Although the majority of nearby counties missed the bulk of Wednesday’s thunderstorms, parts of Lebanon and Berks counties felt its severity, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service said gusts of around 80 mph were reported in Reading yesterday afternoon. Wind speeds in Harrisburg didn’t get higher than 40. Lebanon County’s fell in between these two figures, according to meteorologist Kevin Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said the band of thunderstorms that moved through Pennsylvania “just clipped” this part of the state. The worst of the storms struck in the east, he said.
Harrisburg recorded 42 hundredths of an inch of rain Wednesday, Fitzgerald said, and temperatures reached a high of 87.
Large hail and torrential downpour were reported around central Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Thursday’s storms are expected to be less widespread and last in central Pennsylvania from about 2 p.m. onward.
Heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday could cause flooding in sensitive areas, the NWS warned.
But there is a bright side — residents just need to get through chances of showers on Friday and Saturday to reach the rain-free forecast for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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