 In
the last 20 years, we have had a few encounters with their
deadly power. On May 31, 1985 a line of violent storms with
multiple funnel clouds left 65 dead, destroyed 1,009 homes
and caused an estimated $375 million in damage in Western
Pennsylvania. The town of Wheatland, Pa was totally
obliterated by the only F5 tornado ever recorded in the
state of Pennsylvania.
A decade later, on
June 2, 1998, sixteen people were injured by a twister that
touched down west of the city, then proceeded down the path
of the Parkway West towards Mount Washington. The tornado
soon reached the city, and the hillside was blanketed in a
large black cloud. Moments later, when the cloud dissipated,
stunned residents emerged to find many homes damaged along
Grandview Avenue and the surrounding streets. Roofs and
walls were torn from several structures, trees were
uprooted, and debris littered the area. Several of the large
trees lining Herschel Field were just sheared away, broken
in half like twigs. The tornado was the first known twister
to breach the city limits, and it registered as an F1 on the
Fujita Scale.
Governor Tom Ridge and Mayor Tom Murphy
inspect damage to a home on Mount Washington.
The
following links to Post-Gazette articles describe the Mount
Washington twister.
<Fronts created
Tornado Alley>
<>
<Residents Weather
Stormy Evening>
<Region Torn Asunder
By Hard-Hitting Storms>
On June 1, 2002,
Kennywood Park in West Mifflin was the scene of a
macro-burst that ripped the roof off of the pavilion
covering The Whip, a ride in the Lost Kennywood section,
hurling the structure onto a crowd of frightened onlookers.
The powerful storm produced wind gusts registering over 80
mph. One person was killed and over 50 injured in the
tragedy. Several trees in the historic Trolley Park were
damaged or destroyed. The fierce storm also damaged
buildings in the Lawrenceville, Homestead, East End and
Bloomfield areas.
Firefighters inspect storm damage in Kennywood Park.
The
following links to Post-Gazette articles describe the
Kennywood macroburst.
<Kennywood Park
Witnesses Describe Chaos at Whip Ride>
<Woman Dies in
Kennywood Collapse as Fierce Storms Tear Through Region>
Most recently, on
June 12, 2003, a thunderstorm over Pittsburgh produced
funnel clouds. The vortex traveled from the Southside to
downtown, as seen from Flagstaff hill in Schenley Park. The
following day the National Weather Service confirmed that
the funnel cloud was indeed an F-0 tornado with 75 mph
winds, the first tornado in Pittsburgh in five years. The
rare twister is shown in the photos below.
Last, but not
least, who ever thought that the city of Pittsburgh was in
an earthquake prone area? Well, it is not. But, on March 1,
1935 the city did experience a slight tremor. That's one for
the record books.
And
Finally ... A Rainbow Over Pittsburgh
Not
all inclement Pittsburgh weather is bad, andsometimes a
spring rain can have fascinating results.
*
Compiled from multiple sources - December 2004 * |
©
