‘Hazardous weather,’ heat on the horizon in Centre County after Friday storms
UPDATE: Centre County was taken off tornado watch by the NWS by 3:04 p.m. Friday, as AccuWeather anticipated.
Centre County — and much of Pennsylvania — was under a tornado watch Friday with “hazardous weather” expected through next Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 30 counties were listed under the tornado watch, which was issued 11:35 a.m. Friday. (A tornado watch means residents should be prepared because tornadoes are possible; a tornado warning means to take cover because a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.)
AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Sojda told the CDT, around 1:30 p.m. Friday, that eastern Pennsylvania will likely be hit harder by damaging winds and thunderstorms. And he said he wouldn’t be surprised if Centre County was removed from the tornado watch before the 7 p.m. deadline, which it was.
“We don’t see any tornado threat for Centre County the rest of this afternoon,” he said. “... So, I think the rest of this afternoon, we’ll still have some rain showers moving through the next two or three hours. But then that’ll move out, and we’ll probably see some sun break out here late in the afternoon.”
Both AccuWeather and The Weather Channel attributed Friday’s storms to a “Mesoscale convective vortex,” or MCV, that Sojda described as a low-pressure system that generates its own heat and moisture over land, like the center of a tropical system over water. Usually, that phenomenon occurs during the summertime.
Still, storms and a tornado watch aren’t all Centre County has to deal with this weekend.
Earlier Friday morning, the National Weather Service also issued a “hazardous weather outlook” for parts of central Pennsylvania, including southern and northern Centre County, Huntingdon County and Mifflin County. The “hazardous” conditions include possible severe and isolated thunderstorms Friday afternoon, similar thunderstorms with hail and wind damage Sunday afternoon/evening, and warm and humid conditions that could cause “heat stress impacts.”
AccuWeather projects a 91 degree day Saturday in State College that could feel more like the mid-90s with the humidity. According to Sojda, State College last saw a 90-degree day in May back in 2011.
“I know it’s late May, but think of it as if it’s mid- or late July,” Sojda added. “Drink lots of water, use sunscreen, stay in the shade, don’t leave anyone or anything in hot cars. ... It won’t last long. People who don’t like the heat will be more comfortable by next week.”
Based on AccuWeather’s daily forecast, temperatures should slide back into the 70s by Monday.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 12:08 PM.
