The Halifax, PA Tornado of Dec 1st, 2006

Severe Weather Event
December 1st, 2006

Synopsis

A strong cold front pushed through Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of December 1st, 2006. This complicated event had many facets to it. First, severe windstorms preceeded and accompanied the front. The extremely strong winds aloft (see PIT sounding below) were easily mixed down to the surface in any convective activity.

A majority of the preliminary damage reports came with the multiple lines of thunderstorms as they blasted west to east at 50 to 70 mph across the region during the afternoon. Many reports of minor flooding were also received, with more serious flooding in places near Bloomsburg, Danville, Sunbury and Selinsgrove. The flooding subsided quickly.

The second phase of the storm ushered in very strong gradient (normal) winds as the storm deepened and moved to our east. Widespread reports of wind damage (mainly trees, and power- and telephone-wires down) came from all over Central PA - in places that never even had a thunderstorm that day - becoming strongest during the evening hours. Therefore, a High Wind Warning was issued in the wake of the shorter-lived Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (see the difference between these event types and warnings at: our Thresholds and Definitions page).

A Thunderstorm that hit around 4:15 pm did major damage just south of Halifax, PA on the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg. A survey team investigated the damage, and the results follow below. This storm did produce a tornado, one of three on the day in PA, apparently the first tornadoes ever recorded in December in the state of Pennsylvania. The other PA Tornadoes that day were in central Westmoreland County around 11:30 am, and another in central Luzerne County around 5:30 pm.

Local Storm Reports

NWUS51 KCTP 012257
LSRCTP

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
557 PM EST FRI DEC 01 2006

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

1146 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ROCKWOOD                39.92N 79.16W
12/01/2006                   SOMERSET           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL TREES REPORTED DOWN IN THE TOWN OF ROCKWOOD AND
            IN CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP

1210 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SE BURNSIDE           40.79N 78.76W
12/01/2006                   CLEARFIELD         PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN REPORTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF BURNSIDE TOWNSHIP.


1220 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 N JOHNSTOWN           40.37N 78.92W
12/01/2006                   CAMBRIA            PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN IN PORTIONS OF MIDDLE TAYLOR TOWNSHIP.

1240 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 W SMETHPORT           41.81N 78.50W
12/01/2006                   MCKEAN             PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN ACROSS RT 59 IN KEATING TOWNSHIP.

1255 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 NW ST. MARYS          41.48N 78.63W
12/01/2006                   ELK                PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN ACROSS PORTIONS OF ROUTE 255 BETWEEN SAINT
            MARYS AND JOHNSONBURG.

1255 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG WELLSBORO               41.75N 77.30W
12/01/2006                   TIOGA              PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN IN WELLSBORO.

1256 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 SSE DUBOIS            41.07N 78.73W
12/01/2006                   CLEARFIELD         PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES DOWNED IN PARTS OF BRADY
            TOWNSHIP.

0115 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NE GEISTOWN           40.31N 78.84W
12/01/2006                   CAMBRIA            PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN IN PARTS OF RICHLAND AND SUMMERHILL TOWNSHIPS.


0227 PM     TSTM WND DMG     DANVILLE                40.96N 76.61W
12/01/2006                   MONTOUR            PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            LARGE TREE LIMB DOWN ON ROUTE 11

0244 PM     TSTM WND DMG     S SUNBURY               40.86N 76.79W
12/01/2006                   NORTHUMBERLAND     PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN ALONG ROUTE 147

0245 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SELINSGROVE             40.80N 76.87W
12/01/2006                   SNYDER             PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN THROUGHOUT SELINSGROVE

0310 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG STATE COLLEGE           40.79N 77.86W
12/01/2006                   CENTRE             PA   NWS EMPLOYEE

            LARGE PINE TREE DOWN ON PIKE ROAD

0330 PM     TSTM WND DMG     NEW BLOOMFIELD          40.42N 77.19W
12/01/2006                   PERRY              PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN COUNTYWIDE

0340 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BERWICK                 41.06N 76.25W
12/01/2006                   COLUMBIA           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES POLES AND WIRES DOWN FOR 2 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A
            LINE FROM SR487 NEAR KNOBELS PARK TO BERWICK

0340 PM     HAIL             WSW SNYDER-MIDDLESWARTH 40.79N 77.32W
12/01/2006  E0.25 INCH       SNYDER             PA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DIME SIZED HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     S HALIFAX               40.47N 76.93W
12/01/2006                   DAUPHIN            PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ROOFS BLOWN OFF HOUSES...TREES AND WIRES DOWN...POLE ON
            VEHICLE AT THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 147 AND 225

0420 PM     FLASH FLOOD      NORTHUMBERLAND          40.90N 76.79W
12/01/2006                   NORTHUMBERLAND     PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            FLOODED ROADS COUNTYWIDE

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     NORTHUMBERLAND          40.90N 76.79W
12/01/2006                   NORTHUMBERLAND     PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE

0430 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 SW BLOOMSBURG         40.92N 76.57W
12/01/2006                   MONTOUR            PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

0430 PM     FLASH FLOOD      8 SW BLOOMSBURG         40.92N 76.57W
12/01/2006                   MONTOUR            PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ROUTE 42 PARTIALLY CLOSED NEAR CATAWISSA

0450 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LEBANON                 40.34N 76.42W
12/01/2006                   LEBANON            PA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN COUNTYWIDE

0450 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG LEBANON                 40.34N 76.42W
12/01/2006                   LEBANON            PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN COUNTYWIDE

0453 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MINERSVILLE             40.69N 76.26W
12/01/2006                   SCHUYLKILL         PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0457 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SCHUYLKILL HAVEN        40.63N 76.17W
12/01/2006                   SCHUYLKILL         PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0500 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HOMETOWN                40.82N 75.99W
12/01/2006                   SCHUYLKILL         PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0505 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 SW YORK               39.95N 76.75W
12/01/2006                   YORK               PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            DAMAGE TO TRAILER/NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN THE DALLAS AREA
            AND FROM WEST YORK TOWNSHIP SOUTHWARD TO THE MARYLAND
            BORDER.

0505 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 SW YORK               39.95N 76.75W
12/01/2006                   YORK               PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND WIRES DOWN FROM THE DALLAS AREA SOUTHWARD TO
            THE MARYLAND BORDER

0514 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 SW SHEPPTON           40.89N 76.12W
12/01/2006                   SCHUYLKILL         PA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES DOWN

0522 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST STATE COLLEGE           40.79N 77.86W
12/01/2006  M60.00 MPH       CENTRE             PA   NWS EMPLOYEE

            MEASURED BY ROOF INSTRUMENTS AT NWS STATE COLLEGE OFFICE
            AT INNOVATION PARK


&&

graphical plot of convective warnings and preliminary damage reports

Storm Damage Survey

Map of damage survey completed in Northern Dauphin County
Map of approximate damage swath in Northern Dauphin County, including F1 Tornado Damage.

 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
 246 PM EST SAT DEC 2 2006
 
 ...F1 TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR HALIFAX DAUPIN COUNTY...
 
 A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE
 AND THE DAUPHIN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TOURED THE
 DAMAGE AREA SOUTH AND EAST OF HALIFAX TODAY. THE DAMAGE OCCURRED
 DURING A THUNDERSTORM ON THE AFTERNOON OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 1ST
 2006. 
 
 THE TEAM FOUND THAT THE DAMAGE WAS MAINLY STRIGHT-LINE WIND
 DAMAGE...BUT THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO EMBEDDED IN THE
 LARGER DAMAGE SWATH. THE TEAM ESTIMATED THE WINDS OF THE TORNADO
 TO BE 100 TO 110 MPH...OR CATEGORY F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE OF
 TORNADO INTENSITY. THE TORNADO ITSELF WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 1.5
 MILES AND WAS AT MOST 75 YARDS WIDE.
 
 THE TOTAL SWATH OF WIND DAMAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES
 LONG...RUNNING IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION. THE DAMAGE BEGAN NEAR
 THE INTERSECTION OF SHAMMONS SCHOOL ROAD AND ROUTE 147 SOUTH OF
 HALIFAX...WHICH IS ABOUT 1 MILE EAST OF THE SUSQUEHANNA
 RIVER...AND RAN TO A POINT IN A WOODED AREA OF JACKSON
 TOWNSHIP...NEAR THE TOWN OF ENDERS. 
 
 WITNESSES PLACED THE TIME OF DAMAGE AROUND 415 PM EST.
 
 ONE FATALITY OCCURRED AT THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 225 AND 147
 WHEN A TREE FELL ON A CAR AT THE INTERSECTION. NO OTHER INJURIES
 ARE KNOWN AT THIS TIME.
 
 DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS INCLUDED 2 BUSINESSES AND 1 RESIDENCE WITH
 MAJOR DAMAGE...4 RESIDENCES WITH MODERATE DAMAGE...AND 25 TO 30
 RESIDENCES WITH MINOR DAMAGE. THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE ALSO FELLED
 DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS...AND THE EMBEDDED TORNADO.
 
 $$

Damage Picture

Picture of damage around Routes 147 and 225 from the air (Photo courtesy Dr. John Scala). (Click for VERY big pic)

Other Images

Radar Image of Line of storms over Sunbury, PA with Storm Motion/Speed overlay storm motion to the east-northeast at 87 mph.
These things were haulin' - 76 knots is equal to 87 mph!