Stormstown

Thunderstorm Strikes Stormstown

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A severe thunderstorm occurred at approximately 4:15 PM EST in Stormstown, PA. Two small trees blocked part of  PA 550, and a large tree fell across the highway, downing utility lines, near Brothers Pizza.

damage

Photo Courtesy Of Tom Majewski

The highway, further north, was also blocked by Sawmill Road. More wind damage occurred in Port Matilda and in State College on N. Atherton Street, Blue Course Drive, W. Beaver Avenue, and Westerly Parkway.

The official Local Storm Report (LSRCTP):

0413 PM TSTM WND DMG STORMSTOWN 40.79N 78.01W
08/18/2019 CENTRE PA 911 CALL CENTER

TREE AND WIRES DOWN

Video of hail in Stormstown.

There was also pea-sized hail and heavy rain as high as 10 in/hr. The maximum wind speed was 36 mph, the temperature dropped 22 F, and the total rainfall was 1.35 inches.

Tstorm

The damage at my home was limited to a badly damaged flagpole. However, the wind had caused a heavy patio chair to be sent down the stairs from my deck to the landing.

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May 2019 Weather Summary

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May was 2.6 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 83.6 deg. F recorded on May 19. The low for the month was 39.6 deg F, recorded on May 22. There were 173 heating degree days and 72 cooling degree days.

May was an above normal month for precipitation with 7.15 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 3.92 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.50 inches recorded on May 29. There were 18 days of rain >.01 in, 12 >.10 in and 3 >1 in.

High wind speed of 34 mph on May 19.

May 2019 Data

Outlook for June 2019

April 2019 Weather Summary

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April was 1.9 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 73.5 deg. F recorded on April 23. The low for the month was 22.2 deg F, recorded on April 2. There were 415 heating degree days and 10 cooling degree days.

April was an above normal month for precipitation with 4.24 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.85 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.45 inches recorded on April 19. There were 13 days of rain >.01 in, 9 >.10 in and 1 >1 in.

High wind speed of 45 mph on April 3.

April 2019 Data

Outlook for May 2019

Summary of Winter 2018-2019

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Meteorological Winter is officially over. Here is a brief summary of Dec 1-Feb 28 in Stormstown, PA:

Number of days Max T <=32 F: 22
Number of Days Min T <= 32 F: 72
Number of Days Min T <= 0 F: 5
Max T: 58.3 – January 1, 2019
Min T: -8.5- January 30, 2019
Dec Dep from Normal: 2.1
Jan Dep from Normal: -1.9
Feb Dep from Normal: 1.9
Heating Degree Days: 3112
Cooling Degree Days: 0
Dec Precip: 4.97″, 1.87″ above normal
Jan Precip: 1.32″, 1.79″ below normal
Feb Precip: 2.76″, 0.49″ above normal
The outlook for Spring 2019:

2018 Stormstown Weather Summary

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2018 Weather Data

Overall, the year’s temperatures were normal. The annual mean of  50.5 F was just 0.3 F above normal. The record annual precipitation of 58.07 inches was a phenomenal 17.37 inches above normal.

Equally phenomenal is that, in 2018, there were no violent tornadoes recorded, EF4 or EF5, in the United States.

January

January was the coldest month of 2018 with a monthly mean of 26.2 F, which was 1.9 F below normal, with a high of 61 F and a low for the month and year of -5 F. Precipitation was about an inch below normal with 2.15 inches of liquid precipitation.

February

February was much warmer with temperatures at 6.1 F above normal. The high was 75 F and the low was 6 F. Precipitation was 3.3 inches above normal at 5.6 inches.

March

March temperatures were below normal with a high of 57 F and a low of 17 F. Precipitation was 1.5 inches below normal with 2.05 inches of liquid precipitation.

April

Much below normal temperatures this month. The high was 83 F and the low was 19 F. Rainfall was about normal at 3.6 inches. On April 4 the high wind speed for the month and year was 53 mph. There was also significant snow on April 2 and April 9. The last day of temperatures below freezing was April 22.

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May

Temperatures were about 6 F above normal with a high of 88 F and a low of 37 F.  Precipitation was 3.85 inches; about 0.6 inches above normal.

June

Temperatures for the month were about 1 F below normal. The high was 90 F and the low was 44 F. Precipitation was above normal with 4.7 inches of rainfall.

July

The temperatures were below normal. The high for the month and year was 91 F and the low was 49 F. Rainfall was 5.68 inches above normal with 9.14 inches of precipitation.

August

The month’s temperatures were 1.8 F above normal. The high was 90 F and the low was 49 F. Precipitation was 1.38 inches above normal at 5.52 inches.

September

Temperatures were above normal this month. The high was 91 F and the low was 42 F. It was also a wet month with 8.20 inches of rainfall. This was 4.22 inches above normal.

October

October was a near normal, just 1.5 F above normal. The high was 85 F with a low of 28 F. The first day with below freezing temperatures was October 25. There were a near normal 3.55 inches of precipitation this month, 0.21 inches above normal.

November

Temperatures began to drop in November and were 5.1 F below normal. The high was 68 F and the low was 15 F. Precipitation was 4.77 inches, 1.53 inches above normal. There were 11.5 inches of snow on November 16.

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December

The temperatures were 2.1 F above normal. The high was 57 F and the low was 13 F. Precipitation was 1.84 inches above normal at 4.97 inches.

December 2018 Weather Summary

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Happy 2019! December was above normal for temperature with a monthly mean that was 2.1 deg. F above normal. The high for the month was 57.4 deg. F recorded on December 21. The low for the month was 13.2 deg F, recorded on December 10. There were 965 heating degree days.

December was an above normal month for precipitation with 4.97 inches of rainfall recorded. This was 1.84 inches above normal and has contributed to a 17.37 inch surplus for 2018. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.87 inches recorded on December 31. The annual precipitation surpassed 58 inches, a record that is hoped to stand for a long time. There were 11 days of rain >.01 in, 9 >.10 in and 0 >1 in.

December 2018 Data

The outlook for January 2019:

July 2018 Weather Summary

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July was a normal month for temperature. The monthly mean was 0.7 deg. F below normal. There were only three daily maximums at or above 90 deg F. The high for the month was 91.3 deg. F recorded on July 3. The low for the month was 49.1 deg F, recorded on July 8. There were 37.9 heating degree days.

July was very rainy with over 9 inches of rainfall recorded. This was over 5.5 inches above normal for July and has contributed to an 8 inch surplus for 2018. There were 15 days of rain >.01 in, 13 >.1 in and 3 >1 in. Highest single day’s rainfall was 1.23 inches.

Stormstown July 2018 Weather Data

Toby’s Firework Anxiety

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Our Scotty, Toby Two, has had a rough few weeks. From June 24 until July 6, fireworks were launched almost every night. During the first few times, he would run to an enclosed space such as the laundry room, his crate, our dog’s toy box, or under a chair in my office. Now he looks for me and lies down in a dog bed next to me in my office or in the living room. Toby Two doesn’t like thunder either, and he exhibits the same behavior when a storm passes through.

Last October, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania rewrote the 80-year-old fireworks law, making them easier to purchase. That is what made it worse this year as far as Toby Two is concerned.