Tornadoes confirmed in county
Weather experts confirm two tornadoes blew through Butler County on Thursday, and a new hazardous weather outlook lists a possibility of a tornado this week.
According to a report Saturday by the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh, two tornadoes caused damage in different parts of Butler County.
There were no injuries or fatalities reported with either.
The first to hit was between 7:11 and 7:16 p.m. Thursday. The weather service said the tornado began southeast of Ellport, Beaver County, and then traveled about 2.6 miles, crossed the county border and ended northwest of Harmony.
The tornado was rated an EF-1 which features maximum wind speeds of 90 mph.
According to the report, surveyors found damage only to hardwood and softwood trees. They did not observe any structural damage along the track.
“The tornado lifted as it crossed into Butler County just beyond the intersection of American School Road and Scott Ridge Road,” the report said.
The second tornado hit around 7:33 p.m., starting in the Homeacre and Lyndora areas and traveling into East Butler. The tornado was rated an EF-0, the lowest on the scale for tornadoes, which has estimated maximum wind speeds of 80 mph.
The path width for this tornado is estimated at a maximum of 300 yards, and it is believed to have travelled 8.9 miles.
“A damage survey confirmed a discontinuous tornado path causing sporadic tree damage varying in intensity as it tracked across central Butler County,” the weather service said. “The most significant damage was noted along Woodcrest Road, where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and flagpoles were bent over by the wind.”
Based on data from the weather service, Thursday's tornado is the first in the county since two were confirmed in 2017.
As of Sunday afternoon, Butler County is part of another hazardous weather outlook with concerns over possible severe weather Monday.“Isolated severe storms are possible Monday afternoon and evening,” the weather service said. “The main threat will be damaging wind gusts. A tornado is also possible.”According to Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist with the weather service at the storm prediction center, based in Oklahoma, there is a 2% tornado threat for the area.Hefferan said a warm front coming into the Ohio Valley will be followed by a cold front that could give the airflow the upward trend it would need to form a tornado.She said chances are slim, but they do exist that a tornado could form.“At the moment, it doesn't look as impressive as the other day was,” she said.Hefferan said beyond Monday, there are chances of rain, but temperatures are expected to stay low, which makes tornadoes unlikely later in the week, as warm fronts are needed to create the lifting effect.
According to the Saturday report, there were 10 tornadoes confirmed across the Pittsburgh service's coverage area.“It's been a crazy year with so many confirmed tornadoes,” Hefferan said.Hefferan said it's also unusually late for tornadoes to occur, and to see so many is a bit baffling. Of this year's tornadoes, 15 have come this month. In all the Octobers combined from 1950 to 2020 there were only 11 confirmed tornadoes.Some of the recent tornadoes have been strong too. One tornado that touched down Thursday in Washington County was registered as an EF-2, which has winds speeds as high as 130 mph.“It's so out of norm for this area this time of year,” said Hefferan. “It kind of makes us scratch our heads too.”Hefferan said it's unusual because consistent cold weather kills tornadoes, as they need a warm front to give them lift. Unlike past years, there have been a few extra warm fronts bringing the right conditions this year.Hefferan said as winter grows closer and temperatures remain low, tornadoes will become less likely. She said hopefully this happens soon because after tornado season comes heavy winter storms and all the problems that come with them.“We're hoping to put our hat up for this season for severe weather,” she said.
