Overview
- The National Weather Service issued successive county-level Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Saturday afternoon that extend into early evening, with many warnings set to expire between about 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- Warnings described high-impact hazards including 60–70 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail that can dent vehicles, strip siding, damage roofs and topple large trees.
- Storms and lines moving east at roughly 35–45 mph mean individual cells can cross multiple counties quickly, and forecasters said a second, damaging line that already produced downed trees and power lines in Somerset and Bedford counties was expected to follow by about 30 minutes.
- Alerts named numerous towns and specified interstate segments — including stretches of I-80, I-81, I-83 and Pennsylvania Turnpike mile-marker ranges — signaling elevated danger for drivers on those corridors.
- Authorities urged immediate shelter in well-built buildings, staying away from windows and avoiding flooded roadways as emergency crews monitor ongoing storm impacts and the potential for additional wind, hail, lightning and localized flash flooding.