PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
200 PM EST WED JAN 9 2019

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR JANUARY 8TH 2019 TORNADO...

START LOCATION...2 NORTH-NORTHEAST OF NEW LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA
DATE...JANUARY 8 2019
ESTIMATED TIME...1125 AM EST
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...95 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...400 YARDS 
PATH LENGTH...2.8 MILES 
BEGINNING LAT/LON...41.4329/-80.0753 
ENDING LAT/LON...41.4517/-80.0286
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

...SUMMARY...
A TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH DETERMINED
DAMAGE THAT BEGAN JUST WEST OF SANDY LAKE ROAD /SR 173/
APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES NORTH OF NEW LEBANON, PA AND CONCLUDED NORTH
EAST OF DONATION ROAD WAS A EF1 TORNADO. 

MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS TO HARDWOOD TREES THAT WERE EITHER UPROOTED
OR SNAPPED AT THE TRUNK. A BULK OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED JUST SOUTH
OF SMITH ROAD. A CLEAR PATH OF CONVERGENT DOWN TREES STRETCHED
FROM THIS POINT AND CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST UNTIL REACHING NORTH
ROAD. FROM THERE THE PATH WAS INTERMITTENT WITH DOWN TREES THAT
CONCLUDED ON A HILLTOP JUST EAST OF DONATION ROAD. 

THE ONLY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OBSERVED ON PLACES WHERE ACCESS WAS
POSSIBLE HAPPENED WHEN A TREE FELL ONTO A MOBILE HOME DAMAGING THE
ROOF JUST BEYOND THE NORTH AND SMITH ROAD INTERSECTION. THERE ALSO
WAS A BRINE CONTAINER THAT WAS TOSSED APPROXIMATELY 60 YARDS. 

TORNADO STATISTICS:
* 7TH RECORDED TORNADO IN JANUARY IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA SINCE 1950
* 24TH RECORDED TORNADO IN MERCER COUNTY SINCE 1886
* LAST TORNADO BEFORE MONDAY IN MERCER COUNTY OCCURRED ON MAY 31ST 2015

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH

* 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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