AccuWeather Provides Most Advance Notice, Best Impact Descriptions and Most Accurate Warnings Ahead of Destructive Thunderstorms Compared to All Other Known Sources
AccuWeather provided more accurate forecasts and warnings, with proven Superior Accuracy™, far ahead of the event to the minutes that mattered most when destructive winds were imminent.
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The powerful storm brought down trees and power lines in State College, Pennsylvania, on April 29. The airport in State College clocked a gust of 62 mph, but other weather stations across the region measured winds of 70-80 mph.
On April 29, 2025, severe thunderstorms containing destructive wind gusts greater than 70 mph plowed across Ohio and Pennsylvania. These storms uprooted trees, snapped power poles in half and knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands of customers in both states. Tragically, the storms also resulted in at least two fatalities.
Five days in advance and one day ahead of the National Weather Service (NWS) and all other known sources, AccuWeather accurately predicted that thunderstorms could produce damaging winds, hail and flooding downpours across parts of Ohio and western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 29.
More than three days in advance, AccuWeather was also the first known source to accurately convey that this line of storms, eventually classified by AccuWeather as a derecho, could continue producing damaging winds across central and parts of eastern Pennsylvania through the evening of April 29.
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes addresses deadly storm, power outages and damage from April 29
In State College, Pennsylvania
• AccuWeather Expert Storm Warning Meteorologists issued a lifesaving SkyGuard® High Wind Warning, which exclusively provided 32 minutes of additional advance notice of destructive winds to 70 mph. The initial Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued by the government's local National Weather Service office (NWS), while all other known sources only mentioned wind gusts of 60 mph. The NWS upgraded their warning to forecast winds of 70 mph, but ONLY 3 minutes before the destructive winds moved into the west side of State College. Winds of 65 mph were reported at the National Weather Service office in State College and dozens of trees and power lines were reported down across the community. Numerous roads were closed due to fallen trees and power lines, stranding some drivers. Extended power outages due to the number of trees and power lines down lasted for days, impacting people and businesses.
In Columbus, Ohio
• On April 24, five days before the event, AccuWeather’s forecast for April 29 in Columbus said, “thunderstorms can bring hail and damaging winds.” Meanwhile, on April 24, the forecast from the NWS for Columbus, for April 29, said “chance of showers and thunderstorms” with no mention of the potential impacts those thunderstorms could bring. Even just hours before thunderstorms impacted the city, AccuWeather’s forecast continued to forecast the threat of damaging winds, while the NWS forecast said “showers and thunderstorms likely” with no mention of the impending danger.
• During the afternoon of April 29, thunderstorms rolled through Columbus, with measured wind gusts of 60 mph, which are strong enough to bring down trees, power lines and cause damage.
Local storms reports as of April 29, 2025 11 p.m. EDT via the Storm Prediction Center.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• On April 26, three days before the event, AccuWeather’s forecast for April 29 in Pittsburgh said “thunderstorms can bring hail and damaging winds.” At the same time on April 26, the NWS forecast said “chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon” with no mention of potential impacts from those thunderstorms.
• Ahead of the arrival of thunderstorms to the Pittsburgh metro area during the afternoon of April 29, AccuWeather expert meteorologists updated the forecast to include “storms can bring destructive winds, large hail and even a tornado.” The NWS forecast did not mention “damaging winds” until a few hours before thunderstorms moved through the city.
• At 5:01 p.m. EDT, a 71-mph wind gust was measured at Pittsburgh International Airport. In addition, there were dozens of reports of trees and power lines down and damage to commercial and residential buildings across the metro area, with some power outages lasting for days.
AccuWeather provided more accurate forecasts and warnings, with proven Superior Accuracy™, far ahead of the event to the minutes that mattered most when destructive winds were imminent. AccuWeather’s weather accuracy in forecasting was once again more valuable and provided more impactful descriptions to people, communities and businesses, helping them prepare and stay safer.
More than 100 times every year, AccuWeather has been documented as providing more accurate, more advanced notifications of significant and extreme weather events that impact businesses and threaten the health, welfare and lives of individuals. AccuWeather has proven to be the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings.
These are additional examples of the many weather events where AccuWeather provided superior forecasts and impact descriptions to people, communities and businesses, helping them better prepare and stay safer.
