Pennsylvania, 2004

Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 25, 2004

May 25, 2004 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 2:50 PM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 25, 2:50 PM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
350 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

ANOTHER DAY OF SVR WX EXPECTED. LIS AND CAPES SHOULD BE HI IN THE WARM
SECTOR THIS AFTN AND EVE. AND W/ WARM FRONT PUSHING N THRU CWA NOW,
ALONG WITH MULTIPLE BOUNDARIES FROM PREV RAINS, WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SVR TSTMS. THEN WE HAVE THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT
EARLY TONIGHT.

ONCE THIS FRONT PUSHES S OF CWA, WEATHER SHUD IMPROVE THU.

TEMPS AND POPS FOLLOWED ETA GUIDANCE AND MATCHED MY NEIGHBORS. THERE
WAS LITTLE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES IN THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS.

.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MD...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONE MDZ001.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (WCN) WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONE MDC023.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONE
MDZ001.

OH...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES OHZ039>041...OHZ048>050...OHZ057>059...OHZ068>069.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (WCN) WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES OHC013...OHC019...OHC029...OHC031...OHC059...OHC067...OHC081...
OHC111...OHC119...OHC121...OHC157.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
OHZ039>041...OHZ048>050...OHZ057>059...OHZ068>069.

PA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES PAZ007>009...PAZ013>016...PAZ020>023...PAZ029>032.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (WCN) WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES PAC003...PAC005...PAC007...PAC019...PAC031...PAC051...PAC053...
PAC059...PAC063...PAC065...PAC073...PAC085...PAC121...PAC125...
PAC129.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
PAZ007>009...PAZ013>016...PAZ020>023...PAZ029>032.

WV...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES WVZ001>004...WVZ012...WVZ021>023...WVZ041.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (WCN) WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ZONES WVC009...WVC029...WVC049...WVC051...WVC061...WVC069...WVC077...
WVC093...WVC103.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES
WVZ001>004...WVZ012...WVZ021>023...WVZ041.

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, May 25, 10:15 AM EST, 6 hours 55 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1115 AM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-251715-
ALLEGHENY PA-ARMSTRONG PA-BEAVER PA-BELMONT OH-BROOKE WV-BUTLER PA-
CARROLL OH-CLARION PA-COLUMBIANA OH-COSHOCTON OH-FAYETTE PA-
FOREST PA-GARRETT MD-GREENE PA-GUERNSEY OH-HANCOCK WV-HARRISON OH-
INDIANA PA-JEFFERSON PA-JEFFERSON OH-LAWRENCE PA-MARION WV-
MARSHALL WV-MERCER PA-MONONGALIA WV-MONROE OH-MUSKINGUM OH-NOBLE OH-
OHIO WV-PRESTON WV-TUCKER WV-TUSCARAWAS OH-VENANGO PA-WASHINGTON PA-
WESTMORELAND PA-WETZEL WV-
1115 AM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...EAST CENTRAL
OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT IS FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. HEAVY
RAIN AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 25, 3:21 PM EST, 1 hour 49 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
421 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0414 PM     HAIL             BLAIRSVILLE             40.43N 79.26W
05/25/2004  1.25 INCH        INDIANA            PA   PUBLIC

&&
Local storm report, May 25, 3:32 PM EST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
432 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0430 PM     HAIL             NEWBURG                 39.39N 79.85W
05/25/2004  0.88 INCH        PRESTON            WV   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&
Local storm report, May 25, 3:50 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
450 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0435 PM     HAIL             1 S NEW FLORENCE        40.36N 79.07W
05/25/2004  0.75 INCH        WESTMORELAND       PA   PUBLIC

&&
Local storm report, May 25, 4:37 PM EST, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
537 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0457 PM     HAIL             BLAIRSVILLE             40.43N 79.26W
05/25/2004  1.50 INCH        INDIANA            PA   PUBLIC

&&
Local storm report, May 25, 4:46 PM EST, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
546 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 S INDIANA             40.55N 79.16W
05/25/2004                   INDIANA            PA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREE DOWN IN CLYDE

0500 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S BLAIRSVILLE         40.42N 79.26W
05/25/2004                   WESTMORELAND       PA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREES AND POWER POLES DOWN

&&
Local storm report, May 25, 5:01 PM EST, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
601 PM EDT TUE MAY 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0550 PM     HAIL             6 WSW KITZMILLER        39.36N 79.29W
05/25/2004  1.00 INCH        GARRETT            MD   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Venango

When
May 25, 5:10 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where
Venango County, 5 mi NW of Oil City to 5 mi N of Oil City
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
41.480, -79.783

A tornado touched down 5 miles northwest of Oil City, near Kaneville, in northern Venango County. Many trees snapped off along path through forested area just off Route 8. Estimated maximum wind 65 mph (57 kt). Path length one quarter mile. Path wide 100 yards. The tornado skipped across Route 8, snapped off a few more trees, and then lifted.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Pennsylvania, 2004Warnings in Pennsylvania, May 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5399418.