Hail — Fayette, Pennsylvania

2022-11-27 · near Whitsett, Fayette, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Reported by the public, with a photo of the 2 inch hail measurement. Also, the Perry Township Supervisor reported that 175 vehicles were damaged at an auto auction in the township, with around 400 vehicles damaged in the township overall.

Wider weather episode

A strong, occluding surface low crossed the Great Lakes on November 27th. After morning rain, instability in the form of around 500 J/kg of mean-layer CAPE was able to develop in the Middle Ohio Valley and advect northeast into northern West Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania. A strongly sheared environment was also present. Strong low-level flow helped to support a damaging-wind threat, while cold temperatures aloft and favorable deep-layer shear also supported large hail, which is unusual for late November. In fact, severe conditions were locally quite signficant, with one report of an 87 MPH gust in a mesovortex, as well as hail reaching two inches in diameter. Many reports of downed trees and power lines were received, with some generally minor structural damage as well. In Perry Township, estimates were that up to 400 vehicles were damaged by hail, with an estimated 1.2 million dollars worth of damage. A similar amount of car damage also likely occurred in Westmoreland County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.1000, -79.7700)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1063670. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.