A tornado with winds of 105 mph touched down in Uniontown during Thursday night’s storms, the National Weather Service confirmed Friday.
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The EF1 tornado -- the first February tornado since 1950 -- affected the city of Uniontown and North Union Township. It is the 11th recorded tornado in Fayette County since 1950 and the third EF1.
Roofs were blown off homes, utility poles were brought down and trees were snapped in half when the tornado roared through the area.
Confirmed EF1 tornado in Fayette Co. N Union Twp and the city of Uniontown impacted. This is the first Feb tornado since 1950. This is the 11th recorded tornado in Fayette Co. since 1950 and the 3rd EF1. pic.twitter.com/RFKiylygnU
— Valerie Smock (@ValerieSmock) February 16, 2018
According to the National Weather Service, flooding was its main concern Thursday.
While it issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in Fayette County, with the possibility of a tornado due to high winds, that wasn't something its meteorologists expected to happen.
The American Red Cross is opening a shelter at the East End Community Center on Cool Spring Street for people displaced by the tornado.
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"We always rate tornadoes based on where the worst damage is," said Fred McMullen, a National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. "So we want to see structural damage. We want to see it over a very narrow path and we want to see it track for certain distances."
The NWS completed a site survey Friday.
It was a unique setup because of a sharp temperature contrast: The temperature across Fayette County was pushing 70 degrees, and the temperature in Pittsburgh was in the mid-50s.
When there is sharp temperature contrast and winds changing near the ground, it can set the stage for a storm to produce a tornado.
The winds blew roofs off homes, took down utility poles and snapped trees. Despite the damage, no one was injured or killed.
"This region is very weather resilient," McMullen said. "They know what to do when disaster strikes even when it's in a month that you don't expect it."
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