UPDATE: The tornado watch for Centre County was canceled at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Original story:
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for a 33-county area of central and eastern Pennsylvania, including Centre County, until 11 p.m. on Thursday.
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. The watch also includes wide swath of New York state.
Showers and thunderstorms are possible in the State College area Thursday afternoon into the evening, mainly before 8 p.m., according to NWS.
“Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds 60 mph or greater and large hail exceeding 1 inch in diameter are probable this afternoon and will linger into tonight,” according to the NWS severe weather outlook.
AccuWeather also forecasts a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms for central Pennsylvania through Thursday evening.
“People in these areas should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions where fast-moving and strengthening storms can bring frequent lightning strikes, damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding,” according to AccuWeather.
After the storms pass on Thursday night, the weekend promises to be calmer and cooler in Centre County.
AccuWeather forecasts sunny to partly sunny conditions and very little chance of rain, with highs of 82 on Friday, 69 on Saturday and 74 on Sunday.
