This Day in Storm Chasing & Severe Storms History

[Scott Sims]

June 5th, 2010
Yates City/Elmwood, IL(Peoria Metro).

 

[Lou Ruh]

On this day back in 1994, a nocturnal tornado hit the area of Limerick, PA in Montgomery County (my county of residence). It was part of a family of tornadoes that hit in the state of Maryland as well as locations in Chester County, PA. Effects included the destruction of 15 homes in The Hamlet housing development and severely damaging 15 more. There were three fatalities (a mother/father/10 month old baby) and at least 25 injuries. Many people were asleep when the tornado occurred. Identifiable lofted debris was found 35 miles away. The local NWS office rated this tornado a F3. I have spoken to some of the LEOs that were first on-scene and also in nearby communities, and, the tornadic damage may hve started in Royersford, PA (it was surveyed as straight-line in that location, but, one police officer was in his car which was lofted a city block and dropped, all without rolling at all). Few pictures exist of this tornado, but, the damage pictures can be found by searching for Limerick tornado.

 

[Randy Jennings]

Today is the 33rd anniversary of the the Delta Air Lines Flight 191 airplane crash at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). It occurred around 6:05 P.M. CDT on August 2, 1985. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Accident Board determined that the cause of the incident was wind-shear associated with an intense thunderstorm downdraft that occurred at the north end of the airport along runway 17 Left (17L). Today we know this intense, localized downburst as a microburst, a weather phenomenon that was not well understood at the time of the accident. The events on August 2, 1985, likely helped to drive the need to reform aviation weather safety. A full writeup on this event can be found at: https://www.weather.gov/fwd/delta191

For me this in one of these events that I remember where I was when it happened. I was 10 years old and playing in my backyard about 10 miles away from the crash site. I remember seeing the storm in the distance hearing the sound of the plane crashing (although it could have been thunder). I can't help put wonder if this played a role in my fascination with severe weather.

 

[JamesCaruso]

Today is the 33rd anniversary of the the Delta Air Lines Flight 191 airplane crash at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). It occurred around 6:05 P.M. CDT on August 2, 1985. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Accident Board determined that the cause of the incident was wind-shear associated with an intense thunderstorm downdraft that occurred at the north end of the airport along runway 17 Left (17L). Today we know this intense, localized downburst as a microburst, a weather phenomenon that was not well understood at the time of the accident. The events on August 2, 1985, likely helped to drive the need to reform aviation weather safety. A full writeup on this event can be found at: https://www.weather.gov/fwd/delta191

For me this in one of these events that I remember where I was when it happened. I was 10 years old and playing in my backyard about 10 miles away from the crash site. I remember seeing the storm in the distance hearing the sound of the plane crashing (although it could have been thunder). I can't help put wonder if this played a role in my fascination with severe weather.

Incredible that with today’s knowledge and Doppler radar technology we could still have a plane crash like in Mexico on Tuesday 7/31/18, just two days before the 33rd anniversary of the crash you noted, in which a downburst is again the suspected culprit of the accident...