Tornado Watch Issued for Centre County

Update 8:46 p.m. Aug. 12: The National Weather Service canceled the tornado watch for Centre County at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of Pennsylvania, including all of Centre County, on Saturday.

The watch was in effect until 9 p.m. on Saturday for a 43-county area of Pennsylvania, as well as parts of Ohio and New York. A tornado watch means that tornadoes are possible in or near the watch area. A warning would be issued if a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar.

Severe thunderstorms were possible on Saturday afternoon and evening in Centre County, with the potential to bring “flooding downpours, hail, damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado,” according to AccuWeather.

It marks the second time in a week that central Pennsylvania has been under a tornado watch. A tornado watch was in effect for Centre County for about four hours on Monday and the State College area was briefly under a tornado warning.

If a tornado is spotted nearby, the NWS advises moving to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and staying away from windows. Those outdoors or in vehicles should move to the closest substantial shelter and cover their heads to avoid flying debris.

Sunday looks to be much calmer, with partly sunny skies, a high of 83 degrees and no rain in the forecast, according to AccuWeather.