‘A pretty good punch:’ South Franklin tornado small but mighty
The tornado that touched down in South Franklin Township Saturday night, causing damage miles away in Prosperity and beyond, was a short-lived storm, according to the National Weather Service Pittsburgh.
The tornado touched down at 8:13 p.m. about a mile north of Pleasant Grove and ended about three miles southwest of Pleasant Grove, at 8:15 p.m., the NWS Pittsburgh said Monday.
“I think the thing that’s the most novel of this is it was an EF-1 tornado and that it was only on the ground for all of about two-and-a-half minutes or so, but still managed to cover 2.4 miles,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the NWS Pittsburgh. “This one was relatively small and short-lived, but it still managed to pack a pretty good punch with 105 mile-per-hour winds.”
The tornado, which measured 30 yards in width, ended before it reached State Road 221, Hendricks said.
While the tornado was concentrated, downbursts affected a larger area of Washington County, causing damage to homes, barns, sheds and properties in Prosperity and East Finley Township.
Strong winds, heavy rains and hailstorms made their way into Greene County, causing damage in Carmichaels and Wind Ridge. The western part of Fayette County, including Uniontown and German Township, was also hit hard by the storm cell.