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Record-breaking high temperatures on Saturday accompanied torrential rain, thunderstorms, flash flooding and possibly tornadoes in the region that led to a state of emergency in Luzerne County.
The severe weather caused problems throughout Luzerne and Lackwanna counties.
The day started out sunny with a high of 68 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, breaking the previous record for the date of 67 degrees, set in 1930. Saturday was the third record-breaking day in a row. But the sunshine didn’t last long, soon being replaced by a storm of complete ferocity.
The late February storm caused reports of road closures, flooding, power outages and cancellation of activities around the area, with some people claiming to have seen tornadoes in at least two areas, including the Pittston area and near Lake Scranton.
According to the National Weather Service, it would be impossible to confirm whether or not tornadoes had in fact touched down in the area until Sunday at the earliest, as an expert from the NWS would need to inspect the area.
Reports of emergencies were heard around Luzerne County, ranging from flooded roads, people trapped in their cars, downed trees blocking roadways, transformers exploding and at least one report of a tree down on a house. A Luzerne County 9-1-1 supervisor was unable to confirm the location of this house, along with other details of the damage caused by the storm, due to the sheer volume of calls the agency was receiving.
According to Lucille Morgan, director of the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency, the agency had begun work to assist the municipalities affected by the storm. While Morgan could not confirm specific instances of damage, she did say that the county had declared the state of emergency, and it would be working with the American Red Cross, the Pennsylvania EMA, local fire companies and local EMAs.
“There are emergency responders working various incidents this evening and we encourage people to stay safe and be careful as they conduct their evening activities,” Morgan said.
Morgan also confirmed that the National Weather Service would be conducting a damage assessment Sunday.
One major road closure was staged in the northbound lane of the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township, starting near the Parkway Plaza. According to township police, the road was flooded beyond that point, with the township also suffering power outages. The southbound lane remained open so drivers could leave the flooded area.
Numerous events around the area were postponed due to the inclement weather, including several sporting events.
Power outages struck both Wilkes University and Lackawanna College in Scranton. The power outage at Wilkes interrupted a basketball game between GAR and Meyers High School, while the Scranton outage interrupted the District 2 boys basketball playoffs.
At press time, the NWS was unable to comment on total precipitation in Saturday’s storm, citing that the service was “very busy” in light of the severe weather.
For more information regarding the weather, including confirmations of precipitation and potential tornadoes, check back with timesleader.com for updates.