PA Weather: Thunderstorms, Showers, 'Damaging' Winds In Forecast

PENNSYLVANIA - A strong cold front from the west is set to usher in heavy downpours, scattered storms and potentially “damaging” wind gusts into Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon, forecasters said.

The bulk of the severe weather will start at around 3 p.m. until about 9 p.m., per the National Weather Service, with rainfall estimates between .5 to 1 inch, although the greatest threat to the state will be locally damaging 25 to 35 mph wind gusts.

As of 1 p.m., over 30 Pennsylvania counties are under a hazardous weather outlook in effect Saturday night, with scattered severe thunderstorms and minor coastal flooding possible. The affected counties are:

• Berks
• Bucks
• Chester
• Montgomery
• Delaware
• Philadelphia
• Sullivan
• Bradford
• Susquehanna
• Wayne
• Wyoming
• Lackawanna
• Luzerne
• Pike
• Juniata
• Franklin
• Tioga
• Lycoming
• Clinton
• Union
• Snyder
• Montour
• Northumerland
• Columbia
• Perry
• Dauphin
• Schuylkill
• Lebanon
• Cumberland
• Adams
• York
• Lancaster

The southeasternmost part of the state is at the highest risk of severe storms, according to the National Weather Service, with “short-lived and/or not widespread, isolated intense storms possible.” Hail is also possible for the region, the agency said.

The rest of the eastern portion of the state is under a marginal risk for isolated, severe thunderstorms. The western part of the state may see virtually no severe storms, though rain is still expected.

*model simulated* radar loop through tonight. If anything, expect showers/t-storms to arrive up to an hour earlier than shown here. This still give us a 'general' idea of when gusty downpours & locally strong t-storms will pass by later today. #pawx #mdwx #njwx #dewx pic.twitter.com/B8tzI7AzZn
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) April 22, 2023

Here’s the latest forecast, per the National Weather Service:

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a south wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a chance of showers between midnight and 2 a.m. Low around 46. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.