PITTSBURGH — It was on a Sunday, 15 years ago, when seven separate tornadoes struck nine different counties across western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
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The first tornado touched down in Mercer County, near Hermitage. It was an EF-0, but packed winds of about 70 mph. The same storm continued east and produced an EF-1 tornado, which touched down northeast of Mercer and eventually crossed into Venango County, west of Mt. Pleasant.
According to a report from the National Weather Service (NWS), straight line winds, also known as a downburst, occurred for several miles and winds reached 105 mph. Both tornadoes caused damage to trees, buildings and homes.
Armstrong County was next in line for a tornado. The third, which was an EF-0 with winds to 70 mph, wound up dissipating in Indiana County. There were numerous downed trees and power lines due to the storm.
Indiana County was a hotbed for tornadoes, with two additional twisters tearing through that day. An EF-2 touched down in Center Township, southwest of Indiana. Interestingly enough, this was the same storm that crossed southern Armstrong County, but with a new tornado.
The report stated that maximum winds reached around 135 mph. Damage ranged from toppled trees to debris scattered everywhere. This particular twister destroyed a home, while causing damage to others.
Another tornado touched down just to the northeast of the previous twister. It was not as strong, rating as an EF-1, but still packed winds to 90 mph. One person was injured with this tornado and numerous trees, power lines and telephone poles were downed, according to the NWS. A number of sheds and garages were either damaged or destroyed.
Butler County was next in line to be hit with a storm. An EF-1 tornado touched down east of Butler with winds whipping to 105 mph. The NWS report mentioned roofs being blown off several houses and multiple trees were brought down.
The final tornado, an EF-1, hit Marshall County, West Virginia and winds reached 100 mph. The twister toppled trees and damaged some homes, including a barn. The storm also produced hail from up to 2.5 inches to baseball-sized.
According to the NWS, this was the most prolific outbreak of tornadoes across the region since June 2, 1998, when nine tornadoes crossed the area.
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