Thunderstorm Wind — Potter, Pennsylvania

2012-07-26 · near Kinney, Potter, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

An official NWS storm survey found widespread straight-line wind damage near Genesee. The survey team identified two areas of more concentrated wind damage which were classified as embedded microbursts. The overall area of wind damage covered an area approximately 1 mile wide and 3 miles Long from Kinney Road eastward through Hickox to Grover Hollow Road. The first area of concentrated damage, consisting of dozens of downed trees, occurred along Kinney Road about 1 mile east of the intersection with Corcoran road. The second concentrated area of microburst damage occurred along Hickox and Grover Hollow Roads. At this location, seven homes sustained minor structural damage. The maximum estimated wind speeds associated with the microburst damage was 90 mph.

An 66-year-old Andover, NY, woman was killed while trying to evacuate her family from a campsite located along Wintergreen Road in Hickox. Officials said the woman was fastening her Great Grand-daughter into a safety-seat in her vehicle after receiving a text message alerting her of a tornado warning. The woman and her two Grandchildren, ages 19 and 20, were planning on evacuating the campsite, but she was struck by a falling tree in the process. Authorities said the tree struck the Grandmother in the head, killing her instantly. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Potter County Coroner. Witnesses said the tree was struck by lightning before falling. One of her Grand-daughters was also struck and injured by the falling tree while attempting to help her Grandmother. She survived but suffered injuries to her leg and arm and was transported to the hospital.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure tracked east-northeast from the Lower Great Lakes region into the Northeast states, while a cold front trailed southwestward from the surface low through the Ohio Valley and Southern Plains states. Hot and humid conditions ahead of the cold front allowed for strong instability, which allowed for vigorous thunderstorm development by the mid-afternoon. A belt of strong winds aloft on the southern edge of a potent mid-upper level trough over the Upper Great Lakes extended from the Ohio Valley into Pennsylvania. These winds helped to organize storms into lines and bowing segments. In addition, a tornado threat existed over northern Pennsylvania in an area of strong low-level shear in the vicinity of a retreating, diffuse warm front.

Widespread damaging winds accompanied an intense line of severe thunderstorms that moved from the northwest mountains into the lower Susquehanna Valley from the mid-afternoon into the late evening hours. An EF0 tornado was confirmed near Coudersport at 1515 EDT. Two areas of concentrated straight-line wind damage were also surveyed in McKean and Potter Counties, with estimated maximum winds between 70 and 90 mph. A 66-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree near Genesee in northern Potter County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.9799, -77.9097)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 386768. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.