A Tornado Occurred in Lancaster County, PA on October 19th, 2012

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Fern Glen to Paradise City Lancaster County Date 10/19/2012 Time (Local) 8:00 PM EF Rating 1 Est. Peak Winds 100 - 110 mph Path Length 16 miles Max Width 200 yards Injuries/Deaths 15 injuries / 0 deaths Summary: A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) raced across southeastern Pennsylvania during the late evening hours of October 19th, producing significant storm-related damage across southwest and south-central Lancaster County. The thin line of low-topped thunderstorms developed in a convective environment characterized by weak instability and strong wind shear. A weak surface wave near BWI along a north-south cold front aided in the threat of damaging winds and embedded weak tornadoes along the QLCS. An extensive ground and aerial storm survey was conducted on October 20, 2012. The survey team consisted of NWS meteorologists along with Lancaster County emergency management officials, local township coordinators, and private weather consultant Dr. John Scala. The survey concluded that an embedded EF1 tornado in straight-line winds gusting to 100 to 110 mph occurred at multiple locations along a line of storm damage from near Fernglen in Drumore Township northeastward for over 16 miles to near Paradise in Paradise Township from approximately 2000 to 2025 EDT. From the air, an estimated 50 structures appeared to have significant damage especially to roofs. Several barns were completely collapsed. Along the storm damage path, swaths of trees were leveled especially those along the hillsides of valleys and within ravines. As a conservative estimate, several thousand trees were downed. The tree damage had mostly a SW to NE orientation except in areas where tornadic convergence and circulation were evident. The Lancaster EMA estimated between 5-7 million dollars in damages related to the EF1 tornado. There were 15 people injured by the tornado who were standing under an open-air pavilion at Paradise Park. Source: https://data.ydr.com/tornado-archive/pennsylvania/410421/ Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

WPC Map

Storm Reports

Antecedent Severe Thunderstorm Warning

765 

WUUS51 KCTP 200018

SVRCTP

PAC071-200100-

/O.NEW.KCTP.SV.W.0226.121020T0018Z-121020T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA

818 PM EDT FRI OCT 19 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  EASTERN LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT

* AT 816 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A

  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. THE STORM WAS NEAR STRASBURG...MOVING

  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING

  WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...

  PARADISE...

  LEOLA AND GAP...

  NEW HOLLAND...

  NEW HOLLAND...

  TERRE HILL...

  CHURCHTOWN AND REAMSTOWN...

THIS WILL IMPACT THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 284

AND 295.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ROADS...ROUTE 30...ROUTE

222...ROUTE 322...STATE ROAD 41.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE IN 

DREWMORE TOWNSHIP WHERE A COLLAPSED BARN WAS REPORTED. DO NOT STAY 

OUTDOORS.

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.

WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A

TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A

STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE

LOWEST FLOOR.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGE. MOVE INSIDE A PERMANENT BUILDING

NOW TO BE SAFE FROM STRONG WIND GUSTS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL

WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE THROUGH TWITTER OR FACEBOOK.

&&

LAT...LON 4013 7588 4011 7593 4007 7593 3985 7612

      3994 7632 4028 7610 4028 7609 4014 7587

      4013 7587

TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 210DEG 25KT 3998 7616

$$

FORECASTER: LA CORTE

Public Information Statement

158 

NOUS41 KCTP 202134

PNSCTP

PAZ057-059-065-066-210145-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA

534 PM EDT SAT OCT 20 2012

...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN LANCASTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA...

LOCATION...FERN GLEN TO PARADISE IN LANCASTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA

DATE...10/19/2012

ESTIMATED TIME...810 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...100-110 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...200 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...16 MILES 

BEGINNING LAT/LON... 

ENDING LAT/LON...

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...15

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS CONFIRMED

THAT A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR FERN GLEN AND TRAVELED NORTHEAST

TO NEAR PARADISE IN LANCASTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA ON 10/19/2012.

*THE TORNADO DAMAGE WAS SPORADIC AND EMBEDDED WITHIN A LARGER AREA

 OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE THAT EXTENDED FROM FERN GLEN IN

 DRUMORE TOWNSHIP TO PARADISE CITY IN PARADISE TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER

 COUNTY. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 810

 PM AND LIFTED BACK UP AROUND 820 PM. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS

 APPROXIMATELY 16 MILES LONG AND 200 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST

 POINT.

*15 INJURIES OCCURRED IN PARADISE PARK WHEN A PAVILION COLLAPSED. 

*50 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED AND SEVERAL BARNS WERE DESTROYED. 

*AN ESTIMATED 2000-3000 TREES WERE KNOCKED DOWN.

*2 SMALL HIGH TENSION TOWERS WERE KNOCKED DOWN IN BUCK.

*THE LANCASTER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE ESTIMATES 3 TO 5

MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT

WEATHER.GOV/CTP.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO

THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.

EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.

EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.

EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.

EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.

EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

LA CORTE/LAMBERT