Thunderstorm Wind in Blair County, Pennsylvania

A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked trees and wires down onto Quarry Road approximately 2 miles south-southwest of Claysburg, blocking both lanes of the roadway.

Surface low pressure stationed in southern Ontario with a cold front stationed across the Great Lakes and a warm front analyzed across the northern half of New York State allowed for all of central Pennsylvania to have maximum residence timing in the warm sector. Ample low-level and bulk shear in place across the region and lift allowed for numerous showers and thunderstorms to begin forming during the afternoon hours of March 11, 2026. Cloud cover across much of central Pennsylvania did tamper instability to where thunderstorms were slow to push towards severe limits; however, with daytime heating in between breaks in the clouds, instability pushed closer to the 700-1000 J/kg range and allowed for severe thunderstorms south of the Interstate 80 corridor. Multiple instances of tree damage within severe thunderstorms were reported in portions of Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, and Blair counties before a slight decrease in intensity occurred in south-central Pennsylvania where cloud cover remained more persistent. Thunderstorms began to intensify in portions of the Lower Susquehanna Valley, where multiple instances of tree damage were observed in Dauphin and Lebanon counties during the evening hours.