630
NOUS41 KPBZ 191918
PNSPBZ
PAZ020-200730-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
318 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2026
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 08/16/26 TORNADO EVENT - UPDATE #3
UPDATE
THE TRACK FOR THE HOOKSTOWN TORNADO WAS EXTENDED
WESTWARD WITH THE RECEIPT OF ADDITIONAL DAMAGE INFORMATION.
HOOKSTOWN
RATING: EF0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 75 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 4.50 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 100 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 08/16/2026
START TIME: 03:01 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 2 NNE HARSHAVILLE / BEAVER COUNTY / PA
START LAT/LON: 40.5716 / -80.4071
END DATE: 08/16/2026
END TIME: 03:07 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 SSW HOOKSTOWN / BEAVER COUNTY / PA
END LAT/LON: 40.5748 / -80.4903
SURVEY SUMMARY:
AFTER ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ON WEDNESDAY, THE INITIAL TORNADO TRACK
ALONG UPPER SERVICE RD HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE WEST.DAMAGE BEGAN
IN A WOODED AREA OFF OF ROUTE 168 TO THE SOUTH OF US30.
HERE SEVERAL LARGE LIMBS WERE SNAPPED OFF, AND A FEW SMALLER
TRUNKS WERE SNAPPED ALSO AT 30-40 FT ABOVE GROUND. AT THIS
LOCATION, DAMAGE WAS CONCENTRATED IN A NARROW PATH, WITH SOME
DEGREE OF CONVERGENT AND CYCLONIC FLOW EVIDENT IN THE FALL
PATTERN. THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND OF 70-75 MPH, MARKED
BY SPORADIC, CONCENTRATED SNAPPING WITHIN A BROADER AREA OF
RELATIVELY UNSCATHED TREES.
THE CIRCULATION APPEARS TO HAVE WEAKENED BRIEFLY AS IT PROGRESSED
EASTWARD ACROSS ROUTE 168 AND SILVER SLIPPER RD (WHERE A FEW
SNAPPED LIMBS WERE NOTED).
A SURGE IN THE OUTFLOW APPEARS TO HAVE DIVERTED THE CIRCULATION
TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST BRIEFLY, BEFORE IT BEGAN TO INTENSIFY AGAIN
NEAR US30 AND LINCOLN CT. ALONG LINCOLN CT, SEVERAL TREES SUFFERED
LIMB DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH WIND OF 70 MPH.
THE CIRCULATION TRACKED INTO THE WOODS NORTH OF BOCKTOWN RD,
WHERE IT JOINS WITH THE PRIOR- IDENTIFIED TRACK OFF UPPER SERVICE
RD, WHERE RADAR AND DAMAGE BOTH INDICATE THAT THE CIRCULATION
TIGHTENED AND INTENSIFIED.
..PRIOR SURVEY SUMMARY BELOW
TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED FROM UPPER SERVICE ROAD, WITH FRESH,
LARGE LIMBS SNAPPED AND A COUPLE SNAPPED TRUNKS THAT SHOWED SOME
SIGN OF ROT. THE CIRCULATION CROSSED UPPER SERVICE ROAD NEAR THE
GREENE/RACCOON TOWNSHIP LINE, WHERE CONSIDERABLE FRESH TREE DAMAGE
WAS NOTED IN THE WOODS TO THE NORTH OF THE ROAD.
HERE, ADDITIONAL ROTTED TRUNKS WERE SNAPPED, AS WELL AS A LARGE
NUMBER OF SNAPPED LIMBS AND POSSIBLY AN UPROOTED TREE OR TWO (IT
WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL FROM THE AVAILABLE GROUND ACCESS POINT).
RADAR DATA FROM KPBZ RADAR SUGGEST A POSSIBLE TORNADO DEBRIS
SIGNATURE IN THIS AREA, COINCIDENT WITH THE DAMAGE SWATH.
BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE SWATH'S INACCESSIBILITY, START AND END
POINTS OF THE TORNADO'S PATH ARE ONLY ESTIMATES, PENDING
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM AERIAL SURVEY OR SATELLITE IMAGERY.
THIS IS THE 27TH TORNADO TO IMPACT BEAVER COUNTY SINCE 1954. THE
MOST RECENT IN THE COUNTY WAS AN EF0 ON JUNE 14TH OF THIS YEAR.
ORCHARD HILLS TORNADO
RATING: EF0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 85 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.57 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 50 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 08/16/2026
START TIME: 04:15 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 1 SE ORCHARD HILLS / ARMSTRONG COUNTY / PA
START LAT/LON: 40.583 / -79.5349
END DATE: 08/16/2026
END TIME: 04:16 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 1 ESE ORCHARD HILLS / ARMSTRONG COUNTY / PA
END LAT/LON: 40.5861 / -79.5248
SURVEY SUMMARY:
A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN
IN THE ORCHARD HILLS AREA. THE TORNADO ORIGINATED FROM A MESOVORTEX IN A
LARGER QUASI-LINEAR CONVECTIVE SYSTEM. TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED ALONG PATTERSON
ROAD, WHERE LARGE LIMBS WERE SNAPPED FROM TREES. ADDITIONAL LIMB DAMAGE WAS
NOTED AS THE TORNADO CROSSED CALIFORNIA AVENUE AND FLORIDA AVENUE.
THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED KINGS ROAD, WITH ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE. NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF KINGS ROAD AND OLD STATE ROAD, A LARGE TREE WAS UPROOTED,
WHICH THEN FELL ON AND DAMAGED A GARAGE. THIS IS WHERE THE MAXIMUM WIND SPEED
OF 85 MPH WAS ESTIMATED. THE TORNADO THEN PARALLELED OLD STATE ROAD TO THE
INTERSECTION WITH RADIO STATION ROAD, WHERE THE LAST TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED
BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED.
THIS IS THE 13TH TORNADO TO IMPACT ARMSTRONG COUNTY SINCE 1944. THE MOST RECENT
IN THE COUNTY WAS AN EF2 THAT OCCURRED ON MARCH 31ST, 2022.
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.
KRAMAR/CL/MLB
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