Nine tornadoes confirmed in October outbreak in western Pennsylvania – WPXI

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Mar 4, 2022

The National Weather Service of Pittsburgh confirmed Monday that a ninth tornado touched down in western Pennsylvania in a rare October outbreak.

NWS survey crews initially found eight tornadoes on the evening of Thursday, October 21.

This most recent tornado occurred in East Finley, Washington County and was determined to be an EF-1 with maximum winds at 90 mph.

Two such tornadoes were confirmed in Hampton Township and Mount Nebo in Allegheny County; one at Butler in Butler County; two in Franklin Township and New Galilee in Beaver County and three in West Finley, Peters Township and Hopewell Township in Washington County, according to the National Weather Service.

NWS investigators also verified two additional tornadoes in Jefferson County and Belmont County in eastern Ohio.

There were 29 confirmed tornadoes in the tri-state area in 2021.

According to the NWS, the average is three tornadoes per year.

This tornado outbreak is rare, especially for October in this area. Since records began being kept in 1950, there have only been 10 confirmed tornadoes in the month of October.

Cleanup continues in Washington County, where thousands of dollars in damage have been reported.