EF0 tornado in Fayette County, Pennsylvania

An EF1 tornado developed within a squall line, impacting the Chestnut Ridge region of Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. Initial EF0 damage, characterized by snapped hardwood trees, was observed near Breakneck and Wingrove Roads. The tornado then tracked northeast, crossing Bear Rocks and County Line Road, where it crossed into Westmoreland County. Estimated peak wind for the Fayette County portion of the tornado was 80 MPH.

A strongly forced band of convection developed over West Virginia in the morning ahead of an approaching front, and quickly lifted north-northeastward into Pennsylvania through the early afternoon. Despite relatively modest instability, very strong deep layer shear, along with largely unidirectional southerly flow and elongated hodographs, supported the continuation of significant severe storms. Large impact was felt from straight-line wind, with gusts in the 60 to 80 MPH range, locally higher, causing widespread damage to trees, power lines, and structures. The line of storms continued into Pennsylvania, where the environment was more favorable for tornadic development. In addition to damaging winds, a number of large hail reports were received, with some stones as large as 1.75 inch diameter. Also, embedded supercells/mesovortices produced five confirmed tornadoes during the afternoon (one of which crossed from Fayette County into Westmoreland County).