 | |
| Type: | Unknown |
| Active: | April 8, 2021 |
| Duration of tornado outbreak1: | 8 hours, 53 minutes |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | EF4 (So far) tornado |
| Highest winds | Unknown |
| Tornadoes confirmed: | 15 (So far) |
| Damage: | So far, <$3.5 billion (2016 USD) |
| Injuries: | Unknown |
| Fatalities: | 21 deaths, <594 injuries (So far) |
| Areas affected: | Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio |
|
1Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The 2021 New England Tornado Outbreak was a severe weather event that produced tornadoes, hail, and high winds across the Northeast United States and Ontario. The event raised what would become the second recorded high risk of severe thunderstorms in an outlook in New England's history, the first being in 1985. Large hail up to 3.5 inches was seen as far north as Montreal, Quebec. The outbreak was one of the most violent west of the Mississippi River, as multiple intense (EF3 +) tornadoes occurred as a result of the outbreak happening in a moderately to densely populated area.
Tornadoes[]
April 9 Event[]
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 21 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| List of confirmed tornadoes - Friday, April 9, 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | |||||||
| EF1 | W of Woodstock | 1:41 - 1:43 PM | An outhouse was destroyed and a barn sustained moderate roof damage. 45 feet of a wooden fence was also blown apart. | ||||
| West Virginia | |||||||
| EF0 | NE of Keyser | 2:12 - 2:13 PM | A brief landspout caused no damage. | ||||
| Pennsylvania | |||||||
| EF3 | Berlin | 2:56 - 3:11 PM | The first violent tornado of the outbreak tore through downtown Berlin as a large, classic stove pipe tornado, causing major damage to houses and businesses. A gas station was swept away, and a hotel's outer 3 story wall was blown out onto the street below. Major damage occurred at a power plant was mangled into a pile of metal. 27 injuries occurred, but miraculously, no deaths. $350 million in damages (2016 USD) resulted from the tornado. | ||||
| EF1 | N of Chambersburg | 3:01 - 3:04 PM | The last tornado spawned by the supercell that generated the tornadoes in Virginia and West Virginia blew over trees and power poles. A shed and outhouse were also blown away. Damage was minimal. | ||||
| EF0 | S of Bedford | 3:15 - 3:15 PM | The thunderstorm that produced the Berlin tornado dropped a handful of landspouts south of Bedford in a span of 20 minutes. The first landspout was on the ground for no more then 20 seconds. No damage occurred. | ||||
| EF0 | SSW of Bedford | 3:16 - 3:17 PM | The second landspout snapped the top off a pine tree. | ||||
| EF1 | S of Bedford | 3:20 - 3:22 PM | A cone tornado struck a southerly community of Bedford, blowing over multiple trees and power poles. Fences were blown apart, and a barn had a section of its roof ripped off. Damage totaled at no more then $1,000 dollars. | ||||
| EF2 | From S of Bedford to N of Ashcom | 3:30 - 3:39 PM | 1 Death - A multiple-vortex, rain-wrapped, wedge tornado touched down S of Bedford, uprooting multiple pine and oak trees. A corn field was flattened, and a barn had its roof ripped off. It then entered a populated area, Everette, damaging over 150 structures. Four of those structures were completely destroyed, all of which were not anchored properly. It then dissipated north of Ashcom. 1 person was killed and $90 million in damages occurred. Max width peaked at 670 yards. | ||||
| EF0 | E of Rockhill | 3:57 - 3:59 PM | A rope tornado blew out windows and damaged the roof of a gas station. | ||||
| EF1 | West Mifflin | 4:11 - 4:14 PM | A second tornadic supercell began producing tornadoes in the Pittsburgh region at around 4:10 PM. The first, an EF1, snapped several trees, damaged roofs, and caused other minor damage in the West Mifflin region. It was briefly a waterspout along the Monongahela River. Damage was less then $5,000 (2016 USD). | ||||
| EF4 | From NE of Pittsburgh to N of Monroeville | 4:15 - 4:37 PM | 15 Deaths - See section below | ||||
| EF0 | Lawrenceville | 4:21 - 4:22 PM | A satellite tornado caused extensive tree and roof damage in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. | ||||
| EF0 | SW of Churchill | 4:32 - 4:34 PM | Another satellite tornado rolled some large dumpsters and blew down multiple trees in a park. | ||||
| EF1 | W of East Waterford | 4:39 - 4:43 PM | The Bedford supercell dropped a weak landspout that destroyed a shed and damaged a garage. | ||||
| EF3 | From W of Shelocta to NE of Indiana | 5:11 - 5:20 PM | 4 Deaths The Pittsburgh supercell dropped another strong tornado that devastated Shelocta. Every single building in downtown Shelocta sustained at least half the roof being ripped off from the half mile wide multiple-vortex tornado. A subway had it's roof and outside walls swept away, leaving only the bathroom and checkout aisle. The tornado dissipated 9 minutes later. 4 people were killed and 83 were injured. Damage was estimated at $600 million (2016 USD). A mobile weather radar mesured a wind gust of 198 mph, signaling high-end EF4 to low-end EF5 winds. However, structural damage was not severe enough, and was given the high-end EF3 rating. | ||||
| EF1 | From E of Home to NW of Commodore | 5:24 - 5:27 PM | A landspout caused considerable roof damage to a farm house. A total of 14 sheds, 12 metal grain storage containers, and 2 silos were destroyed. A barb wire fence was also blown down, and a car was rolled 20 feet. Damage totaled at around $600,000 (2016 USD). | ||||
| EF1 | W of Hillsdale | 5:32 - 5:35 PM | A brief landspout blew over dozens of oak and pine trees, with largest being 1.5 feet in diameter. This was the last tornado spawned in Pennsylvania until just before 10:00 PM. | ||||
| Ohio | |||||||
| EF1 | SW of Jefferson | 9:26 - 9:27 PM | A swath of trees were snapped or uprooted. Cause disputed, could have been a downburst. If it was a tornado, it would have been an EF1 due to the trees being over 1 foot in diameter. | ||||
| EF0 | E of Pierpont | 9:33 - 9:35 PM | A skinny stovepipe tornado blew down a fence, swept away an outhouse, and damaged a garage. Multiple trees were also snapped. This was the last tornado in Ohio. | ||||
| Pennsylvania | |||||||
| EF0 | Linesville | 9:43 - 9:44 PM | A brief finger tornado snapped a few oak trees in Linesville. Produced when a supercell in Ohio moved into Pennsylvania. | ||||
| EF0 | From W Woodcock to E of Centerville | 10:26 - 10:34 PM | 1 Death A weak but long-tracked rope tornado snapped trees and ripped off shingles. One man was killed when his trailer's roof collapsed on him. This was the last tornado of the day. | ||||
Notable Tornadoes[]
***Tornadoes EF4 or higher are listed unless they resulted in 5 or more fatalities***
Pittsburgh Tornado[]
| EF4 tornado (NWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 4:15 PM – 4:37 PM | ||
| Intensity | 295 km/h (185 mph) (1-min) | ||
At 4:14, supercell just north of downtown Pittsburgh showed rotation, and just 1 minutes later, a rope tornado touched down. Almost instantly, the tornado became a 300 yard wide classic cone tornado. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh took a direct hit, ripping off the roof and leaving only 3 interior walls standing. Thankfully, the museum was closed for repair that day, and only 1 security guard was killed there. Dozens of other significant buildings, such as the National Aviary and PNC Park were almost swept away, with the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on the north side of Downtown sustaining extreme damage. After crossing the Monongahela River, which cuts through the middle of Pittsburgh, the tornado rapidly weakened, sustained EF2 to low EF3 intensity all the way until hitting Monroeville, where it dissipated. Overall, the tornado proved to be one of the worst in history, in terms of damage. The tornado caused $2.5 billion in damages (2016 USD), the second costliest in history, just behind the Joplin Tornado of 2011. The tornado is also responsible for 15 deaths and over 500 injuries. At some points, the tornado was accompanied by by satellite tornadoes, or smaller tornadoes that moved alongside the main vortex.