Tornado confirmed
PARKER TWP — The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh confirmed Monday what Parker Township residents already suspected Sunday — a tornado indeed tore through upper Butler County.
According to a statement issued by NWS, an EF1 category tornado with winds up to 105 mph caused damage. An EF1 tornado is considered weak, with the most extreme tornado designation being an EF5. On Sunday evening, severe thunderstorms cut an isolated path of damage in Parker Township, Butler County, and neighboring Parker City in Armstrong County and Perry Township in Clarion County, emergency crews said.
“It's a very defined path of 700 to 800 feet that stretches from Parker City into the township,” said Dave Blair, assistant chief for the Bruin Volunteer Fire Department, who took a tour of the township Monday morning.
He noted that seven houses were damaged and one business had significant damage, but nobody was hurt.
“I had to call off work today because my truck is crushed by a pine tree. How's that for a sick day?” said Michael Weigle, who lives in Parker City, on Monday.
Weigle recalls being home around 6 p.m. on Sunday when he first heard warnings for a possible tornado from the Weather Channel.“It was calm outside. It was a crystal clear, blue sky. Then, all of a sudden, it's pouring rain, debris is in the air, all hell broke loose. And then it was over in 20 or 30 seconds,” Weigle said. “My backyard looks like a bomb went off. I lost five or six pine trees. The wind completely uprooted them. It's been nuts.”Weigle said that along with his vehicle, the roofs of his house and garage are damaged.“Everyone is starting to get things back together,” Blair said, noting that all roads have reopened. “I've never seen all the different crews and departments respond so quickly.”
The National Weather Service was expected to survey damage in the area throughout the day. Tornadoes also were reported in other parts of the region, according to the agency, with numerous tornadoes swirling around Ohio on Sunday.Volunteers with the American Red Cross were out in the Parker Township area on Monday to assess damage, according to Mary Rogers, the organization's executive directors of West Central Pennsylvania.“They didn't have severe damage in the area,” Rogers said. “We helped two houses that were damaged by wind with tarping to prevent further damages since rain is in the forecast for the day.”
