410
NOUS41 KCTP 202000
PNSCTP
PAZ026-210000-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
400 PM EDT MON JUL 20 2026
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 07/18/26 TORNADO EVENT
OVERVIEW
A DAMAGE SURVEY CONDUCTED ON MONDAY JULY 20TH CONFIRMED AN EF-2
TORNADO OCCURRED IN FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, HUNTINGDON COUNTY ON THE
EVENING OF SATURDAY JULY 18, 2026. THE TORNADO DAMAGED A FEW
STRUCTURES AND PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE ALONG AND JUST
SOUTH OF OLD MILL RD. DETAILS OF THE SURVEY FOLLOW.
.OLD MILL RD TORNADO
RATING: EF2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 125 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.53 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 500 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 07/18/2026
START TIME: 08:43 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 3 NNE SPRUCE CREEK / HUNTINGDON COUNTY / PA
START LAT/LON: 40.6551 / -78.116
END DATE: 07/18/2026
END TIME: 08:45 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 W FRANKLINVILLE / HUNTINGDON COUNTY / PA
END LAT/LON: 40.6531 / -78.1063
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE SAME STORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO IN HOUTZDALE (CLEARFIELD
COUNTY) CONTINUED SOUTHEAST INTO HUNTINGDON COUNTY ON SATURDAY
EVENING. IT STARTED PRODUCING MINOR DAMAGE AGAIN AS IT CROSSED
HUNTINGDON FURNACE ROAD JUST NORTHWEST OF TURNPIKE RD AS IT
KNOCKED DOWN SOME CORN STALKS. STRONG DOWNDRAFT WINDS KNOCKED DOWN
SEVERAL 200+ YEAR OLD PINE TREES IN FRONT OF A FARM HOUSE ON
HUNTINGDON FURNACE RD ALONG WITH A COUPLE SMALLER TREES IN THE
FARM FIELD AND THEN THE TORNADO BEGAN MOMENTS LATER.
THE FIRST STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AS THE ROOF OF THE OLDEST
OF 3 LARGE SILOS WAS PARTIALLY BLOWN OFF TOWARD THE NORTHEAST,
EXHIBITING A CYCLONIC WIND PATTERN. THE SOUTHERN HALF OF A LARGE
BARN ROOF COLLAPSED AND WAS BLOWN NORTHEAST AS WELL. AN ADJACENT
BARN HAD SEVERAL SHEETS OF ITS TIN ROOF BLOWN NORTHEAST INTO THE
ADJACENT FIELD AS WELL. THE CIRCULATION THEN CONTINUED EAST-
SOUTHEAST PARALLELING WARRIORS MARK RUN AND OLD MILL RD AND
PRODUCED AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TREE DAMAGE AS IT MOVED UP A
SMALL RIDGE. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF 20-30 FEET UP OR
UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO. NOTABLY, TREES WERE THROWN
IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION TO THE RIGHT OF THE TORNADO PATH AND
NORTHWESTERLY TO THE LEFT OF THE PATH. THIS PATTERN, ALONG WITH
THE EVIDENT PATH OF DAMAGE LEFT NO DOUBT THAT THE DAMAGE WAS
CAUSED BY A TORNADO.
THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL CABINS IN THE DENSELY WOODED AREA THROUGH
WHICH THE TORNADO PASSED. ONE CABIN, WHICH WAS INHABITED BY TWO
INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR 80S, HAD A TREE FALL ON ONE SIDE OF IT.
FORTUNATELY, BOTH INDIVIDUALS WERE SAFELY SHELTERED ON THE
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HOUSE AND WERE ABLE TO ESCAPE UNSCATHED. THE
OTHER CABINS SUFFERED NO DAMAGE, THOUGH INHABITANTS WERE UNABLE TO
ENTER OR EXIT THE CAMP UNTIL SIGNIFICANT CLEARING EFFORTS WERE
UNDERTAKEN. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST- SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD CAMP
KANESATAKE AND LIFTED AS IT MOVED ACROSS OLD MILL RD ON THE NORTH
EDGE OF THE CAMP. SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED DOWNSTREAM AT
CAMP K, BUT NONE OF IT WAS CONCENTRATED ENOUGH TO EXTEND THE
TORNADO PATH AT THIS TIME.
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK HUNTINGDON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH TODAY'S SURVEY.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.....166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.....>200 MPH
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.
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