What was predicted as a chance of major flooding for central Pennsylvania turned into an all night soaker and will bring a nice weekend. Now listed as a tropical storm, Isabel did major damage to the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia, but by the time it struck Pennsylvania, most of the wind was gone from her sails.
“Isabel moved faster than expected and the eye is currently located about 25 miles west of Pittsburgh,” said Accu-Weather meterologist Heather Zehr. “We had some pretty good wind gusts including one measured at 46 mph in Rock Springs that is outside of State College. There are some trees down, but for the most part, there was more hype than storm.”
Isabel is expected to reach Canada by the end of the day.
“We are still expecting to get more rain off and on throughout the day today,” said Zehr. “There was a heavy band that went through Altoona overnight that is working its way toward Clearfield and DuBois right now. The storm is moving NNW at 22 mph right now and should clear out by tonight.”
According to Accu-Weather, there was a big disparity in rainfall amounts throughout central Pennsylvania.
“There was rainfall as low as .2 inches in DuBois to a high in the region of 1.75 in Altoona,” said Zehr. “Clearfield and DuBois will get the storm that passed through Altoona later this morning and their rainfall totals will pretty much even out.”
After braving the storm that wasn’t, the weekend should be beautiful.
“Things will be clearing out this afternoon and tonight,” said Zehr. “The clouds will be breaking up and we should see partly sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday will be gorgeous.”
Isabel sped through Pennsylvania on Friday, helping to keep rain totals down, even as violent wind gusts wreaked havoc across the state, knocking out power to 350,000 customers and killing at least one person.
Isabel lost much of its fury by the time it hit Pennsylvania, but the already rain-soaked ground prompted concerns over flooding.
“The system dissolved. It pretty much fell apart before it hit us,” said Dave Cubbison, deputy director of emergency management in Bedford County on the Maryland border.
Storm preparations dominated life across the state Thursday. Some readied by buying extra groceries or leaving work early. Thousands of students eyed a surprise three-day weekend, and in Altoona, the blustery day ushered a healthy crowd to Al’s Tavern.
“We had more people in (Thursday) afternoon because they were hoping they didn’t have to go to work (Friday),” said Thaddeus McDonough, the bar’s general manager, who noted that Isabel was a “huge topic of conversation,” though he thought the storm had been overhyped.
Truckers filled the lot at the Petro All-American Plaza truck stop in Breezewood on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, near the Maryland border, early Friday morning. Some were looking for a respite from the weather; others wanted information about Isabel.
“There have been some trees down and the wind is blowing,” said Ken Karns, a trucker from Glassport. “I was expecting a lot more wind and rain.”
Authorities in Lancaster County said a motorist was killed early Friday when a tree fell on his car.
Forecasters said Isabel moved through the state faster than expected, and earlier predictions of between 6 and 9 inches of rain in some areas weren’t likely to materialize. Rains were expected to diminish across southern Pennsylvania on Friday morning.
“It looks like it picked up enough speed that we’re not going to get real terrible amounts (of rain),” said Dave Martin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in State College. “The good news is it’s speeding up and not slowing down or stalling out.”
At 2 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service had recorded rain totals of roughly an inch or less in many areas of the state.
“We should see the rain begin to taper off and get more showery during the afternoon hours,” said Barry Lambert, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
He said the sun was likely to emerge in eastern Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon and create an atmosphere for thunderstorms, and possibly slight tornados.
Downed trees and power lines were reported across the state, with Lancaster County reporting more than 100 fallen trees. In Philadelphia, a 58-year-old man was knocked unconscious and hospitalized after a sign blew over and fell on him.
While forecasters said the storm appeared less powerful than earlier feared, serious flooding remained a possibility.
Some 250,000 PECO customers in southeastern Pennsylvania were without power Friday morning, though crews had restored electricity to more than 200,000 others, said spokeswoman Vonda Paige. Harrisburg and Lancaster had 45,000 without electricity, and Met-Ed reported 20,000 affected customers in York and Berks counties. Power had been restored in many areas early Friday.
Officials in Chester County in suburban Philadelphia, which experienced major flooding during a storm earlier in the week, said Isabel was causing few problems. Only one creek, in an underpopulated area, was reported to be overflowing its banks, said John Haynes, deputy director of operations for Chester County emergency services.
“The biggest problem we have is power,” Haynes said. “Right now we have a little over 83,000 people without power.”
Gov. Ed Rendell on Thursday declared a state of disaster emergency to help mobilize state aid for any damage caused by the tropical storm.
David M. Sanko, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said lowered rainfall forecasts issued on Thursday had not changed preparations.
“Whether it’s 5 inches or 9 inches, you’re still going to experience localized flooding,” said Sanko.
Rendell’s declaration authorized the use of state resources to help communities affected by the storm. The National Guard placed 2,990 guardsmen on emergency status and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation put extra personnel on standby.
The declaration includes a $5 million transfer to PEMA that can be used to hire cleanup crews.
Philadelphia International Airport canceled 20 percent of its departures until 7:30 a.m. Friday, a city spokeswoman said. More than 150 flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to East Coast destinations were also canceled.
Allegheny County officials said they expect some flooding in communities along the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers this weekend. No evacuations were ordered.
Sanko said efforts to assess the damage would begin early Friday and continue all weekend.
“It is our intent to ask for an expedited review by (the Federal Emergency Management Agency),” Sanko said.
Associated Press Writer Mark Scolforo contributed to this story
