Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania · 2018

EF0 tornado, Finleyville, Pennsylvania, June 3, 2018

This EF0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Washington County on June 3, 2018, touching down at 8:11 PM EDT and reaching 15 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $5,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 3, 2018
Touchdown
8:11 PM EDT (00:11 UTC)
Lifted
8:13 PM EDT (00:13 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width
15 yards (14 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
County
Washington County
Touchdown point
40.244, -80.009
Lift-off point
40.242, -80.008
Record number
1806031811-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A cold front advanced across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania during the afternoon of the 3rd. The combination of dry air aloft and sufficient deep layer shear allowed for the generation of a few severe thunderstorms, which mainly caused tree damage. One brief tornado was seen near Finleyville in Washington County.

A brief EF-0 tornado was confirmed along Airport Road near Finleyville. The tornado touched down just south of a series of hangars along the southern end of the Finleyville Airport runway. It tracked southeast across a residential property and into a local valley before dissipating. Several large pine trees suffered limb damage, with one mature pine snapped entirely at the base. A two-story garage received damage to both entry doors as well as the removal of siding. A wooden vehicle trailer was also lifted and displaced approximately 30 feet.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Jun 3, 6:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 6:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 3, 9:17 AM EDT, 10 hours 54 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
917 AM EDT Sun Jun 3 2018

OHZ048-057>059-068-069-041330-
Coshocton-Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-
917 AM EDT Sun Jun 3 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

Thunderstorms will develop this afternoon with the passing of cold
front. Isolated damaging winds or hail could occur with these
storms.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-049-050-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029-031-073>076-
WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-041330-
Garrett-Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Harrison-Jefferson-Mercer-
Venango-Forest-Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-
Indiana-Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Westmoreland Ridges-Fayette-
Fayette Ridges-Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia-
Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston-
Eastern Preston-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker-
917 AM EDT Sun Jun 3 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western Maryland, east
central Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, southwest Pennsylvania, west
central Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia
and northern panhandle of West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 3, 3:39 PM EDT, 4 hours 32 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
339 PM EDT SUN JUN 3 2018

PAZ007-032030-
Mercer-
339 PM EDT SUN JUN 3 2018

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WIND WILL AFFECT
NORTHWESTERN MERCER COUNTY...

At 339 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Cortland, or 8
miles northeast of Warren, moving east at 30 mph.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Hermitage...                      Sharon...
Sharpsville...                    Greenville...
Farrell...                        Mercer...
Clark...                          Wheatland...
Jamestown...                      Fredonia...
Jackson Center...                 Sheakleyville...

This includes  Interstate 79 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 89
and 108.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Seek
safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.

This storm may intensify, so monitor local radio or television
stations for additional information and possible warnings from the
National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 4149 8029 4148 8015 4120 8013 4119 8052
      4149 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 1939Z 258DEG 25KT 4133 8071

TAX
Local storm report, Jun 3, 4:07 PM EDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
407 PM EDT SUN JUN 03 2018

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

0330 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 W LONGS CROSSING      40.83N  80.82W
06/03/2018                   COLUMBIANA         OH   911 CALL CENTER

            TREES DOWN

&&

EVENT NUMBER PBZ1803066

MF
Local storm report, Jun 3, 4:12 PM EDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
412 PM EDT SUN JUN 03 2018

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

0330 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 N GARDEN CITY MOBILE  40.88N  80.83W
06/03/2018                   COLUMBIANA         OH   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TREES AND BRANCHES DOWN NEAR ROUTE 344 SOUTH OF SALEM
            AND LEETONIA

&&

EVENT NUMBER PBZ1803067

MF
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 4:14 PM EDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
414 PM EDT SUN JUN 3 2018

WVZ012-021-509-032100-
Marion-Monongalia-Wetzel-
414 PM EDT SUN JUN 3 2018

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WIND AND HEAVY
RAIN WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN MONONGALIA...WETZEL AND NORTHWESTERN
MARION COUNTIES...

At 414 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Pine Grove, or
7 miles southeast of New Martinsville, moving east at 30 mph.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
New Martinsville...               Mannington...
Pine Grove...                     Hundred...
Jacksonburg...                    Smithfield...
Wileyville...                     Big Run...
Reader...                         Knob Fork...
Littleton...                      Porters Falls...

Torrential rainfall also is occurring with this storm and may cause
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

This storm may intensify, so monitor local radio or television
stations for additional information and possible warnings from the
National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 3951 8074 3953 8077 3955 8079 3956 8081
      3956 8083 3967 8087 3972 8067 3972 8039
      3952 8031 3949 8073
TIME...MOT...LOC 2014Z 262DEG 25KT 3960 8073

TAX
Local storm report, Jun 3, 5:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jun 3, 7:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
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The surface observations

Pittsburgh/Alleghen (AGC), 14 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2018 tornado in PennsylvaniaEvery tornado in Pennsylvania since 1950Warnings in force in Pennsylvania nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 3, 2018

2 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 312:21 PM MSTEF0Cibola, NM2.450
June 34:56 PM MDTEF0Torrance, NM2.650

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.