The tornado outbreak of May 31, 1985 in Ohio, Pennsylvania and western NewYork was the worst to hit that part of the country since records have beenkept. Southern Ontario was also hit hard by this outbreak. The severethunderstorms and tornadoes occurred when a strong cold front ran head on intoa very steamy air mass covering the Ohio Valley and Northeast.Most of the thunderstorms were supercells, all with an element of rotation.
The rotation translated into 43 individual tornadoes during the late afternoonand evening, many of which were quite destructive. Using the original Fujitascale (there was no "E" back then) there were 12 F3 storms, eight F4 stormsand one F5.
One of the biggest tornadoes actually came pretty close to the theAccuWeather headquarters in State College, Pa. That powerful twister rippedthrough the forested land of northern Centre County leaving a mile-wide path ofdowned timber.
The tornadoes claimed 88 lives and produced nearly $1 billion in damage.
Story by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
