Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania

Tornadoes in Crawford County, Pennsylvania

44 tornadoes have crossed Crawford County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 2nd of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 19 people and injured 153. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
44
Deaths
19
Injuries
153
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 31, 1985

The deadliest in Crawford County

  1. F4 Atlantic tornado, Ohio and PennsylvaniaMay 31, 198516 killed, 125 injured
  2. F3, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 19852 killed
  3. F2, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 19851 killed

The strongest

  1. F4 Atlantic tornado, Ohio and PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F4, 56.2 mi (90 km)
  2. F3, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F3, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  3. F3, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  4. F3, Mercer and Crawford counties, PennsylvaniaMay 2, 1972F3, 7.9 mi (13 km)
  5. F2, Geauga, Ashtabula and Crawford counties, Ohio and PennsylvaniaJune 22, 1985F2, 33.4 mi (54 km)
  6. F2, Ashtabula and Crawford counties, Ohio and PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  7. F2, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 25, 2004F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  8. EF2, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaOctober 2, 2018EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  9. F2, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  10. F2, Crawford County, PennsylvaniaJuly 28, 1981F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Crawford County. Each year links to every tornado in Pennsylvania that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
20251EF0
20211EF0
20191EF0
201831EF2
20111EF1
20102EF0
20071EF1
20042F2
20023F1
20011F0
19981F1
19951F0
199411F1
19931F0
198611F2
1985819142F4
19831F0
198124F2
198021F1
19791F1
197213F3
19681F1
19551F2
19521F2
19501F0

Every tornado that crossed Crawford County

44 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Pennsylvania. The 4 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 14, 20264:10 PM EDTEF0Crawford0.40
June 14, 20264:28 PM EDTEF1Crawford0.875
June 14, 20264:29 PM EDTEF1Crawford0.550
June 14, 20264:51 PM EDTEF1Crawford2.10
June 9, 20253:45 PM EDTEF0Crawford0.725$24,000
July 29, 202112:40 PM EDTEF0Crawford0.675
April 14, 20196:48 PM EDTEF0Crawford0.4100$50,000
October 2, 20183:32 PM EDTEF1Crawford3.025$25,000
October 2, 20183:05 PM EDTEF1Crawford3.575$25,000
October 2, 20182:33 PM EDTEF2Crawford4.1501$750,000
May 26, 20114:40 PM EDTEF1Crawford6.6100$150,000
June 6, 20106:45 AM EDTEF0Crawford0.520$30,000
June 2, 20102:40 PM EDTEF0Crawford1.250$125,000
May 1, 20076:05 PM EDTEF1Crawford2.030$500,000
May 25, 20045:15 PM EDTF2Crawford7.050$3.5 million
May 20, 20047:30 PM EDTF0Crawford1.020$50,000
November 10, 20028:30 PM ESTF1Crawford1.040$330,000
July 27, 20026:03 PM EDTF0Crawford3.025$50,000
June 5, 20024:30 PM EDTF1Crawford0.2200$50,000
June 1, 20014:30 PM EDTF0Crawford5.065$100,000
July 20, 199812:55 AM EDTF1Crawford5.0100$70,000
May 24, 19953:10 PM EDTF0Crawford1.020$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19944:00 PM EDTF1Crawford6.01501$50,000 to $500,000
September 2, 19936:23 PM EDTF0Crawford0.220$500 to $5,000
September 30, 19863:20 PM EDTF2Crawford0.5601$500,000 to $5 million
June 22, 19859:30 PM EDTF1Crawford8.040$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19859:00 PM EDTF1Crawford8.033$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19854:30 PM CDTF2Geauga to PA33.4402$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19856:12 PM EDTF3Crawford8.0427$500,000 to $5 million
May 31, 19854:28 PM CDTF2Ashtabula to PA10.022015$500,000 to $5 million
May 31, 19855:23 PM EDTF3Crawford23.02772
May 31, 19854:17 PM CDTF4Atlantic tornado56.235016125$5 million to $50 million
May 31, 19855:10 PM EDTF2Crawford4.02001
May 2, 19835:00 PM EDTF0Crawford1.033$5,000 to $50,000
September 1, 19815:45 PM EDTF1Crawford0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 19812:00 PM EDTF2Crawford2.0104$50,000 to $500,000
July 21, 19802:15 PM EDTF1Crawford3.0101$50 million to $500 million
June 15, 19803:45 PM EDTF0Crawford6.210$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19796:20 PM ESTF1Crawford0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 197210:00 PM EDTF3Mercer7.9333$5,000 to $50,000
July 24, 19688:00 AM GMT-4F1Crawford0.110$50,000 to $500,000
July 1, 19557:00 PM GMT-4F2Crawford0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 17, 19528:34 PM GMT-5F2Crawford0.5400$50,000 to $500,000
July 24, 19504:40 PM GMT-4F0Crawford0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Crawford CountyThe forecast for Crawford CountyThe live radar over Crawford CountyEvery county in Pennsylvania

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.