The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Jefferson County Tuesday, whipping through with winds of up to 95 mph.
The tornado was rated an EF1, meaning it had a windspeed anywhere from 85 to 95 mph. On a scale of EF0 to EF5, an EF1 is considered a “weak” tornado.
The weather service said the tornado touched down around 4:15 p.m. just south of Brockway and continued north for four miles into Elk County, which covers part of the Allegheny National Forest.
No injuries were reported.
It is the sixth tornado that has been confirmed this year in Western Pennsylvania.
This is the 6th confirmed tornado since January 1st in our forecast area, which is the average number of tornadoes we see in a calendar year. #pawx #ohwx #wvwx #mdwx
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) August 22, 2018
The weather service said staff surveying the damage found uprooted trees, structural damage, a toppled truck and other signs of an EF1 tornado.
Officials said ground and aerial surveys will be done to obtain more detail of the damage.
Most recently in the Pittsburgh area, twisters touched down in Westmoreland County on June 27 — one in Hempfield and another at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Those tornadoes were classified as EF0 twisters.
First Published: August 22, 2018, 3:52 p.m.
