This year, central Pennsylvania was hit with its fair share of wacky weather. From major flooding, to early snowfall, 2011's unpredictable weather is one of witf's Top Five Stories of 2011.
The unusual weather began within the first couple of months of 2011, when the region was saturated with its wettest spring on the books. Meteorologist Matt Steinbugl, with the National Weather Service in State College, said a persistent weather pattern brought more than 20 inches of rain to the Harrisburg area in March, April, and May, or double the average amount for that time of year. "We just consistently saw storms moving out of the Plains states and Midwest, affecting much of the Ohio River Valley and Mid-Alantic region," he said.
The wet spring eventually gave way to a sweltering summer, when the largest earthquake since World War II hit the East Coast. Tremors from the 5.8 magnitude earthquake startled many central Pennsylvania residents, including state Auditor General Jack Wagner, who was working in Harrisburg at the time of the quake. "I immediately felt a shaking of the room and visually saw the walls vibrate, and the table I was sitting at," Wagner recalled. The earthquake, centered in Virginia, did not cause any major damage in the midstate, but some nearby power plants, Three Mile Island in Dauphin County and Peach Bottom in York County, declared the occurrence an "unusual event."
The late summer months also brought the worst flooding the area has seen since Hurricane Agnes in the seventies. Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee swept through the East Coast in August and September, forcing thousands of Susquehanna Valley residents to evacuate. "My son finally said, 'Let's get out of here,' so we had to leave. But, we're back, and we'll be good," one man said. The Susquehanna River crested at about 58 feet in Marietta and nearly 30 feet in Harrisburg, well above flood-stage. Hundreds of midstate roads were closed, and Pennsylvanians are expected to receive nearly $350 million in disaster relief from the federal government.
Though the first day of winter arrived only last week, the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania have already been blanketed by snow. The rare October storm cut power to about 300,000 people in the area, as PPL spokeswoman Lissette Santana explained. "We are making progress, but because of the extent of the damage and the trouble that crews are having accessing sites because of all the downed trees, that restoration process is going pretty slowly," she said.
After an earthquake, a flood, and a snowstorm in the fall, perhaps 2011's wild weather is a sign of mild forecasts to come in 2012.
Check out witf's other top five stories of 2011:
The fight over higher education funding
The never-ending natural gas drilling impact fee debate
