1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak

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1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak
Tornado tracks and associated Fujita scale survey reports across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak
Tornado tracks and associated Fujita scale survey reports across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak
Date of tornado outbreak: May 31, 1985
Duration1: ~8 hours
Maximum rated tornado2: F5 tornado
Tornadoes caused: 41+ confirmed
Damages: $980 million (2005 USD)or in (CND)=$1 134 839 790.49 billion (2005 CND)
Fatalities: 88
Areas affected: Southern Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York

1Time from first tornado to last tornado
2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita Scale


The U.S. - Canadian Outbreak was a major tornado outbreak that occurred in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, on May 31, 1985. Forty-one tornadoes were counted including 13 in Ontario. It is the largest and most intense tornado outbreak ever to hit this region.

Contents

[edit] Storm system

The tornado outbreak was caused by a powerful low pressure system that traveled across the Midwestern United States during the early hours of May 31. A warm front associated with the storm sparked heavy thunderstorms during the pre-dawn hours. In the morning, the sun came out and temperatures soared into the mid to upper 80 degrees with a high humidity level, conditions typically seen during the summer months. However, a cold front which accompanied the system set up the stage for severe weather during the late afternoon hours.

[edit] Storm timeline and aftermath

The outbreak lasted roughly from just after 4 PM EDT, when the first tornado touched down in Ontario, until 11 PM EDT when tornadoes struck central and southern Ohio. However, the peak of the outbreak took place during the early evening hours, where the deadliest tornadoes across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio took place.

In all, 88 people lost their lives. It was the third costliest tornado outbreak in the history of the U.S., where it caused $450 million (1985 U.S. dollars) damage in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. It was also one of the costliest in Canada: damage in Ontario totalled an estimated $100 million USD. The damage would total nearly $1 billion in 2005 US dollars.

[edit] United States

Outbreak death toll
State Total County/City County/City
total
Ohio 11 Licking 1
Trumbull 10
Ontario 12 Barrie 8
Dufferin 2
Simcoe 2
Pennsylvania 65 Beaver 3
Butler 6
Crawford 11
Erie 12
Forest 7
Lycoming 2
McKean 4
Mercer 8
Northumberland 2
Venango 8
Union 2
Totals 88
All deaths were tornado-related

[edit] The Niles/Wheatland tornado

The small Pennsylvania town of Wheatland was nearly wiped out by a massive tornado, the most violent of the 41 recorded that day. Registering F5 on the Fujita scale, it was also the only F5 in Pennsylvania history.[citation needed]

It first touched down in Ohio near the Ravenna Arsenal in Portage County around 6:30 PM EDT. Gathering strength, it moved quickly into Newton Falls in Trumbull County causing F3 and F4 damage through Newton Falls and Lordstown. While nearly 400 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, no fatalities were recorded in Newton Falls, due to storm preparedness of local authorities and its tornado siren.[1]

As it neared the PA border in Niles and Hubbard townships of eastern Trumbull County, it created its first area of F5 damage. When it reached Mercer County, PA, it was a half-mile (0.8 km) wide funnel with winds estimated at 300 mph (480 km).[citation needed] At Wheatland Sheet and Tube, the asphalt was scoured off the parking lot, and shards of sheet metal and routing slips were left wedged beneath the remaining asphalt.[citation needed] 95% of Wheatland's business and residential area were destroyed.[citation needed] According to Storm Data from the National Weather Service, the destruction of the town "resembled that of a bombed-out battle field." The tornado finally ended near the city of Mercer, 47 miles (75 km) from where it began its trek, leaving 18 people dead (11 in Ohio) and 310 injured.[citation needed]

In Ohio, it was the deadliest tornado since the Xenia F5 during the Super Outbreak of April 3, 1974. The tornado was also captured on camera by several residents.[citation needed][2]

[edit] Other U.S. tornadoes

What may have been one of the most impressive tornadic events of the 20th century also occurred during this outbreak[2]. Later rated at F4, this massive tornado tracked over 69 miles (110 kilometers) of mainly dense forest and wilderness in central Pennsylvania (some outbuildings were either damaged or destroyed early in its life). The maximum width of the damage path from this storm was estimated to be at least 2.2 miles[3]; and it was also estimated that at least 90,000 trees were obliterated in the Moshannon/Sproul State Forest. The tornado crossed the western branch of the Susquehanna River twice, during its hour and a half on the ground.[citation needed]

Tremors were picked up by seismometers in the area, and a reflectivity spike later became visible in the hook-echo on the more primitive weather radar of the time (a WSR-57 unit located in State College, Pennsylvania), as the radar itself was picking up the hundreds of trees flying through the air at any given moment.[citation needed]

The deadliest tornado (later rated at F4) in Pennsylvania occurred in southern Crawford and northern Venango Counties where 23 were killed by this tornado, the deadliest ever in the state's history.[citation needed] In total, 64 people were killed in Pennsylvania alone, by far the deadliest death toll in a tornado outbreak and in a single day for that state.[citation needed] Later in the evening, some of these tornadoes crossed into New York affecting southern Chautauqua County, New York and Cattaraugus County, New York. One was an F4 and the other was an F3; nobody was killed but over 20 were injured in New York state.[citation needed]

[edit] Ontario, Canada

For more details on this topic see: The "Barrie" Tornado Outbreak of 1985

Some of the more notable tornadoes that day struck near Barrie, Ontario, about an hour north of Toronto. Killing 12 and injuring 155, these pair of F4's were some of the most powerful in Canada's history. 8 of the deaths occurred in the city of Barrie alone. Another tornado to the south had tracked 65 miles (105km) from near Arthur to just north of Newmarket. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak to hit Ontario since the Windsor Tornado during the Super Outbreak of April 3, 1974 that killed 8 people.

The storm produced a total of 13 tornadoes across southern Ontario, one of the largest number of tornadoes recorded ever in the province in a single day.

[edit] Tornado table

Confirmed
Total		 Confirmed
F0		 Confirmed
F1		 Confirmed
F2		 Confirmed
F3		 Confirmed
F4		 Confirmed
F5
43 4 11 7 12 8 1

[edit] Confirmed tornadoes

F# Location County/Regional Municipality Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Ontario
F0 Leamington area Essex unknown unknown
F2 N of Wiarton Bruce 2050 unknown
F3 N of Hopeville Grey 2200-2215 10.6 miles (17 km)
F3 Mansfield area Dufferin, Simcoe 2215 25 miles (40 km)
F0 N of Alliston Simcoe 2215-2230 0.6 miles (1 km)
F4 N of Arthur to W of Mount Albert Wellington, Dufferin, Simcoe, York, 2215 66.8 miles (107 km) 4 deaths
F4 Barrie area Simcoe, Barrie 2230 6.2 miles (10 km) 8 deaths
F1 Wagner Lake area Durham 0000-0030 unknown
F1 Reaboro area Peterborough 0000-0030 unknown
F2 Ida area Peterborough 0000-0030 unknown
F3 Rice Lake area Northumberland 0000-0030 unknown
F1 Minto area Wellington 0000-0030 unknown
F3 Alma to Hilsburgh Wellington 0015 20.6 miles (33 km)
Ohio
F4 NE of Monroe City, OH to NE of Ivarea, PA Ashtabula, OH, Erie, PA 2059 14 miles (22.4 km) 12 deaths
F3 SE of Bundysburg to NE of Colebrooke Trumbull, Ashtabula 2105 15 miles (24 km)
F4 SE of Cornelion, OH to SE of Eagle Rock, PA Trumbull, OH, Mercer, PA, Crawford,, Venango, Forest 2117 56.2 miles (89.9 km) 16 deaths
F2 NE of Dorset, OH to W of Steamburg, PA Ashtabula, OH, Crawford, PA 2128 10 miles (16 km)
F5 W of Newton Falls, OH to W of Mercer, PA Portage, OH, Trumbull, Mercer, PA 2230 47 miles (75.2 km) 18 deaths
F1 SW of London Madison 2306 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
F3 N of Johnstown to W of West Carlisle Licking, Coshocton 2315 29 miles (46.4 km) 1 death
F2 S of Salem to W of East Palestine Columbiana 2335 15 miles (24 km)
F1 NE of Frazeysburg Muskingum, Coshocton 2350 11 miles (17.6 km)
F1 W of East Sparta Stark 0045 0.2 miles (0.32 km)
F1 SW of Cedar Mills Adams 0105 2 miles (3.2 km)
Pennsylvania
F2 SE of Linesville Crawford 2110 4 miles (6.4 km) 1 death
F3 S of Saegertown to NE of Centerville Crawford 2123 23 miles (36.8 km) 2 deaths
F4 SE of Waterford, PA to SE of Panama, NY Erie, PA, Warren, Chautauqua, NY 2125 28 miles (44.8 km)
F3 S of Centerville Crawford 2212 8 miles (12.8 km)
F4 SE of Shamburg to SW of Owls Nest Venango, Forest 2230 29 miles (46.4 km) 7 deaths
F1 S of Pittsfield Warren 2230 5 miles (8 km)
F2 SW of Chaffee to E of Halsey Forest, Elk, McKean 2250 19 miles (30.4 km)
F3 S of Tidioute Warren 2330 17 miles (27.2 km)
F4 N of Sabula to NW of Jersey Shore Clearfield, Clinton, Centre 2335 69 miles (110.4 km)
F2 SW of Dotter Venango 2354 6 miles (9.6 km)
F0 S of Emlenton Venango, Clarion 2356 5 miles (8 km)
F4 NW of Brookston to E of Glen Hazel Warren, McKean, Elk 0000 29 miles (46.4 km) 4 deaths
F3 NW of Darlington to E of Sarverville Beaver, Butler 0010 39 miles (62.4 km) 9 deaths
F3 NW of Bastress to NE of Springton Lycoming, Union, Northumberland 0125 19 miles (30.4 km) 6 deaths
F0 W of Manor Indiana 0153 6 miles (9.6 km)
F1 NW of Freeland Luzerne 0245 11 miles (17.6 km)
F1 NW of Tobyhanna Monroe 0405 0.2 miles (0.32 km)
New York
F3 E of Jamestown Chautauqua 2225 13 miles (20.8 km)
F1 N of Norfolk St. Lawrence 0230 5 miles (8 km)
Sources:

Tornado History Project Storm Data - May 31, 1985 The "Barrie" Tornado Outbreak of 1985

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Grant, John G. (1987). "Tornado Watch #211"
  • Witten, Donald E. (1985). "May 31, 1985 - A Deadly Tornado Outbreak". Weatherwise magazine, 38 (4).
  1. ^ [1]1985: Northeastern Tornadoes
  2. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. 2001. The Tornado. Norman; University of Oklahoma Press; p. 203
  3. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. 2001. The Tornado. Norman; University of Oklahoma Press; p. 203

[edit] External links

v • d • e
10 deadliest Canadian tornadoes
Rank Name (location) Date Deaths
1 "Regina Cyclone" June 30, 1912 ≥28
2 Edmonton Tornado July 31, 1987 27
3 Windsor-Tecumseh, Ontario tornado June 17, 1946 17
4 Pine Lake Tornado July 14, 2000 12
5
- - -		 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec
Windsor, Ontario tornado		 August 16, 1888
April 3, 1974		 9
9
7 Barrie, Ontario tornado May 31, 1985 8
8
- - -		 Sudbury, Ontario tornado
Sainte-Rose, Quebec tornado		 August 20, 1970
June 8, 1953		 6
6
10
- - -		 Bouctouche, New Brunswick tornado
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba tornado		 August 6, 1879
May 11, 1953		 5
5
Source: Environment Canada