WASHINGTON, Pa. — The National Weather Service has confirmed eight tornadoes in Southwestern Pennsylvania stemming from storms Thursday night. Three of those twisters touched down in portions of Washington County. The strongest tornado ripped through Hopewell Township and areas near the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. before weakening near Houston. The estimated peak winds for that storm were 130 mph over a nearly 16-mile track. Trees were uprooted, while homes were damaged and farms destroyed. Peters Township experienced an EF-1 tornado that was associated with the Hopewell storm between 8:07 and 8:10 p.m. that night. Estimated peak winds were 95 mph over the 1.5-mile track. Trees were uprooted in that event, along with minor damage to homes in the area. An additional EF-1 tornado was also confirmed just east of West Finley between 7:58 and 8:00 p.m. Winds reached 100 mph over the half-mile track, causing damage to trees and some farm structures. The total tornado count for the area is now at 15 for the month. Between 1950 and 2020, only 11 total tornadoes have hit the area in the month of October. The full list of tornado damage in Southwestern Pennsylvania is below:
EAST OF WEST FINLEY (PA, WASHINGTON COUNTY) EF-1
PETERS TOWNSHIP (PA, WASHINGTON COUNTY) EF-1
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP (PA, WASHINGTON COUNTY) EF-2
HAMPTON TOWNSHIP (PA, ALLEGHENY COUNTY) EF-1
MOUNT NEBO (PA, ALLEGHENY COUNTY) EF-0
BUTLER (PA, BUTLER COUNTY) EF-0
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (PA, BEAVER COUNTY) EF-1
NEW GALILEE (PA, BEAVER COUNTY) EF-1