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Tornado (F1)Sullivan, Pennsylvania

August 16, 1997 · NOAA Storm Events record

Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
0
Property damage
Magnitude
1
Tornado scale
F1
Area
Sullivan

Event narrative (NOAA)

41/20/13N, 76/19/37W to 41/20/06N, 76/18/43W. The Ricketts Glen tornado was another example of tornadic winds embedded within a wider area of downburst damage. Downburst damage covered an area of about 3 miles wide from Ganoga Lake southeast to Lake Jean. An eyewitness at Ganoga Lake described a cloud of water being lifted off the surface of the lake. Another told of seeing a catamaran being lifted about 30 feet off the lake surface and thrown towards shore. The tornado appeared to cross Lake Jean and end in a campground. A 15-year old youth was fatally injured there when a tree was blown onto his tent. Other campers in tents narrowly missed injury.

Other notable tornado events in Pennsylvania

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.

Tornado — Sullivan, Pennsylvania, August 16, 1997 | DisasterAtlasUSA