MU Students Assist in Tornado Detection in Lancaster County

On Sept. 4, 2025, a storm system swept through southeastern Pennsylvania, triggering multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms. At 9:31 p.m., a supercell thunderstorm travelling northeastward through southern Lancaster County produced a brief, EF-0 tornado near Quarryville.

As a result of the geography of the area, there exist radar gaps where the National Weather Service network of Doppler radars are not able to detect the presence of certain weather systems. The radar gap in the Lower Susquehanna Valley area has been addressed largely by the Climavision X-band radar which was installed on Millersville University's water tower in 2023. This radar is capable of providing low-level scans of the atmosphere and was able to provide valuable information during this event, including radar signatures associated with a tornado.

Millersville meteorology students were credited, along with a Millersville University graduate who is now a broadcast meteorologist at WGAL TV (Lancaster, PA), by the National Weather Service for their assistance with relaying reports of the tornado and sharing photos of the aftermath.

Dr. Sepi Yalda, Professor of Meteorology and Director of the Millersville University Center for Disaster Research and Education, shares how Climavision has transformed classroom learning for meteorology students, "It has been highly impactful in the activities of the Millersville University's Campus Weather Service and the Weather Information Center, where students have an ability to use this radar data along with other critical sources of information for forecasting and prediction activities.

"In the classroom, Climavision radar access has been invaluable for students as it grants the opportunity for hands-on learning and research of local weather events in a way they were not able to do previously," Yalda adds. "This enables students to understand and learn about the utility of this type of radar data in comparison with other radar data types and their applications. Furthermore, they can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of these gap-filling radars to improve our ability to provide timely forecasts for our communities to save lives and property." Learn more about this discovery here: https://www.wgal.com/article/nws-confirms-ef-0-tornado-from-thursday-night-storms-in-lancaster-county/66004758.