Tornado touched down in Finleyville area
The National Weather Service determined that it was one of three tornadoes Wednesday in Western Pennsylvania.
At least one tornado was confirmed in the Mon Valley Wednesday following heavy storms that swept through the region.
The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in Washington County.
The EF1 tornado began in the Houston area and traveled about 14 1/2 miles before ending near Finleyville, according to the storm survey by the NWS.
The initial damage occurred near Allison Hollow Road where large limbs from hardwood trees were broken.
The tornado continued east, uprooting trees along Irwin Avenue before crossing Locust Avenue and Walnut Street in Houston, where large hardwoods were snapped and softwoods were uprooted, according to the report.
Shingles were removed from several homes, a lamppost was bent, a stop sign was left leaning, and a large metal porch awning was removed from the back of a home.
According to the NWS, that area was where peak intensity was observed before the tornado weakened near Chartiers-Houston Junior/ Senior High School.
The circulation periodically weakened and reintensified along the remainder of its path.
Other notable damage was observed along Linden Creek Road, where wheat was knocked over, a barn lost shingles and a narrow path of damage to hardwood trees was found.
The circulation paralleled Venetia Road, where sporadic tree damage was observed.
According to the NWS, modest intensification occurred near Finleyville, where a few uprooted and snapped trees were observed, and a three-story apartment building lost siding on its western face.
The tornado dissipated close to PA Route 88.
Robin Mulkern, the owner of the building, said tenants were inside at the time of the storm, but nobody was hurt.
“It was a shock to see it like this, it really was, because we have never had damage to that building as long as we’ve owned it,” Mulkern told WTAE.
Roofing companies were on site, securing the loose siding to make sure it didn’t fall off.
The storm also uprooted two large trees near the grounds of the old Ringgold Middle School.
Wednesday’s damage was minimal compared to what a destructive tornado left behind in Finleyville last May.
“We’re just thinking the weather around here is getting a little bit crazy. Because my husband helped do some damage control from the storm last spring, too,” said Mulkern.
According to Mulkern, there wasn’t any damage on the inside of the apartment building so the tenants didn’t have to leave.
Two other tornadoes that hit Wednesday, both classified as EF0, were confirmed in Butler County.
The NWS said the first tornado formed northwest of Northvue in Center Township with winds at 85 mph. The storm lifted a roof off a salt shed.
The second tornado also had winds that reached up to 85 mph. Several large limbs were broken off trees in the West Sunbury area.
WTAE contributed to this report.
