F3 Tornado — Somerset, Pennsylvania

1998-06-02 · near Bakersville, Somerset, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

The second tornado of the evening, and the third to strike Somerset County in 3 days, this F3 was by far the longest and strongest of the trio. The storm created a path of damage 33 or more miles long, from Fayette County southeast across southern Somerset County into Maryland. The tornado crossed into Somerset County just southwest of the Seven Springs resort, tracked 26 miles across the county to the Maryland state line, 5 miles southeast of Salisbury. From there, the tornado continued southeast for more than 5 miles to Frostburg, Maryland. It, too, would cross the path of the May 31st storm, just 3 miles east of Salisbury. In some locations, the tornado was up to one mile wide. Damage from this tornado was rated at F3 on the fujita scale, with winds of 158 to 206 mph. Many farms were completely destroyed as this tornado moved through generally rural areas in southern Somerset County. A family in Laurel Falls near Summit Mills and St. Paul took shelter in a basement corner behind a television set. As the twister passed, they looked up to find all three stories of their house were gone, along with eight rows of foundation blocks. A battery operated clock found the next morning had stopped at 9:38 p.m. A neighbor told of losing electricity, then getting a phone call from his brother to warn him. He and his family took shelter in a hall closet because they had no basement. They told of hearing a buzzing noise like a giant bee's nest. Another neighbor found her mobile home flipped on its roof after taking shelter at her son's house. When the first tornado of the evening missed a Laurel Falls family mobile home, they proceeded to a neighbor's home. The second storm blew the trailer off its foundation. Residents of Boynton were cleaning up trees with chainsaws and front end loaders from the first tornado around 7:30pm when firefighters came by and told them to get back inside because another tornado was on its way. The second tornado broke all the windows from one house, ripped the roof off another and a barn. One person told of seeking shelter from rain in a shed when the first tornado passed, then going to the home basement when the second came through, mentioning that she was unable to pull the basement door shut behind her. The shed disappeared during the second storm. Estimated damage from the Tuesday evening tornadoes included 30 to 40 properties, including permanent and seasonal residences and farms. There were no deaths or injuries from this severe tornado. However, over 100 head of cattle were killed in one barn alone, which was completely destroyed. Many other farms lost tens of cattle and other livestock.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5672386. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.