1985-05-31 OH/PA/NY Outbreak

[Amanda Farnham]

I was wondering if anyone had any stories concerning this outbreak. I was 10 years old at the time, living in North East, PA. I remember Joey Stevens from WJET-24 screaming for people to get into their basements on tv. We did see one funnel cloud go over our house, and watched another one go along the lakeshore. It was definately a scary time for a 10 year old!

 

[Bill Hark]

I was not there for the outbreak but researched it when looking for video for my Eastern Fury collection. I found this nice website with maps, photos and great links concerning the outbreak:

http://may311985tornadoes.com/

Self-Serving plug: I did contact one of the tornado videographers and managed to license his wild video of the Hermitage, PA tornado for my collection of eastern tornado video. I am selling the DVD. There is a small still image and a couple of brief clips on the video promo:

http://www.harkphoto.com/EasternFury.html

Bill Hark

 

[MatthewCarman]

If you have the big green book (Significant tornadoes) it has this event listed as the worst tornado outbreak in recorded history for the area it affected which was mostly in north west and central Pennsylvania. Seven F4 tornadoes and one F5 tornado occurred with this outbreak in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ten of the tornadoes from the outbreak were killer tornadoes. The F5 tornado was on the ground for 47 miles and went from Ohio to Pennsylvania. A F4 tornado was on the ground for 69 miles in central Pennsylvania and another F4 tornado was on the ground for 56 miles in north west Pennsylvania. There was two more F4 tornadoes in Canada. This is an interesting event.

 

[Greg McLaughlin]

There is a book out there called "Tornado Watch 211" by John G. Fuller. I haven't read this book since highschool. This book is about the tornado outbreak and has some incredible stories in it. I am sure you can find it on Amazon.

 

[Ryan Sheff]

Great writeup along with multiple accounts from people in the path of the tornadoes in PA. Really freaky to read the part where the mayor of Wheatland, PA comes out of her basement, up on the hill overlooking the town, and sees the town pretty much gone. http://www.pahighways.com/features/may31tornadoes.html

 

[Amanda Farnham]

If you have the big green book (Significant tornadoes) it has this event listed as the worst tornado outbreak in recorded history for the area it affected which was mostly in north west and central Pennsylvania. Seven F4 tornadoes and one F5 tornado occurred with this outbreak in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ten of the tornadoes from the outbreak were killer tornadoes. The F5 tornado was on the ground for 47 miles and went from Ohio to Pennsylvania. A F4 tornado was on the ground for 69 miles in central Pennsylvania and another F4 tornado was on the ground for 56 miles in north west Pennsylvania. There was two more F4 tornadoes in Canada. This is an interesting event.

I have the big green book. I was lucky enough to catch it for $20 buy it now on ebay about 10 years ago. It was in deplorable condition, so it is now three ring bound in an old Admiral radio repair binder, but hey... it works. I also have the update. I find it fascinating stuff.

 

[Amanda Farnham]

There is a book out there called "Tornado Watch 211" by John G. Fuller. I haven't read this book since highschool. This book is about the tornado outbreak and has some incredible stories in it. I am sure you can find it on Amazon.

Yeah I actually own one (and I think actually two) copies of this book. It's a real good read that I would recommend.

 

[Bob Hartig]

There is a book out there called "Tornado Watch 211" by John G. Fuller. I haven't read this book since highschool. This book is about the tornado outbreak and has some incredible stories in it. I am sure you can find it on Amazon.

I've read it several times. I agree, it's a great book, very well done.

 

[Steven Marshall]

Welll if you are a REAL May 31st 1985 Outbreak affectionado...you would want a copy of the only surviving 911 fire dispatch tapes from that day...and I happen to be selling cd copies of it.

 

[Steven Marshall]

I was living here in the middle of ground zero that day...ended up getting dispatched to Atlantic Pa., a small amish community that was just about wiped out.

In a weird side note, my wife, who was raised in Kansas, looked at the sky fully three hours before the first mention of a torn watch ever hit the air, and took the kids to the basement. I now trust her tornado instinct!

 

[PlumJ]

I think this day was a moderate risk or something like that and then downgraded to slight with low probs a few hours before the tornadoes, then a high risk was issued or something, somebody from the NWS told me that this was a high risk day for NY,OH,PA and also an interesting note is that there were some storm chasers actually on some of these tornadoes, near Saxonburg PA there was up to 5 chasers at one time taking photos and possibly some old vhs footage the large multiple vortex tornado that hit near that town, Interesting because it was 1985 and people don't chase often in Western PA

 

[cdcollura]

Good day all...

Wow as I was not chasing as I was only 15 at the time, but living in NY I witnessed the squall line blast through the area (Suffolk county on Long Island) after midnight. I stayed up for it, and the young storm-chaser spirit was alive in me. Severe conditions arrived (60+ MPH, small hail, and some of the most impressive lightning I ever experienced at that time).

I recorded the audio, dug it up, and posted it at the link below. Enjoy!

http://www.sky-chaser.com/sctsosnd.htm

 

[Nick Smith]

NWS CLE has a nice page about the event

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/office/localinterest/1985Tornado/1985Tornado.php

The Storm Data & other info page has some warnings and the storm data publication for that month.

 

[Fred Mullens]

I remember the 'beehive'. That's what I called the Niles supercell at the time I glimpsed it.

Was working at an area business and left work to head to a friend's house not too far from my current residence (near Akron, OH). One of the streets on the way tops a small ridge and there's a clearing to the east.

The back side of the cell I was spotted was probably 60 miles to my east at the time yet the storm filled a goodly portion of the sky. What struck me was the amount of rotation present - ergo, the 'beehive' description. (I lived through the '74 outbreak but did not get a good look at any of the associated cells which passed through the area.)

Those two events cemented my interest in meteorology and severe weather.

A co-worker who also drove semi trucks stated that the affected areas in eastern Ohio looked as if someone ran a quarter-mile-wide mower right down the center of the forests.

 

[rpossert]

Hey all...I was 9 years old and living in Hubbard, OH at the time. The F5 (Niles, Wheatland) rolled through the north side of our town that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. As the technology has improved over the years, I have been become more and more fascinated by this storm and in turn all severe weather, especially tornadoes. I watched the tornado make it's way through Chestnut Ridge Rd and over US-62 into the Sharon/Hermitage, PA area on it's way to Wheatland before I lost sight of it. It wasn't very wide, comparatively, but I remember the amount and size of debris it was carrying/throwing being the craziest feature.

I've edited and added to the Wikipedia article on this outbreak: 1985 United States Canadian tornado outbreak with different sources around the web. Would love to hear any other stories anyone else has on this storm.