Some Parts Of Harrisburg Area Hit With 10 Inches Of Rain Thursday Through Friday, Forecasters Say

Locator map of the Harrisburg metro area in the south central part of the of . Red denotes the Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, and yellow denotes the Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon CSA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After two days of record breaking rainfall, the sun is once again visible in the Harrisburg area this morning.

Some parts of the Cumberland, York and Dauphin counties received more than ten inches of rain during the last 48 hours, according to estimates by the National Weather Service in State College.

The Harrisburg area officially received a total of 9.74 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday, according to measurements taken at the Harrisburg International Airport.

Friday’s rainfall in Harrisburg was measured at 5.72 inches. That crushed the previous high for Oct. 11, which was 1.47 inches, set in 1905.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/10/some_parts_of_harrisburg_area.html#incart_river_default

Force Of Tropical Storm Lee Still Felt As 69 Houses Face Demolition In Dauphin County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Almost two years after Tropical Storm Lee, the cleanup continues as houses damaged by flooding along the swollen Swatara Creek and later bought by the federal government are being demolished.

During the past few weeks, local municipalities have hired contractors to remove the houses, purchased through the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Hazard Mitigation Program.  Buyouts from FEMA were determined by the cost of rebuilding the house and future flood insurance claims.

At least 69 houses have been targeted for demolition, almost all of them on land near or adjacent to Swatara Creek.  The total cost is $8 million with the municipalities carrying 3 percent, or $250,000, of the cost.

But the long-term effects of the demolition will be bourn by the localities, as the properties slip from tax rolls and elected leaders are left wondering what to do with flood-prone vacant lots.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/tropical_storm_lee_fema_buyout.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton One Of More Than 100 U.S. Airports At Risk Of Closure

More than 100 U.S. airports, including Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International, are in jeopardy of losing their air traffic control service – forcing their closure – under automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 2, according to a Center for American Progress study.

Under the potential across-the-board budget cuts, or sequestration, the Federal Aviation Administration would be required to slash an estimated $1.35 billion, or approximately 9 percent, from its annual budget for each of the next 10 years, starting in January, to reduce the nation’s deficit, according to the study.

In order to decrease its expenditures, the administration may choose to restrict flights nationwide – from 70,000 to 62,000 per year – said Scott Lilly, a CAP senior writer and the author of the study.

However, Mr. Lilly said it is more likely the FAA will be forced to cut air traffic service at 106 of the nation’s smaller commercial airports – which he defined as less than 750,000 passengers per year – including the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport and Harrisburg International Airport.

Read more:http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/wilkes-barre-scranton-one-of-more-than-100-u-s-airports-at-risk-of-closure-1.1355940

Harrisburg International Airport To Begin Offering Nonstop Flights To Denver

Image via Wikipedia

Harrisburg International Airport has used a new tool to arrange nonstop service to a new destination.

The airport will offer nonstop flights to Denver, Colo., starting May 22, it announced Thursday.

The service, provided by Frontier Airlines, will be offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays through Sept. 9 on a 138-seat Airbus 319 aircraft.

That’s the farthest west that nonstop service ever has been provided out of Harrisburg, airport spokesman Scott Miller said.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/584605_Harrisburg-International-Airport-to-offer-nonstop-flights-to-Denver.html#ixzz1m6DLq2GX

Harrisburg International Airport Poised To Escape Next Round Of Air Service Cuts

Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) is doing well and traffic is up. With the price of fuel, many airlines are looking at the cost-effectiveness of their 50 passenger regional jet fleets.  With todays fuel prices it has become more cost-effective to fly larger planes.  Fortunately, HIA is equipped to handle larger planes.

There are 1.8 million people within an hour of HIA which makes this a sizable market.  Because of this, many carriers flying into the HIA will simply start using larger planes. 

Delta has seen at 50 percent increase in traffic on their DFW to HIA route due to the Marcellus Shale gas industry.  Harrisburg is the hub of Pennsylvania’s state government and home to large companies like Hershey, which use air travel for business.

Airport officials are stating American Airlines bankruptcy filing will not impact travelers flying out of HIA.  What American Airlines decides to do with its regional airlines will determine what the future holds for HIA, not the bankruptcy filing.

Smaller market airport like State College and Venango Regional will most likely be under scrutiny by airlines as they decide whether flying from these locations remains cost-effective.  Can these smaller markets generate enough passengers to fill 70 – 100 seat planes?  Time will tell.

Harrisburg International Airport Passenger Traffic Up Over 2009

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Air travel is improving!  Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) is projecting a 14% increase in passengers over last Christmas.  Last month traffic was up 12% over November 2009 and year-to-date the airport has seen 7.3% increase in passengers.

Full body scans and pat-downs had no impact on air travel over Thanksgiving.