Tornado Struck Indiana County This Weekend, National Weather Service Says
INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. (KDKA) -- A tornado struck a northeastern section of Indiana County during storms this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
A storm survey today confirmed that an EF1 tornado occurred Sunday night east of Commodore in Indiana County, PA with estimated maximum winds of 105 mph. A final assessment including results of the survey will be sent out later this afternoon.
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 19, 2019
Severe storms ripped through parts of Western Pennsylvania over the weekend.
The weather service says that fire departments and rescue teams in Indiana County reported many trees had snapped during the storm on Sunday evening.
A storm survey will be completed near Commodore in Indiana County, PA today to determine what type of storm damage occurred with thunderstorms that moved through the area Sunday evening.
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 19, 2019
These reports prompted meteorologists to survey the storm damage Wednesday to establish whether it was caused by a tornado, as opposed to high winds.
After considering 28 different types of damage to structures and trees to determine the strength and scale, the weather service said Wednesday that an EF1 tornado struck east of Commodore on Sunday.
Winds are estimated to have reached 105 mph.
An EF0 tornado struck the Penn Run area of Indiana County in late May.
Tornados are measured on an enhanced F-scale rating from EF0 to EF5, with an EF2 rating or higher considered a significant tornado.
Assigning this rating is one of the most challenging tasks survey teams must complete, according to the weather service.
An EF1 tornado was already determined to have touched down in Butler and Armstrong counties Sunday.
