Weather

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Heavy rain, hail, and high winds toppled trees and knocked out power for hundreds of homes and businesses in Lackawanna County.
A woman who lives on Deacon Street in Scranton's plot section said she heard a loud bang and then saw the ceiling of her home collapse. The front door was no longer an option, so she escaped with her dog out of a window.
Her home and the apartment building next door were both condemned because of the damage caused by a fallen tree. Everyone got out safely, but they'll all have to find somewhere else to stay.

In this Talkback 16, callers sound off on the weather, sports, and look-alikes.
First, they comment on dealing with sex abuse in the Catholic church.

The Perseid meteor shower may be outshone by the upcoming full moon.
The shower will peak with the most number of meteors during the early morning hours of August 12 and 13 — which coincides with a bright moon.
Once evening falls, expect to see a meteor, or a “shooting star,” streaking across the sky every few minutes. Hopefully, clear skies will allow for the best viewing.
The Perseids also overlap with the Delta Aquariids meteor shower.

Damaging storms rolled through our area Tuesday afternoon.
The storms toppled trees and ripped out power lines in Lackawanna County.
We found branches down onto a home along Swetland Street in Scranton.
It was a similar scene a few miles away in Old Forge where emergency crews were checking out downed power lines and a tree near Sibley Avenue.
In Luzerne County, a cemetery was also damaged. A viewer sent in photos from Marcy Cemetery along Foote Avenue where you can see a large branch snapped and crushed a pickup truck.

TOBYHANNA STATE PARK, Pa. -- The anglers were out early, making the most of the Monday morning air at Tobyhanna State Park.
"Extremely hot. I try to get out here as early as possible when it's cool so by 12 o'clock I'm in the house where it's cooler as well," said Dominique Fuller of Coolbaugh Township.
This is one of the top hottest Julys on record in northeastern Pennsylvania and after last year's rainy overcast summer, many are liking this sun and heat.

TROY, Pa. -- The smell of fair food is in the air. Everywhere you look, there is something different to eat at the Troy Fairgrounds. The 144th Troy Fair is in full swing.
"I've come to the fair probably almost every year of my life," Valerie Hugg said.
"We used to always come to the fair when we were kids and we played in the fair band when we were in high school for the horse races. It's just a day to come back and see people we knew from childhood," LuAnn Simcoe said.
While fair food always takes center stage, right now people are talking about the weather.

WYOMING COUNTY, Pa. -- The searing temperatures the past few days made working outside pretty tough, in some cases, downright dangerous.
"I'm glad it's over. I don't mind the heat, but the humidity has been terrible and that bothered me more than the heat, but have to deal with it!" said Bob Stevens of Tunkhannock Township.
"The heat and humidity, it really just felt like a wet blanket and you're trying to do your job and you're just sweating. Not good," said John Algar of Tunkhannock Township.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Pa. -- On one of the hottest days of the summer so far, folks in Sullivan County -- one of the coldest spots in our area -- are trading in the snow shovel for a beach shovel and covering themselves in sunscreen instead of warm layers.
Not very many people come to Sullivan County for most of the year -- it's the second least-populated county in the state of Pennsylvania. It's also one of the coldest. So today, that makes it the coolest place to be.
So our question to people today was which do you prefer, hot or cold?

BERWICK, Pa. -- On a day like today, many are sitting inside near the air conditioning. But Newswatch 16 found a group paving Fowler Ave in Berwick.
"These guys are working in very hot temperatures regardless of the weather. They're laying asphalt at 290 degrees," said Raymond Leary, construction manager of Barry Isaac and Associates.
The guys were working hard, and in hot conditions no less. But Leary says crews do all they can to beat the heat while getting the job done.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- More than 100 field hockey players gave it their all at practice at Bucknell University in Lewisburg. This is Bison Field Hockey Camp and teenagers are here from all over the east coast. These athletes are used to playing in the heat.
"I mean it's definitely hotter on the turf. It's about 5 to 10 degrees hotter, so we take that into account and make sure we're getting enough water and getting enough sunscreen," Leah Fogelsanger said.