The potent thunderstorms that hit the State College area Sunday afternoon included 50 mph wind gusts and hail as large as an inch in diameter, according to AccuWeather.com.
But, for now at least, there’s no evidence that a tornado formed and hit the ground locally, AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Alan Reppert said Sunday evening.
Shortly after 2 p.m., National Weather Service had issued a 45-minute tornado warning for eastern reaches of Centre County.
‘It looks like that, just based on the radar, there were some storms that fired off’ with some tornadic potential, Reppert said.
At University Park Airport, he said, wind gusts Sunday afternoon were clocked at 30 mph. Most spots in the area, however, saw wind gusts closer to 40 mph or 50 mph, Reppert added.
That wind combined with heavy precipitation, leading to some property and tree damage and flash floods across the region. Between 2 and 3 p.m., according to an observer in State College’s College Heights neighborhood, nearly three inches of rain fell in a roughly 20-minute period.
Most area locales saw about an inch of rainfall, Reppert said. ‘But it wouldn’t surprise me if some areas saw close to two inches of rain — or even more — with some of the heavy rain that moved through.’
Another shower or thunderstorm may pass through the State College area Sunday evening, but it won’t be as severe as the weather earlier in the day, he said.
AccuWeather.com is forecasting breezy conditions and cooler temperatures for Monday, with highs in the mid-70s.
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