Weather Data
January
January was a bit warmer than normal with a monthly mean of 30.7 F, which was 2.6 F above normal, with a high of 48 F and a low for the month of 14 F. Precipitation was 2.06 inches below normal with 1.05 inches of liquid precipitation. There were 3 inches of snow this month.
February
February was the coldest month of 2021 with a mean of 34.7 F, which was 1.2 F below normal. The high was 58 F and the low was 3 F, which was also the low for the year. Precipitation was 0.66 inches below normal at 1.61 inches. There were 13 inches of snowfall this month.
March
March temperatures were also mild at 5.3 F above normal with a high of 70 F and a low of 14 F. Precipitation was 0.86 inches below normal with 2.69 inches of liquid precipitation. The high wind speed for the month and year was 47 mph.
April
Temperatures were 1.2 F above normal in April. The high was 83 F and the low was 22 F. Rainfall was 1.12 inches below normal at 2.27 inches. The last day of temperatures below freezing was April 22.
May
Temperatures were cooler at 1.3 F below normal with a high of 88 F and a low of 32 F. Precipitation was 3.67 inches, 0.44 inches above normal.
June
June 21, 2021 – Photo by George Riley
Temperatures for the month were 1.0 F above normal with a mean of 80.6 F. The high was 92 F and the low was 41 F. Precipitation was 2.56 inches above normal with 6.42 inches of rainfall.
July
The temperatures were 0.4 F below normal at a mean of 82.4. The high for the month was 92 F and the low was 50 F. Rainfall was 0.38 inches below normal with 3.08 inches of precipitation.
August
August was the warmest month this year. The month’s temperatures were 1.8 F above normal at a mean of 83.4. The high was 93 F and the low was 49 F. Precipitation was 0.88 inches above normal at 5.02 inches.
September
Temperatures were above normal this month with a mean of 75.0 F. The high was 86 F and the low was 42 F. There were 6.82 inches of rainfall, which was 2.84 inches above normal. This was the rainiest month of the year.
October
October was very mild with temperatures at 6.4 F above normal. The high was 79 F and the low was 36 F. Rainfall was near normal at 3.40 inches, which was 0.06 inches above normal.
November
Temperatures were cooler in November and were 2.6 F below normal. The high was 69 F and the low was 20 F. Precipitation was 1.45 inches, 1.79 inches below normal. The first freeze was on November 2. There was also less than 0.5 inches of snowfall.
December
December was very mild with a mean temperature of 46.5 F, 6.9 F above normal. The high was 66 F and the low was 16 F. Precipitation was 0.44 inches below normal at 2.69 inches. There was also 3 inches of snowfall.
2021 Insolation
2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season has officially ended. Although all of the official names were used, four of those storms were short-lived or extratropical, and, in my humble opinion, should not have been named (Ana, Odette, Teresa, Wanda). There were officially 21 named storms, but there were really just 17. There were 7 hurricanes of which 4 were major. One of those, Ida, made landfall in the U.S. None of the storms exceeded Category 4. Ida and Sam were the strongest this year at Category 4. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) for the season was lower than 2020.
Stormstown Dispatch 