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F1 Tornado — Sullivan, Pennsylvania

1997-08-16 · near Nordmont, Sullivan, Pennsylvania

Direct deaths

0.5 mi

Path length

50 yds

Path width

Magnitude

Event narrative

41/20/13N, 76/19/37W to 41/20/06N, 76/18/43W. The Ricketts Glen tornado was another example of tornadic winds embedded within a wider area of downburst damage. Downburst damage covered an area of about 3 miles wide from Ganoga Lake southeast to Lake Jean. An eyewitness at Ganoga Lake described a cloud of water being lifted off the surface of the lake. Another told of seeing a catamaran being lifted about 30 feet off the lake surface and thrown towards shore. The tornado appeared to cross Lake Jean and end in a campground. A 15-year old youth was fatally injured there when a tree was blown onto his tent. Other campers in tents narrowly missed injury.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.3800, -76.4800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5613710. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.