Stats
Path length: 18.7 miles
Width: 1330 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 8
Rating: F3
County: Warren
Tornado Path
SPC coordinates: Start: 41.68 / -79.48 End: 41.65 / -79.15
Corrected coordinates based on analysis of aerial and satellite imagery:
Start: 41.687669 / -79.472379 End: 41.642330 / -79.121446
Introduction
An F3 tornado ripped through southern Warren County on the evening of May 31, 1985, causing severe damage in and around Tidioute and the Allegheny National Forest. The tornado, spawned by the same supercell that produced the Kane F4 twister, left a path of destruction nearly 19 miles long, injuring eight people and destroying 32 structures. Despite the significant damage, it is relatively overshadowed.
Summary
This tornado began 1.7 miles NW of Triumph and followed Gordon Run, downing trees for about two and a half miles, clipping the western part of Tidoute before crossing the Allegheny River. Kelly Larson watched as the funnel crossed the Allegheny River and Tidioute Island. She noted that it sucked all of the water and fish out of the river and temporarily exposed the river bed. Other witnesses saw this as well. In the Tidioute Happenings Facebook Group, Russell Glen commented: “Standing in the display window down at Schwab Ford, waiting to sign papers on the car I was getting with Bob Schwab and my stepfather, Leo Davis, we watched the water being sucked right out of the river.” Every tree was downed on Tidioute Island.
After crossing the river, the tornado devastated the area near the intersection of Route 62 and Route 337 in Limestone Township. Several homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. The Cove Drive-In and Tidioute Trading Post, located on the north side of Route 62, sustained minor damage. The Trading Post lost a few shingles, and the Cove had some awnings shredded. Just across the street sat the Twin Kist, an ice cream stand/restaurant owned by Bob and Helen Williams. The twister leveled the restaurant portion, leaving just the ice cream stand. Several people were inside at the time, and at least three people were injured. A neighboring home was razed to the ground. A trailer along the Allegheny River was tossed across Route 62 and onto parked cars beside the Twin Kist. Trees on the hillside near Route 337 were debarked.
The twister followed Route 337 for about two miles, blowing down trees, destroying a few barns, and wrecking at least one house. It also passed across the Tidioute Overlook, ripping apart the bathroom facilities and the picnic area and leveling 800 acres of timber. Passing over the Limestone Cemetery, the funnel toppled trees and tombstones. A nearby farmstead that Kelley McKean owned was struck. Two horses and a few goats were inside a barn that was demolished. Near the intersection of 337 and Economite Road, at a camp the Marin family owned, a trailer was flipped, and trees were knocked down.
After striking the Marin camp, the twister spent the rest of its life over the Allegheny National Forest, flattening about 10% of the 9337-acre Hickory Creek Wilderness area (roughly 900-950 acres). The tornado finally dissipated about 3.85 miles southeast of Cherry Grove. All told, the twister damaged or destroyed 32 buildings and injured eight people.
Discrepancies:
We gathered information for this event from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Databases, The NWS State College Summary, Thomas Grazulis’ Significant Tornadoes: 1974-2022 publication, and found the following differences:
Path Length:
- The SPC, NCDC, NWS State College Tornado Database, the NWS State College Summary, and Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes 1974-2022 list a 17-mile path length.
- We found an 18.7-mile path length when plotting out all known damage reports and damage seen via Google Earth Historical Imagery.
Path Width:
- The SPC, NCDC, NWS State College Tornado Database, the NWS State College Summary, and Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes 1974-2022 list an 800-yard path width.
- Local newspapers reported a 1-mile (1760 yards) path width.
- Based on Google Earth Historical Imagery as well as plotting the damage reports, we found a 1330 yard (0.76 miles) path width.
Sources
The sources compiled in our research for this summary can be found here.
Questions or comments about this summary? Contact us here!
0 Comments