More than 2,500 homes and businesses in Centre County were without power Sunday night as a high wind warning remained in effect throughout much central and eastern Pennsylvania
The National Weather Service at State College issued the warning for central PA from 1 p.m. Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday, with winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 60 mph expected.
“Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines,” the warning states. “Widespread power outages are expected.”
As of 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 2,547 West Penn Power customers were without power. The largest number was in Patton Township, where 1,724 properties, or about a quarter of West Penn customers in the township, were without power — largely in the Park Forest Village and Gray’s Woods areas.
Halfmoon Township had 305 outages, while Ferguson Township had 182 and Howard Township had 121. In State College Borough, 32 customers were without power.
Statewide, more than 170,000 outages were reported as of 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to poweroutage.us.
High winds also will make travel difficult, especially for high profile vehicles, with slick roadways and the possibility of downed trees and power lines, according to the warning.
Residents should fasten loose outdoor objects or shelter them in a safe location, charge cell phones and other devices and make sure flashlights have batteries, the NWS wrote.
In Centre County, West Penn Power customers should report power outages online, by calling 1-888-544-4877 or by texting OUT to 544487.
While power outages should be reported only to your electric company, downed power lines should be reported by calling 911, according to West Penn Power. If you encounter a downed power line, do not touch it and stay at least 30 feet away.
The winds will move in ahead of a cold front that will bring a few snow showers overnight and drop temperatures into the teens overnight in the State College area, according to AccuWeather. A high of 26 is expected on Monday, with a nighttime low of 9, and Tuesday will be even chillier, with a high of 19 and a low of 8.
According to the NWS, the last time a high wind warning was issued for all of central Pennsylvania was Feb. 24, 2019.
