5 p.m.: The tornado watch has been canceled for most counties. Forest and Warren counties remain under a watch until 8 p.m.
Western Pennsylvania including Erie and Crawford counties is under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7.
More: Take a web-cam tour of Erie-area weather conditions
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued a tornado watch effective at 1:25 p.m. March 7 for 25 western Pennsylvania counties. Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mercer, Venango, Forest are among the counties.
The other counties under a watch are Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Potter, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland.
Western New York, eastern and southern Ohio and northern West Virginia also under a watch.
A history of twisters: Tornadoes in Pennsylvania since 1950
Watch details indicate primary threats are the possibility of a few tornadoes and scattered, damaging winds gusting as high as 70 mph. Isolated instances of hail measuring 1½ inches in diameter are possible.
Afternoon conditions are forecast to intensify that the storm center defines as supportive of supercells and fast-moving severe storms capable of producing damaging winds and tornadoes.
What is a tornado watch?
The Storm Prediction Center defines a tornado watch to mean that “conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.”
More: 8 dead in severe storms, tornadoes; forecast warns of more danger
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie, more western PA counties’ tornado watch canceled