Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania · 2026
EF1 tornado, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, August 22, 2026
This EF1 tornado ran 1.0 miles across Clearfield County on August 22, 2026, touching down at 7:55 PM EDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS CTP's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Madera EF-1 Aug 22, 2026. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
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.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- EF1, preliminary
- Date
- August 22, 2026
- Touchdown
- 7:55 PM EDT (23:55 UTC)
- Lifted
- 7:57 PM EDT (23:57 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 1.0 miles (1.6 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Clearfield County
- Touchdown point
- 40.828, -78.438
- Lift-off point
- 40.832, -78.420
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 90 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS CTP
- The office's name for it
- Madera EF-1 Aug 22, 2026
- Survey last edited
- August 26, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
The National Weather Service has confirmed tornado damage in southeast Clearfield County.
At approximately 7:55 PM EDT on Saturday, August 22, 2026, a line of thunderstorms merged with a supercell thunderstorm and produced a tornado in the town of Madera. The tornadic damage began on Belsena Road near Elm Street, where a large tree was blown across the road. Multiple trees were uprooted or snapped and a roof was torn off of a residence on Spruce Street. Trees were also snapped and uprooted on the east side of Madera on Alexander Road and Heritage Lane. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 2 minutes and traveled approximately 1 mile before dissipating. Straight line winds continued to produce sporadic damage to the northeast of Madera.
We want to thank the Clearfield County Emergency Management Agency and Madera Township fire officials for their help with this survey.
Written by NWS CTP in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
10 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS CTP, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 93 mph.
- Most of roof torn off and thrown into the front yard.
- Tree snapped and fell over driveway.
- A few trees uprooted and damage to a goat pen.
- Air conditioning unit through window and fridge thrown across street.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21:12 UTC | 02:56 UTC | Flood Watch | CTP |
| 21:55 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | CTP |
| 23:08 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 23:32 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 23:42 UTC | 02:55 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | CTP |
| 23:55 UTC | 00:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 23:58 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | CTP |
| 00:11 UTC | 00:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | CTP |
| 00:29 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 19:56 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), 12:00Z
11.9 hours before the tornado, 149 km from the path. August 22, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 84 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -98 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1145 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 4 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 19 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 40 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.0 K/km
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), 00:00Z
0.1 hours after it, 149 km from the path. August 23, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 286 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -63 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 527 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 943 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 143 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 156 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
The surface observations
Clearfield-Lawrence Apt(Was N97) (FIG), 24 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:55 UTC | 130° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:00 UTC | 130° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:05 UTC | 160° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:10 UTC | 120° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:15 UTC | 110° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:17 UTC | 72 | 66 | 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |
| 22:20 UTC | 100° 3 kt | 1011.9 | -RA | |||
| 22:25 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1011.9 | -RA | |||
| 22:30 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1011.9 | -RA | |||
| 22:35 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 22:40 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1011.9 | -RA | |||
| 22:45 UTC | 130° 3 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:50 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | ||||
| 22:54 UTC | 70 | 66 | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | VCTS -RA | |
| 22:55 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 23:00 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |||
| 23:05 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.5 | -RA | |||
| 23:10 UTC | 220° 3 kt | 1012.5 | -RA | |||
| 23:13 UTC | 68 | 67 | 230° 4 kt | 1012.5 | -RA | |
| 23:15 UTC | 220° 3 kt | 1012.5 | -RA | |||
| 23:20 UTC | 190° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA BR | |||
| 23:25 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1011.9 | RA BR | |||
| 23:26 UTC | 68 | 67 | 90° 3 kt | 1011.5 | VCTS RA BR | |
| 23:30 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1011.9 | RA BR | |||
| 23:35 UTC | 230° 4 kt | 1012.2 | RA BR | |||
| 23:37 UTC | 68 | 66 | 250° 5 kt | 1012.2 | VCTS RA BR | |
| 23:40 UTC | 250° 4 kt | 1012.5 | RA BR | |||
| 23:45 UTC | 280° 5 kt | 1012.9 | -RA BR | |||
| 23:50 UTC | 310° 8 kt | 1013.2 | RA BR | |||
| 23:54 UTC | 67 | 66 | 300° 14 kt | 27 | 1013.5 | VCTS RA BR |
| 23:55 UTC | 1013.5 | RA BR | ||||
| 00:00 UTC | 1013.5 | +RA BR | ||||
| 00:04 UTC | 63 | 61 | 310° 12 kt | 1013.9 | VCTS +RA BR | |
| 00:05 UTC | 310° 12 kt | 1013.9 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:10 UTC | 300° 6 kt | 1013.9 | RA BR | |||
| 00:11 UTC | 62 | 61 | 290° 7 kt | 18 | 1013.9 | VCTS RA BR |
| 00:15 UTC | 1013.9 | +RA BR | ||||
| 00:16 UTC | 62 | 60 | 270° 9 kt | 16 | 1013.9 | VCTS +RA BR |
| 00:20 UTC | 260° 9 kt | 1013.5 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:25 UTC | 62 | 60 | 240° 5 kt | 17 | 1013.5 | VCTS +RA BR |
| 00:25 UTC | 240° 5 kt | 1013.5 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:30 UTC | 200° 3 kt | 1013.5 | RA BR | |||
| 00:32 UTC | 61 | 60 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.5 | VCTS RA BR | |
| 00:35 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.5 | RA BR | |||
| 00:40 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |||
| 00:45 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |||
| 00:50 UTC | 80° 4 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 00:54 UTC | 61 | 61 | 70° 4 kt | 1012.9 | VCTS -RA | |
| 00:55 UTC | 70° 4 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 01:00 UTC | 110° 3 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 01:05 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.9 | ||||
| 01:10 UTC | 100° 3 kt | 1012.9 | ||||
| 01:14 UTC | 61 | 61 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |
| 01:15 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |||
| 01:20 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |||
| 01:25 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 01:30 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 01:35 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.9 | -RA | |||
| 01:40 UTC | 10° 3 kt | 1012.5 | -RA BR | |||
| 01:41 UTC | 61 | 61 | 10° 3 kt | 1012.5 | -RA BR | |
| 01:45 UTC | 40° 3 kt | 1012.2 | -RA BR | |||
| 01:50 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.5 | BR | |||
| 01:54 UTC | 61 | 60 | 60° 3 kt | 1012.2 | BR |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:54 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.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:45 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Nnw Mahaffey | Clearfield, PA | Flooding on Route 219 between Irvin St and Kings Hwy. |
| 22:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ene Glen Hope | Clearfield, PA | Trees down on 100 block of Keagy Rd in Madera. |
| 23:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 W Reynoldsville | Jefferson, PA | trees down on fuller road. |
| 23:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Duncansville | Blair, PA | Trees and wires down by Arlene Ln and Herr Ln. |
| 23:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nne Force | Elk, PA | Trees down on wires near Weedville. |
| 23:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wnw Williamsburg | Blair, PA | Large tree down on Route 22 near the base of Short Mountain. |
| 23:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ene Glen Hope | Clearfield, PA | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 ENE Glen Hope. Trees down on 100 block of Keagy Rd in Madera. |
| 23:55 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 W Lakemont | Blair, PA | Flooding on 500 block of Plank Road. |
| 23:55 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nw Ramey | Clearfield, PA | EF-1 tornado with maximum wind speed of 90 mph. Path length of 1 mile and path width of 150 yards. |
| 23:56 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nnw Ramey | Clearfield, PA | Numerous trees down in Madera. |
| 00:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Osceola Mills | Clearfield, PA | *** 1 INJ *** Tree down on a car on Coal Run Rd, causing an injury to the driver. |
| 00:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ne Osceola Mills | Clearfield, PA | Tree down on side of Walton St. |
| 00:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Philipsburg | Clearfield, PA | Tree down with arcing wires. Time estimated by radar. |
| 00:18 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Philipsburg | Clearfield, PA | Tree fell into the roof of a home. No injuries. Time estimated by radar. |
| 00:24 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Philipsburg | Clearfield, PA | Tree down, blocking roadway in front of housing development. |
| 00:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Se Black Moshannon St | Centre, PA | Tree down across Beaver Rd. |
| 00:45 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 2 Wnw Lakemont | Blair, PA | Multiple flooded basements in Altoona between Logan Blvd and 58th St. |
| 00:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wnw Unionville | Centre, PA | Tree down blocking both lanes of Rattlesnake Pike. |
| 00:58 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Bellefonte | Centre, PA | Tree down blocking right lane of E Bishop St. |
| 01:00 UTC | FLOOD | 1 Nw Philipsburg | Clearfield, PA | Flooding on Route 322 near Irwin Dr. |
| 02:00 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Nne Hollidaysburg | Blair, PA | Water entering the lower floors of apartment buildings on Country Club Terrace Road. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in PennsylvaniaEvery tornado in Pennsylvania since 1950Warnings in force in Pennsylvania nowThe forecast where you are
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.