STORM2K

The following below are stats from this tornado outbreak that occurred 20 years ago today on may 31, 1985.

states / deaths /injuries/ homes destroyed /total losses
Pennsylvania/ 65 / 707 / 1009 / $376,367,000
Ohio / 11 / 340 / 300 / $150,000,000
New York / 0 / 16 / 21 / $4,000,000

The first F5 tornado ever recorded in Pennsylvania occurred during this May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak in Wheatland, PA. A town in Pennsylvania called Wheatland was nearly wiped out by a massive tornado of F5 on the Fujita scale. It's the only F5 in Pennsylvania's history. It killed 18 people and injured 310, and was one of the most powerful tornadoes observed east of the Mississippi.

This outbreak was among the region's worst recorded tornado event with 41 tornadoes in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada. Of the 90 deaths that occurred, 12 of them were in Canada. The damage totaled over 500 million dollars in this region.

20 years ago today we saw this deadly outbreak of tornadoes. Today we fare much better in the severe weather department. Truly an historical day 20 years ago today.

Jim

http://www.ems.psu.edu/PA_Climatologist ... atorn.html is the web link for the map of the tornado tracks from 5-31-85. The only F5 tornado ever recorded in Pennsylvania occurred on this date 20 years ago nearly wiping out the town of Wheatland, PA in the western part of the state north of Pittsburgh.

Historically, this is the worst severe weather day in PA. The 2 Johnstown floods have happened today, the tornado outbreak that Jim has mentioned, a deadly microburst has happened on this day a few years ago, resulting in a death at Kennywood in Pittsburgh, and another event that has escaped my memory right now.

However, today, the sun is out and there is no chance of bad weather today.

I was living outside of State College at the time. I took some incredible photos of lightning during the storm. I went up to Moshannon State Forest where #24 went through. It looked like a giant bulldozer went through the forest. A fire tower was knocked down and lay in a heap of twisted metal. Amazing!