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EF1 Tornado — Bedford, Pennsylvania

2025-06-17 · near Purcell, Bedford, Pennsylvania

$60K

Property damage

1.1 mi

Path length

175 yds

Path width

Event narrative

The York Road Tornado (EF1) occurred in southeastern Bedford County during the evening hours of June 17, 2025 with estimated maximum wind speeds at 95 mph, with a path width of 175 yards and a path length of 1.1 miles. The tornado began just northeast of the intersection of Robinsonville Road and Sideling Hill Creek Road, causing tree damage as it continued to parallel Sideling Hill Creek Road. Multiple softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted along both sides of upper York Road, with power line poles and wires being knocked down near a residence on upper York Road. There were also multiple uprooted softwood and hardwood trees along lower York Road. The tornado first crossed upper York Road and then crossed Shreveport Road northeast of the intersection with York Road. The tornado then crossed the East Branch of Sideling Hill Creek, producing additional tree damage before dissipating west of Browning Road. No injuries or deaths were reported due to the York Road Tornado.

Wider weather episode

A slow-moving surface warm front stationed across western Pennsylvania allowed for slow-moving showers and thunderstorms to form across southwestern Pennsylvania in an environment of anomalously moist air with long, skinny CAPE and enhanced low-level shear. Showers and thunderstorms across southwestern Pennsylvania initially formed during the early afternoon hours and continued into the evening hours, producing numerous instances of flash flooding and closing roadways across Cambria, Blair, Bedford, and Fulton counties. The aforementioned low-level shear and instability allowed for a brief EF1 tornado to occur across southeastern Bedford County, on York Road. The maximum wind speed of the York Road Tornado was 95 mph, with a 1.1-mile path and a width of 175 yards.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.7869, -78.3630)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1255828. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.