Angry Sky

May 26, 2011 – 7:10 PM

Central Cumberland County is in chaos. A severe thunderstorm is plowing across the county. Several minutes ago, it struck the Carlisle area, leaving behind a large damage path of toppled trees, downed power lines, and localized flash flooding.

As the storm moves to the east-northeast, a small tornado touches down somewhere in the vicinity of Route 114 and Willow Mill Park in Silver Spring Township. The tornado remains on the ground for the next four minutes, tearing down more than 100 trees and destroying an outbuilding before dissipating somewhere in the area of Sears Run and Wertzville RD in Hampden Township. No lives are lost or injuries reported. The thunderstorm continues across Cumberland County leaving more wind damage behind. Despite the damage, the county dodged a bullet.

Late May's tornadoes are nothing new to Pennsylvania. Two large outbreaks occurred on May 31^st in previous years, one in 1998 and a larger, more deadly one nearly three decades ago in 1985.

My family was affected by the 1985 tornado outbreak. This is my family's story of that day and is one of thousands of stories from those who experienced nature's wrath.

As most Pennsylvania's slept during the early morning hours of Friday, May 31, 1985, a warm front surged north across the Commonwealth. Warm, moist air streamed in behind it. By the afternoon, many weather recording stations were reporting temperatures well into the 80's.

Sometime during the sunny morning, my family piled into our Ford station wagon for a day trip to Kinzua Dam state park, near the Pennsylvania/New York border. While we were there, we did the typical activities you would associate with a visit to a state park: hiking, sight seeing, and picnicking. I remember the heat that day – it was stifling.

My next memory from that day was the point where we decided to leave – the point where Mother Nature was beginning to throw out hints at what was in store.

By mid-afternoon, a strong cold front was plowing east from the Midwest. Tornadoes were already developing across the Canadian Provence of Ontario. Five tornadoes ranging in intensity from F3 to F4 ripped across Ontario that day. The first thunderstorms began to form over Ohio by 4PM and weather officials in the Northeast knew a major tornado outbreak was becoming nearly inevitable.

An Angry Sky

My father tells me I called it “an angry sky” and as I remember that day, I suppose that is an accurate statement – at least coming from a five-year-old boy. I certainly didn't know what I was looking at, but it must have unsettled me.

I can remember the clouds. They appeared so low you could reach up and grab them. As the clouds thickened, the color of the sky changed from a dreary gray to a yellowish-green hue. The clouds swirled and rolled and the breeze was warm; so warm it took your breath away. I remember the air felt heavy, adding to the unsettling environment that was quickly enveloping us.

This was the first clue the bad weather was coming, although I'm told there was no indication that tornadoes were a possibility. It was probably just an afternoon thunderstorm, common across Pennsylvania on hot and hazy days. We elected to cut our day short and return home. A couple of hours after we left, a large F4 tornado would tear across the Allegheny National Forest, 4 miles south of the dam. The tornado eventually struck the town of Kane, just before sunset at approximately 8:15 PM. Three people were killed.

A Town Wiped from the Map

About 50 miles south of Erie, PA is the small farming community of Atlantic, the place my grandmother called home. Situated at a rural cross roads, the town is bisected by a railroad and surrounded by working farms of various sizes.

At the center of town lies the intersection of the two two roads, one running north-south and the other east-west. From those two main roads, perfectly straight rural roads form a grid, more reminiscent of a Midwestern town than one in Pennsylvania. A large Amish and Mennonite community resides in the area and it isn't uncommon to have more horse-and-buggy combinations traveling up and down the roads than cars.

A large feed mill sits along the east-west road along the railroad. It's tall grain elevator and silos adorned with the Purina red and white checkered flag tower over the village. For a while it was the tallest structure around, until the 300 foot high AT&T transmission tower was built on the eastern outskirts of town.

Like many others across the western half of the state, the residents of Atlantic enjoyed an early taste of summer. Temperatures rose into the mid-80s. By 5:00PM, the National Weather Service office had issued a tornado watch, advising residents of the possibility of tornadoes. Minutes later that danger would become realized.

At 5:20 PM, a tornado was spotted several miles west of Atlantic, just outside the town of Jamestown. At the point of touchdown, the tornado is estimated to have been an F2 – with winds topping out at 157 MPH. Atlantic had only moments to prepare. At the same time the tornado was spotted, meteorologists in Erie, PA spotted the “hook echo” signature on radar – at that time it was the only way meteorologists had of remotely spotting tornadoes. A “hook echo” shows rain and debris swirling around the tornado's center of circulation, giving it the appearance of a fish hook on radar. A tornado warning was broadcast, but many homes did not have the necessary weather radios to receive such a warning. Televisions would be the only other way to receive warnings – until the storm cut the power.

Minutes prior to the tornado, Atlantic residents recalled hail the size of golf balls falling around them. Then the tornado appeared. To the west of Atlantic was a long ridge that ran from north to south. Residents looking to the west likely never saw the tornado coming until it topped the ridge. At that point, only seconds remained to react.

By the time to twister crested the ridge, it swelled to an F4 with estimated wind speeds up to 260 MPH. Some residents were lucky enough to get to shelter, others were not. In one home alone, five people were killed. Others died in a mobile home park, unable to get to adequate shelter. The tornado was over in minutes, as it exited the town it toppled the red and white striped 300 foot communications tower which was built to withstand 200 MPH winds.

My grandmother lived across the street from the feed mill. Just down the hill from the railroad crossing. Fortunately, she was not home at the time; rather, since it was the last day of school, she was attending a graduation party a few miles from town.

I don't remember how we found out about the Atlantic tornado. But I remember my mother was talking on the phone and crying. Such a memory sticks with a five-year old.

My mother left immediately for Atlantic. She was not allowed in and resorted to leaving the car and walking to the property where she grew up. I never saw the house after the tornado, we kids weren't taken to Atlantic until my grandmother received her new double-wide home. I'm told the tornado didn't directly hit her house, but it managed to throw a tree through the middle of it. The house crashed down around the tree. I'm also told my the tree didn't come from my grandmother's property.

Several months later, my grandmother was contacted by a family in New York state. They found some of her canceled checks in the woods behind their house.

There were 23 confirmed tornadoes that touched down across Eastern Ohio, Southwestern NY, and Western and Central PA.  Of the 23 tornadoes, 21 struck Pennsylvania.  9 of the 21 tornadoes were fatal and 8 were classified as violent, ranking F4 or F5 on the Fujita scale.

In Pennsylvania, 65 people were killed and more than $300 million in damage occurred.  On tornado, which struck Wheatland, PA  was classified at the top of the scale - F5 and is still believed to be the strongest tornado ever to strike the state. 

The May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak remains the worst recorded in the history of the state.

Growing up, I studied tornadoes and weather as much as I could, reading books and watching documentaries. I applied to and was accepted by the University of Oklahoma to become a severe storms forecaster. However, in the end, I opted to stay in Pennsylvania. Instead, I eventually chose to develop a career in Emergency Management – I credit that terrible day for setting me on this path.

We often hear about such calamities in the Midwest – in that zone that stretches from Texas north to Kansas called Tornado Alley. But here is evidence that it can happen here in Pennsylvania and by all accounts, I believe one day it will happen again.

In the 21^st century, we're a more storm ready community. The 1985 tornado outbreak helped local weather forecast offices realize the need for better radar and warning systems. Today, you can receive weather alerts on your smart phone and in your email. Weather radios are widely available and often work where cell phones do not. Even advances in radar imagery has increased tornado warning time from a mere handful of minutes to 10-15 minutes, depending on the situation.

It's important to realize that devastating tornadoes can occur anywhere at anytime. We've been relatively lucky in South Central PA. The worst tornado in recent memory, an EF3, struck Campbelltown in 2004. Since then, the tornadoes that have occurred were relatively weak, causing only minor damage.

With this being Severe Weather Awareness Week, we want you to be informed and learn how to prepare for a devastating weather event. Preparation could save the lives of you, your family, and your friends. Be prepared.



By Guest Blogger Jon Anschutz is a 9-1-1 dispatcher with DPS as well as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Monroe Township. Jon also guest blogs on weather for www.agweb.com!