BIG Storm Hits Home - Power Out, Trees Down

UPDATE: 2 AM and the power is back on at my home in State College, PA. I have just begun to take a look at video and photos that I took of this amazing storm. I'm sure much of my Saturday will be spent bringing this documentation to you. Just a couple thumbnails below to whet your appetite. Stay tuned and meanwhile check out blog reader and storm chaser Ron's photos from near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he encountered the storm about an hour before me. The entire mid-Atlantic region has been peppered by high winds reports with these storms (shown in blue on the map below at right).

UPDATE: It's 1:16 AM and the power is still out, 6 hours now. Allegheny Power has restored 10,000 of the 27,000 who had lost power in this state, but I am not one of the lucky ones. I realize how quickly the American lifestyle, security and well-being dwindles after only a few hours without electricity. Without central air, It's hot and sticky and impossible to sleep in our modern home, in which we have opened a few windows for the first time since we've owned this house. Various foods spoil quietly in the fridge while ice cream sandwiches liquefy in the freezer and begin a slow battle to coat every shelf. Anything that could be taken for granted, including common bathroom trips, is done carefully with candle or flashlight. The precious computer battery dwindles... 65% left... 55% left... thank goodness for Verizon wireless Internet service, or you wouldn't even be reading this... everything's quiet, uncomfortably quiet, save the ticking of a battery-powered clock and the squeaking of the office chair, both sounds that I'd never heard before tonight, or the occasional howl of a neighbor's dog in the darkness.

ORIGINAL POST:

We had tonight, here in State College, possibly the biggest severe thunderstorm since I moved to Pennsylvania. Power has been out since the storm hit at 7:30 and I have gotten some incredible footage of the incoming storm. Allegheny Power reports on their website over 27.000 people without power in Pennsylvania and trees and lines are down across the state, however their automated phone system reported a high call volume and was difficult to access. The power went out here at my house just as the high winds hit (56 mph, highest I have ever recorded here at the new house). Two hours later, our neighborhood, and much of this side of town, is black. More information will be posted when possible. Henry has power and is attempting to post a blog entry as we speak. More information as it becomes available.