Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania

Tornadoes in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

50 tornadoes have crossed Westmoreland County since 1950, 1st of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 240. 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
50
Deaths
1
Injuries
240
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 3, 1980

The deadliest in Westmoreland County

  1. F3, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaJuly 11, 19761 killed, 17 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Armstrong, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, PennsylvaniaJune 3, 1980F4, 11.8 mi (19 km)
  2. F3, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaJuly 11, 1976F3, 11.8 mi (19 km)
  3. F2, Beaver, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, PennsylvaniaJune 4, 1975F2, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  4. F2, Allegheny, Westmoreland and Indiana counties, PennsylvaniaMay 22, 1983F2, 38.0 mi (61 km)
  5. EF2, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaJune 26, 2024EF2, 10.8 mi (17 km)
  6. EF2, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaMarch 23, 2011EF2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  7. F2, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaAugust 15, 1997F2, 3.5 mi (6 km)
  8. F2, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaMay 12, 1980F2, 2.2 mi (4 km)
  9. F2, Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaJune 15, 1964F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Westmoreland and Indiana counties, PennsylvaniaMay 30, 1953F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Westmoreland County. Each year links to every tornado in Pennsylvania that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20245EF2
20211EF1
20202EF1
20185EF2
20171EF1
20121EF1
20111EF2
20061F1
20041F0
1998451F1
199712F2
19941F1
19921F1
199114F1
19903F1
19872F0
1983110F2
19802140F4
19771F1
19763118F3
197531F2
19741F1
196516F2
196414F2
19571F1
195414F2
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Westmoreland County

50 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 16, 20251:25 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland1.750
March 16, 20251:19 PM EDTEF1Westmoreland1.250
March 16, 20251:05 PM EDTEF1Fayette7.775
June 26, 20248:06 PM EDTEF2Westmoreland10.8200
June 26, 20247:57 PM EDTEF1Allegheny11.5300$1.5 million
May 29, 20246:16 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland0.350$10,000
May 17, 20243:50 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland2.9100$100,000
May 8, 20243:09 AM EDTEF1Westmoreland1.1200$100,000
July 29, 20211:54 PM EDTEF1Westmoreland4.9100$275,000
April 7, 20201:17 AM EDTEF0Westmoreland0.175$10,000
April 7, 20201:11 AM EDTEF1Allegheny3.8250$110,000
October 2, 20185:55 PM EDTEF2Westmoreland1.6250
October 2, 20185:38 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland0.8250
October 2, 20185:37 PM EDTEF1Westmoreland0.9150
June 27, 20188:20 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland0.7175$10,000
June 27, 20188:02 PM EDTEF0Westmoreland2.4150$15,000
November 18, 201712:11 AM ESTEF1Allegheny5.4125$50,000
June 1, 20125:25 PM EDTEF1Westmoreland4.8300$3.0 million
March 23, 20114:45 PM EDTEF2Westmoreland9.0300$4.0 million
December 1, 200611:40 AM ESTF1Westmoreland8.950$75,000
August 4, 20043:35 PM EDTF0Westmoreland0.130$1,000
June 16, 19985:28 PM EDTF0Westmoreland0.250$10,000
June 2, 19988:20 PM EDTF0Allegheny1.050$20,000
June 2, 19986:50 PM EDTF1Westmoreland8.02001$200,000
June 2, 19985:55 PM EDTF1Allegheny32.070050$13 million
August 15, 19976:10 PM EDTF2Westmoreland3.52002$800,000
July 5, 19944:10 PM EDTF1Westmoreland1.050$50,000 to $500,000
July 24, 199210:00 PM EDTF1Westmoreland1.550$5,000 to $50,000
April 9, 19918:30 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.2504$5,000 to $50,000
September 6, 19907:00 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.140
September 6, 19906:40 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.240
September 6, 19906:30 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.240
June 30, 19876:10 PM EDTF0Westmoreland0.520$5,000 to $50,000
June 29, 19875:50 PM EDTF0Westmoreland0.520$500 to $5,000
May 22, 19832:15 PM EDTF2Allegheny38.020010$500,000 to $5 million
June 3, 198012:30 PM EDTF4Armstrong11.810140$50 million to $500 million
May 12, 19803:50 PM EDTF2Westmoreland2.220$50,000 to $500,000
March 30, 19778:10 PM ESTF1Westmoreland1.0400
July 15, 19766:00 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.5101$50,000 to $500,000
July 11, 19764:45 PM EDTF3Westmoreland11.867117$500,000 to $5 million
June 1, 19764:00 PM EDTF1Westmoreland1.510$5,000 to $50,000
September 5, 19754:00 PM EDTF1Westmoreland1.0831$500 to $5,000
June 4, 19757:45 PM EDTF2Beaver45.330$50 to $500
May 26, 19758:30 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.8100
June 10, 19744:45 PM EDTF1Westmoreland0.4133under $50
November 16, 196510:15 PM GMT-5F2Fayette0.12806$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19648:00 PM GMT-4F2Westmoreland2.08004$50,000 to $500,000
July 8, 195712:59 AM GMT-4F1Westmoreland0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 19543:25 PM GMT-4F2Westmoreland0.1674$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 195310:00 PM GMT-4F2Westmoreland1.910$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Westmoreland CountyThe forecast for Westmoreland CountyThe live radar over Westmoreland 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.