PITTSBURGH — The National Weather Service confirms three tornadoes touched down in or near western Pennsylvania during overnight storms.
The two E-F1 and one E-F2 tornadoes left paths of destruction in their wake, taking down trees, destroying homes and leaving community members feeling lucky for their safety.
PHOTOS: Multiple tornadoes touch down in Pittsburgh region, leaving behind path of destruction
Channel 11 went to the communities most impacted by these dangerous storms to see the damage left behind.
Confirmed tornado in West Virginia near Pennsylvania border leaves behind path of destruction
Fairhaven, Hancock County, a small community in West Virginia near the Pennsylvania border, is a popular spot for campers and RVs. When the first ever recorded tornado tore through early Wednesday morning, it destroyed trailers, leveled barns, damaged homes and tore up property. Somehow, it spared the lives of those living in its path.
“It was just like a train coming through here,” said Joanna Plunkett. “I don’t know how I’m still standing. It is a miracle. God kept all of us safe.”
The National Weather Service determined the tornado had an EF-2 rating and had winds of up to 130 miles per hour.
>>> High-end EF2 tornado traveled through varied terrain to damage dozens of homes in West Virginia
Neighbors in Hancock County spent much of the morning picking up the pieces and sifting through debris, trying to salvage what they could.
“I’m not from West Virginia, but I know a lot of people around here. They’re a tight-knit community, and they will get through it,” Plunkett said.
Tornado touched down in Westmoreland County, NWS says
The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday afternoon an EF-1 tornado with speeds reaching 100 miles per hour touched down near Berkeley Road and McCurdy Trail around 3:15 a.m.
“It just sounded like a freight train coming right toward our house,” said Troy Wilson. “It was pretty intense.”
Troy, who studied meteorology in classes, woke his family up to have them shelter in their basement after he started seeing indications of rotation in the atmosphere.
“On our way down the basement steps, we could hear debris hitting the garage doors and the side of the house,” said Kim Wilson, Troy’s mom. “I guess I sort of panicked, but we were all right there together following each other down the steps, and I knew my son had a good idea what was going on.”
It took a little longer for the NWS to determine the rating of this tornado because the damage left behind was mostly done to trees. That meant those surveying the damage had to use a few indicators to determine the storm’s strength.
“Was this tree a strong tree?... Was it a hardwood? Was it a softwood? Was there any rot to it? Could it have come down with other trees? Did it get uprooted? Did it snap? And then we use that to kind of determine the strength of the storm,” said Alicia Miller with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
Confirmed tornado hit near Pittsburgh International Airport during early morning storms, NWS says
The EF-1 tornado in Findlay Township, which is near Pittsburgh International Airport, spared one pair of homeowners from any major damage but left a serious mark on the business next door.
The tornado with 105-mile-per-hour winds touched down just before 2 a.m. When Patty and Ray Langer’s phones started blaring with a tornado warning, they immediately took cover in their basement.
“We went down and we were down there for about a half hour, but 15 minutes after we were down there, you could hear the wind and it was just...[I] never experienced anything like that. I felt like the house was shaking a little bit,” Patty said.
Their home was spared from damage, but some trees were knocked down in their yard. The neighboring business wasn’t so lucky.
The roof of one of the sheds at Park West Supply blew off, and pieces of it were found a quarter of a mile away and on the Parkway West.
“We’re so blessed, so blessed. That’s what we’ve been saying as we’ve been cleaning up all day. We are alive and our house is in one piece. We can replace everything else,” Patty said.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
