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State College, PA

Weather Forecast Office

September 29th, 2005 - Severe Weather Associated with a Narrow Cold Frontal Rainband

Weather.gov > State College, PA > September 29th, 2005 - Severe Weather Associated with a Narrow Cold Frontal Rainband

Overview

In the early morning of September 29th, a cold front was racing eastward toward Pennsylvania at 60 to 70 miles per hour. A line of strong thunderstorms formed in the high-shear environment that was present over the western third of the state. Severe wind gusts and damage occurred as the cold front and the thunderstorms blasted across Central Pennsylvania between 4AM and 8AM. The winds weakened, as did the thunderstorms, just after daybreak over Eastern PA.

 

 

Narrow Cold Frontal Rainbands

This case was a good example of what is termed a Narrow Cold-Frontal Rainband (NCFR, NCFRB). CTP Science Officer, Richard Grumm, has done a great deal of work studying and trying to classify these events.

These events are characterized by a strong cold front that moves rapidly from west to east, and makes damaging winds despite having limited instability, and little or no thunder associated with the winds.

The narrow, focused nature of the precipitation along the cold front itself is what gives these events their name. In the above radar reflectivity picture, note how there is little precipitation away from the wind shift itself.

While there was some thunder with this cold front passage, this one was certainly an unusual event for Central PA, as it happened in the middle to late nighttime hours (4-8AM EDT). Historically, during that time of the day, Pennsylvania receives very little severe weather.

These events happen a few times every year, mainly in the autumn, when the cold air is starting to make headways into the southern latitudes, and there is still some instability from higher moisture and daytime heating lingering from summer.

 Image
KCCX Reflectivity and surface observation plot from 529 AM EDT (1029 UTC)

Storm Reports

000
NWUS51 KCTP 291926
LSRCTP

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
325 PM EDT THU SEP 29 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0527 AM     TSTM WND DMG     WARREN                  41.84N 79.14W 
09/29/2005                   WARREN             PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            REPORTS OF TREES DOWN THROUGHOUT COUNTY

0555 AM     TSTM WND DMG     BRADFORD                41.96N 78.64W 
09/29/2005                   MCKEAN             PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0605 AM     TSTM WND DMG     WILCOX                  41.58N 78.68W 
09/29/2005                   ELK                PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN

0610 AM     TSTM WND DMG     WESTLINE                41.77N 78.75W 
09/29/2005                   MCKEAN             PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN ON WIRES

0615 AM     TSTM WND DMG     RIDGWAY                 41.43N 78.73W 
09/29/2005                   ELK                PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0620 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SHINGLEHOUSE            41.97N 78.19W 
09/29/2005                   POTTER             PA   CO-OP OBSERVER  

            TREES DOWN AND POWER OUT

0627 AM     TSTM WND DMG     DUBOIS                  41.12N 78.76W 
09/29/2005                   CLEARFIELD         PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN

0635 AM     TSTM WND DMG     JOHNSTOWN               40.33N 78.92W 
09/29/2005                   CAMBRIA            PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. TRAFFIC LIGHTS OUT IN 
            JOHNSTOWN.

0636 AM     TSTM WND DMG     EMPORIUM                41.51N 78.24W 
09/29/2005                   CAMERON            PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            WIRES DOWN

0700 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SNOW SHOE               41.03N 77.95W 
09/29/2005                   CENTRE             PA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND SNOWSHOE AND CLARENCE. OTHER 
            TREES DOWN AROUND CENTRE COUNTY

0720 AM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N SHADE GAP           40.25N 77.87W 
09/29/2005                   HUNTINGDON         PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN ALONG RTE 522 AND RTE 22 4 MILES FROM MILL 
            CREEK

0730 AM     TSTM WND DMG     BEECH CREEK             41.07N 77.59W 
09/29/2005                   CLINTON            PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN ON WIRES SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT COUNTY

0730 AM     TSTM WND DMG     BEDFORD                 40.01N 78.50W 
09/29/2005                   BEDFORD            PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN ON WIRES

0800 AM     TSTM WND DMG     WILLIAMSPORT            41.24N 77.02W 
09/29/2005                   LYCOMING           PA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            TREES DOWN IN BRANDON PARK AND ANOTHER BLOCKING SHERIDAN 
            STREET.

0800 AM     TSTM WND DMG     LEWISTOWN               40.60N 77.57W 
09/29/2005                   MIFFLIN            PA   COUNTY OFFICIAL 

            TREES DOWN


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