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The May 31, 1985 Tornado Outbreak
New summaries being released this week....
🌪️ Tornado Talk Updates!
Time for some updates on this Memorial Day! Hope you have a peaceful holiday!
We are inching closer to the 40th anniversary of the May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak. 44 twisters, several violent, across portions of OH, PA, NY and into Ontario, Canada. A total of 89 people were killed.
New summaries are being released this week on two of the tornadoes from the events. Right now, these narratives are available for early release to Patreon members. They will be available to the public on Wednesday so bookmark these links!
I will be in Warren, OH for the anniversary of the event participating in a presentation about the most violent tornado of the outbreak. It was an F5 that traveled from Newton Falls to Niles in Ohio and through Wheatland in Pennsylvania. I will have the honor of speaking alongside Dr. Greg Forbes!
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🌪️ This Week In Tornado History
May 26, 2001 - Indiana: An F2 tornado moved through 3 miles in the northern part of Fort Wayne, IN. Heavy damage occurred to the Northcrest Shopping Center near the Coliseum. Several cars were turned upside down and part of the roof of the shopping complex was torn off. Signs near the shopping center were badly damaged. At the Papermill Subdivision. Numerous homes sustained major damage, two homes had the roof completely lifted off, as well as at least two outside walls demolished. Three people were injured.
May 27, 1917 - Alabama: At least four tornadoes struck portions of Alabama on this day. One was given an F4 rating. It traveled through portions of Jefferson and blount counties. Dozens of small homes were blown away in Sayre as 9 people where killed. 17 people were killed in Bradford. An infant was killed in Village Springs.
May 28, 1996 - Kentucky: A powerful tornado carved a 30-mile path through Jefferson, Bullitt, and Spencer Counties in north-central Kentucky. It developed near Brooks, intensified in Bullitt County, and tore through Pioneer Village, Hillview, and Mount Washington—damaging or destroying over 1,000 homes and injuring 10 people. One Hillview home was leveled with winds estimated over 210 mph, indicating F4 strength. The tornado maintained intensity into Spencer County, damaging homes and boats near Taylorsville Lake before dissipating near Little Mount.
Image from newspapers.com
May 29, 1910 - West Virginia: Thomas Grazulis documents a “complex tornado and downburst event” that passed 4 miles north of Charleston, WV. A man running for shelter was killed. 40 were injured.
May 30, 1998 - South Dakota: A destructive F4 tornado hit the town of Spencer, SD destroying most of its 190 buildings. 6 people were killed and 150 were injured. The tornado was estimated to reach a width of a mile. Roger Edwards from the Storm Prediction Center stated in an Observations and Damage Analysis of this event that the Spencer Tornado was “the most destructive and second deadliest tornado in South Dakota history.” one receipt blown from Spencer was found just west of Chandler, MN about 80 miles away.
Aerial view of Spencer Damage via NWS.
May 31 ,1985: A violent tornado outbreak swept through parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. 44 tornadoes occurred. 89 people were killed. The deadliest and strongest tornado of the outbreak moved struck Newton Falls and Niles in Ohio and Wheatland in Pennsylvania. It is the first and only F5/EF5 to hit Pennsylvania since the official records began in 1950.
A propane storage tank blocking Warren Road in Niles. Source, Penncare.com.
June 1, 1878 - Missouri: Thomas Grazulis documents a tornado that crossed 20 miles through Jackson and Ray Counties in Missouri. He assigned a rating of F4. 16 people were killed as the tornado tracked from 2 miles south of Missouri City, passing through and destroying about 1/3 of Richmond. “Trees were uprooted and carried through the air like feathers.”
🌪️ Twister Time: Bonus Round
A photogenic tornado occurred on Sunday, May 25 near Floyd, NM! Check out these pics from Quincy Vagell!
Floyd, NM tornado sequence. Estimated start time was 5:18 p.m. and rope out at 5:40 p.m. Photos captured at 5:21, 5:25, 5:31 and 5:38 p.m. this evening. @NWSAlbuquerque
— Quincy Vagell (@stormchaserQ)
12:41 AM • May 26, 2025
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