SABULA – A special set of circumstances contributed to storm damage reported in the Sandy Township area Thursday afternoon.
National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Greg DeVoir said a microburst was the cause of damage in the area.
DeVoir said a couple of storms were observed in the area, but when one thunderstorm broke up, it caused rain-cooled air and rain to come to the ground, creating the microburst. When the air and rain reach land, the air spreads out in straight lines.
“The thunderstorms were fairly scattered,” DeVoir said of the events Thursday, noting that damage was reported in Sandy Township near Treasure Lake and Sabula at 2:30 p.m. and again 15 minutes later in the same area.
DeVoir noted that reports were received of trees down in in the area as well.
“Trees are so big in Pennsylvania that they can do a lot of damage when they fall,” he said, noting that downed trees are often used to determine the ferocity of a storm. Some of the trees that fell Thursday went down on service lines in the area.
Quarter-inch-sized hail was also reported along Interstate 80 at Clearfield at about 3:15 p.m.
Detecting microbursts can be difficult, he noted, because of the way they develop.
“Storms can pulse up and down quickly,” he said. The NWS radar takes a reading every six minutes, but a microburst can happen between those images.
“They’re very difficult to warn on.”
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued yesterday afternoon in Clearfield County, and DeVoir said the same precautions taken during those weather events should be used during microbursts.
“When you see and hear thunder and lighting, you’ll want to get inside a sturdy building,” he said. Other precautions include avoiding the use of electrical devices and staying away from windows.