Strong storm causes power outages, significant damage in Centre County
A strong, short-lived thunderstorm that rolled through Centre County on Wednesday afternoon left thousands without power while causing multiple cases of significant damage.
Centre County remains under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m.
According to public data from West Penn Power, more than 3,000 county customers lost power during the storm. As of 4 p.m., with some power restored, the number of customers without power stood at 2,343 — with 1,080 alone in the Bellefonte Borough.
Most customers had power restored by 5 p.m.
County government staff were dismissed in the afternoon due to the Bellefonte power outages, which impacted Willowbank, the courthouse and the courthouse annex. Emergency communications and other emergency services were still fully operational, staff assistant Jillian Savage said in an email.
Reports of flooding and downed trees also came from multiple areas in the county, with Alpha Fire Company dispatched due to multiple wires and power poles down along Orchard Road. The Spring Township Police Department also posted photos online of a barn on Airport Road that appeared to be completely destroyed by the storm.
Emergency responders were also kept busy Wednesday afternoon with two structure fires — one on the roof of a residence at 217 W. Linn St. in Bellefonte and another in a trailer at 208 Market St. in Milesburg.
It’s not clear if the fires were related to the severe weather.
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 4:18 PM.
