Butler tornado warning ends with little damage
CRANBERRY TWP — It was a dark and stormy half hour. The alerts issued by the National Weather Service for southwestern Butler County were severe: Wind up to 60 miles per hour. Penny-sized hail possible. A tornado warning.
But little of that came to fruition in Butler County Monday afternoon. After a fierce downpour and some wind, there were few reports of storm damage in the county's southern tier — and the damage reported was minor.
Just one report of storm damage — a tree down on Three Degree Road near Tindall Road in Adams Township — came into 911 as of 4 p.m., nearly a full hour after the storm warnings expired, according to the Butler County Department of Emergency Services Communications Center.
Also in Adams Township, there was a report of a pole on fire, but that was unfounded, according to Adams Area Fire District firefighters.
There were no reports of storm damage in Middlesex Township, according to the Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company, and there were similarly no reports in Seven Fields, said borough manager Tom Smith.
Across Butler County, as of 5 p.m., there were 164 power outages, according to West Penn Power, or fewer than 1% of total West Penn customers. In areas primarily affected by the storm warnings — Adams, Cranberry and Middlesex townships and Mars — the number of outages was less than 134, with Mars Borough seeing the highest number of power outages at 1.83%.
Over a three-hour period ending at 5 p.m. Monday, there were 0.18 inches of rain reported at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service had issued the tornado warning for southwestern Butler County after a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Cranberry Township, moving east at 40 miles per hour.
According to the National Weather Service, which issued the warning at 2:51 p.m., rotation was indicated on radar.
Initially, Butler County's severe weather outlook from earlier today was upgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning. At 2:37 p.m., the service had issued a brief severe thunderstorm warning for southwestern Butler County.