EF1 tornado in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Tornado September 29, 2015 · Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

EF1

Rating

2.5 mi

Path length

75 yd

Path width

$4.0M

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 75 yards (0.04 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The National Weather Service in State College confirmed an EF-1 tornado, with peak winds around 95 mph, near Rohrerstown in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. The tornado touched down around 12:40 am on September 30, 2015.

The tornado tracked from southeast to northwest along a 2.5-mile path, with two segments of concentrated damage. The first segment covered an approximate one-half mile stretch from the Limespring Farm across US Route 30 and up a nearby hill-side before lifting. The circulation traveled aloft for about 1 mile with a second touchdown just southeast of Centerville Road on Stonebridge Drive. The tornado then crossed Nolt Road and then dissipated just before reaching Bowman Road.

The initial touchdown occurred on the 2300 block of Noll Road between the Limespring Farm and Rohrerstown Elementary School. The Survey team observed an extensive area of healthy snapped and uprooted trees /1 to 2 feet in diameter/ exhibiting a clear convergent signature. Additional damage at the Limespring Farm property included a destroyed outbuilding shed.

Damage indicators confirmed the tornado reached peak intensity as it impacted an industrial warehouse located on Running Pump Road just south of US Route 30. Winds in excess of 90 mph blew in one of the metal garage doors at a loading bay and lifted off a large section of the warehouse roof, which eventually lead to the

partial collapse of interior walls. The local fire chief estimated over 35 percent loss of the roof, with debris blown and deposited on to US Route 30. A wood pallet skid was projected into the side of the warehouse making a clear dent in the building. Two horizontal beams were twisted and detached on the front side of the warehouse where the winds exited the building. Large sections of metal siding were removed from the warehouse. Insulation from the warehouse was recovered at the Four Seasons golf course. Damage along the second tornado path segment consisted mainly of snapped and uprooted trees. There were no injuries.

The wider storm

An EF1 tornado was confirmed near Rohrerstown in East Hempfield Township. The tornado uprooted and snapped several large trees as it skipped along a northwest heading for approximately 2.5 miles. At it's peak intensity with maximum winds exceeding 90 mph, the tornado produced significant structural damage to a warehouse located just south of US Route 30. Local and county emergency management officials estimated the damages in the 3 to 5 million dollar range.

Began near Rohrerstown (40.0501, -76.3710).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 597478. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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