We saw some rather active weather around the world in 2011 and Cumberland County was no exception; several weather related incidents including multiple flooding incidents, a tornado, and winter storms. While not weather, the county even experienced an earthquake in August.
Groundhog Day Ice Storm
The first adverse weather event to impact Cumberland County occurred Feb. 1-2. The storm produced a one-two punch of winter weather, starting with a round of snow. The second phase of the storm was in the form of freezing rain, which brought an ice accumulation around ½” for many locations around the county. In anticipation of deteriorating weather conditions, the Cumberland County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) opened at 8AM the morning of Feb. 1.
Freezing rain began to fall around 6:00 PM. As a result, several municipal emergency managers and fire chiefs requested fire departments be dispatched along with ambulances on all medical emergencies. This was done in case EMS crews had a difficult time accessing patients due to icy conditions or and potential for downed trees and power lines.
During the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 2 power outages were reported throughout the county with most municipalities reporting power outages by daybreak. As the precipitation moved out of the area, gusty winds followed, increasing the risk of downed trees, limbs, and power lines. Throughout the morning, the 911 Center fielded numerous calls for downed power lines, transformer explosions, and trees down. A home in Mechanicsburg was damaged by a falling tree. As temperatures warmed in the early afternoon, the ice began to melt; however, many remained in the dark as utility crews worked feverishly to restore power to those areas affected.
An Active Pattern Emerges
February saw an active winter weather pattern emerge as several stormy events impacted the county. The most active period occurred at the end of the month beginning on Feb. 20. An average of 6” of snow fell across the county from the 20th into the 21st. This storm was followed by a moderate rain storm from the 24th to the 25th. A third storm struck from Feb. 27th and 28th; accompanied by very mild temperatures, rain, and severe thunderstorms. Rainfall of 1-2” was recorded over the area; however, no major flooding was reported. The combination of warming temperatures and rain over an existing snowpack set the stage for the possibility of future flooding.
Spring Floods
By the end of February, the stage was already set for flooding. A storm system began to impact the state on Mar. 5 that brought heavy rain and warm temperatures. Only minor flooding occurred as a result of the storm; however Cumberland County saw significant rainfall, further saturating the ground.
On Mar. 10, another storm (very similar to the Mar. 5 storm) struck the county. An average of 2-4” inches of rain fell as a result of the storm and flooding began occurring late in the day of Mar. 10th and into the 11th. Flooding was reported on both the Yellow Breeches and Conodoguinet Creeks by the end of the day Mar. 10. The 911 center received numerous calls for flooded roadways and basements across the county. Several hundred residents of the Williams Grove Mobile Home Park were evacuated as the Yellow Breeches spilled out of its banks. By the morning of Mar. 12th, the waters began to recede and those displaced returned to their homes to survey the damage, which was remarkably minor.
A little more than a month later, more heavy rain fell over the area. Rain moved into the area on April 16 and by the time it was done, anywhere from 3-5” of rain fell, with nearly 6” of rain falling in isolated areas.
Once again, both the Yellow Breeches and Conodoguinet Creeks spilled their banks, resulting in hundreds of homes evacuated and numerous roads closed. Numerous water rescues were reported across the county and in neighboring counties as motorists and residents became stranded by the rapidly rising water. The Cumberland County Technical Rescue Operations Team (TROT – Team 500) was called to several residences after basements collapsed due to the saturated ground. Due to the number of homes and businesses that were either damaged or destroyed, Small Business Administration (SBA) loans were made available to assist with the rebuilding effort.
Severe Weather Season Springs into Action
By Mid-April, spring had sprung and with that came the inevitable series of severe thunderstorms.
On April 27 and unseasonably warm and moist air mass surged north from the Gulf of Mexico and spread over south central PA. Only 11 days passed since the last round of flooding and flooding was a concern once again. Flood watches were issued early in the day and the National Weather Service warned severe weather was also possible overnight and into the next day. By mid-afternoon, thunderstorms began to develop. A tornado watch was issued as storms were expected to develop into super cell thunderstorms. This same weather system was also responsible for a record-breaking tornado outbreak across the southern US that day. Six tornadoes were reported across. No tornadoes touched down in Cumberland County; however, one did touch down at the Ski Roundtop Resort in York County, causing minor structural damage and toppling hundreds of trees. Minor flooding also occurred and the TROT team was dispatched a basement collapse in the Shippensburg area.
2011 will be recorded as a historic year for tornadoes; PA was no exception. On May 26, a tornado touched down in Cumberland County, lasting from approximately 7:10 PM to 7:14 PM. The EF-1 tornado had maximum sustained winds of 95 MPH and traveled 2.5 miles from the area of Hogestown in Silver Spring Twp., to Hampden Twp. No injuries or deaths were reported; however, hundreds of trees were toppled and some homes received minor damage.
The May 26th tornado was part of a severe weather outbreak over south central PA that spawned six tornadoes in the state. In Cumberland County, high winds from both the tornado and downbursts were responsible for hundreds of reports of wind damage including trees and power lines down. Many areas were without power for hours. In addition, a building fire at the Carlisle Wastewater Treatment Plant was blamed on a generator that was running as a result of lost power due to the storm.
The Heat is On!
As the summer months unfolded, residents of Cumberland County and Central PA lived through one of the hottest summers on record (since official records were kept beginning in 1880). According to the National Weather Service, the traditional summer months of June through August all saw above normal temperatures, with July the hottest. In Harrisburg, the summer season averaged 1.8 degrees above normal. July 2011 was the third warmest on record, averaging 4 degrees above normal. During July, 19 days exceeded 90 degrees, with the official high at Harrisburg International Airport of 101 and 103 degrees on July 21st and 22nd respectively.
A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On
As summer heat persisted through the dog days of August, many county residents were shaken up after an earthquake struck the east coast on Aug. 23. The 5.8 magnitude quake was centered near Mineral, VA, just outside Richmond. While the quake originated hundreds of miles away, minor damage was still reported throughout the county with most damage in the Mt Holly Springs area. Several chimneys collapsed in the Mt Holly area and South Middleton Twp residents reported cloudy well water.
Hurricane Season
The summer heat waned and a new threat emerged in the form of hurricane season. The first named storm that posed a threat to Cumberland County was Hurricane Irene. The remnants of Irene began to impact the area during the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 28. Most damage associated with the storm was wind damage and numerous trees and wires were toppled. Because of the widespread damage to the power grid in not only Cumberland County, but much of the East Coast, numerous residents were without power for the better part of a week or longer.
A little more than a week later, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee impacted the area. By mid-afternoon on Sept. 7 heavy rains had been falling for some time and severe flooding was reported in Dauphin County, the worst being around the Hershey area. Numerous water rescue crews from Cumberland County deployed to Dauphin County to assist with a number of water rescues; unfortunately several fatalities were reported in Dauphin County as a result of the flooding. Flooding also began to impact Cumberland County, affecting low-lying and poor drainage areas resulting in a number of road closures.
During the early morning hours of Sept. 8, it was evident the communities along the Susquehanna River would be flooded and the flood threat on the creeks in the county was subsiding. The Susquehanna River continued to rise, spilling over its banks into New Cumberland and West Fairview before dawn. A few hours later, water would begin pouring into Wormleysburg. The Susquehanna River crested at 25.17 feet – the fifth highest crest on record.
Water began to recede on Sept. 9 and recovery operations began. Damage from the storm was extensive enough that a federal disaster declaration was made and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was opened disaster recovery centers to assist with recovery efforts. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in Cumberland County; however, many homes and businesses were damaged or otherwise impacted by the high water.
The National Weather Service reports Sept. 2011 was the wettest Sept. on record for Harrisburg with more than 16.5” of rain recorded during the month. 2011 was a year that weather records were smashed and Oct. would see another record.
October Snowstorm
Cumberland County saw the first snowfall of winter 2011-12 actually occur in Autumn. The storm was a classic Nor’Easter, moving northeast along the Atlantic Coast. Snow started falling during the morning of Oct. 29th and quickly accumulated anywhere from 6-10” of heavy, wet snow across the county.
Normally, up to 10” of snow would not be problematic for the area; however most trees still had leaves on them. As the snow fell, it stuck to the leaves, weighing down the branches, resulting in numerous trees and power lines down. Fire crews were delayed responding to a house fire on Whiskey Spring RD in South Middleton Twp. due to a large number of trees across the roadway and Route 11 was closed at Route 233 for a silo that was leaning after the snow. High winds followed the storm and caused more trees and wires to come down. Thousands were without power for days as power crews scrambled to rebuild power infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed. Shelters were established for those affected to get a snack or warm shower. The storm shattered snowfall records for Oct.
This was the last major weather related event to impact Cumberland County in 2011.
2011 proved to be a very active year for severe weather in Cumberland County. In the spirit of preparedness, we should all examine the types of adverse weather which could impact our homes and businesses and have a plan in place should severe weather happen again – becaues it will.
By Guest Blogger Jon Anschutz is a dispatcher the DPS as well as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Monroe Township. Jon also guest blogs on weather for www.agweb.com!
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