3/23/11 DISC: PA

[Nick Biermann]

Another day with amazing tornado pictures, this time from Pennsylvania. Viewers sent in photos and video from this tornado southeast of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, PA:

http://www.wpxi.com/slideshow/mostpopular/27298970/detail.html
http://www.wtae.com/weather/27298070/detail.html
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/gallery/2011/03/23/all-hail-breaks-loose/#photo-9

With confirmation still pending of course, the tornado may be responsible for damage to several homes and a high school in Hempfield Township near Ft. Allen and Greensburg, PA. To the best of my knowledge, no serious injuries were reported.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/03/23/storms-high-winds-damage-parts-of-western-pa/

 

[Dan Robinson]

A few Youtube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJMtySuXxgM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-zNf0ouNtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7FCw2TwH-8

 

[Jason Foster]

And boy did we blow this one. Ellinwood targeted Morgantown, WV, just south. I was hesitant to even go...because all I saw was "WEST VIRGINIA" and that put me off already. I don't mind chasing around the Mid-Atlantic...but the mountains are something different.

Interesting day, but I again say no to WV...so if I ever bring up WV again...someone beat me with a bat.

Have to see if there is a report thread to give full account and the few pictures I did take...but they are from WV...not SW PA...which was one area Ellinwood discussed and I believe forecasted for on the madusweather.com site/blog.

 

[Jason Harris]

That first video Dan posted is rather hilarious with the high school kids having the camera with the initial focus on the part of the storm that is not producing the tornado an their hysterical friend showing where the tornado actually is . . . so is that from a different wall cloud, a different part of the wall cloud that we see initially or a separate cell?

Another video: "do you see that twister?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbrk-i6uwt0&feature=related

 

[Dan Robinson]

If it hadn't been a 9-hour drive one-way with current gas prices, I would have chased this. Short-term models were pretty solid with this setup in the morning. The Pittsburgh to Morgantown area was the main area of interest, as the surface low was shown tracking east through there with the warm front/stationary front right out ahead. This was the only area with good low level shear and backed surface winds, right along the front. Furthermore, skies cleared out in SW PA early on and allowed destabilization. The tornadic storm developed fairly late near Pittsburgh and rapidly intensified as it reached the boundary. The storms in Ohio organized well, but couldn't tornado due to the southwesterly surface flow.