Right after an F4 tornado ripped through Albion in Erie County, another F4 storm formed just west of the Ohio border in Kinsman Ohio. The unpredictability of mother nature and the fallibility of mankind means that every once in a while, our day-to-day lives come to a stop when we either find ourselves at the mercy of a tragic incident, or when we stand in solidarity to witness a disaster in the news. Due to its mountainous terrain, Pennsylvania is not exactly known for its tornadoes. The tornado then traveled into the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital. On the evening of May 31st, 1985, a devastating and deadly tornado outbreak struck the Northeastern United States and Canada. Killer Tornadoes. The Tornado outbreak of June 2, 1998, was one of the most significant tornado outbreaks in recent history over the east-central United States.This severe weather event spawned a total of 47 tornadoes over 9 states from New York to South Carolina and caused an estimated $42 million in damage, 80 injuries and 2 fatalities. Back on May 31st 1985, the state of Pennsylvania was the epicenter of a severe tornado outbreak, the deadliest in our state’s history. Here is a map and list of all reported tornadoes in Pennsylvania so far in 2019. The occasional funnel cloud does ravage our land, though this is a rare occurrence. If you are interested in reading about the “worst” tornadoes that have struck Pennsylvania (and all other states), see this page on our site.If you want to find out about specific tornadoes that have occurred since 2012, check out the NCDC Storm Events page. FIVE KILLED IN A TORNADO NEAR WILKES BARRE, PA. Wilkes Barre, Pa., Aug. 20. Sixty-three Pennsylvanians would lose their lives. Here Are The 10 Worst Disasters To Occur In Pennsylvania History. Brief Description: One of the most potent tornadoes in recorded history in the state of Maryland tracked for 2 and 1/4 miles through the Mystic Kane and Four Seasons subdivisions just off state route 32 northwest of Gamber. 43 tornadoes and numerous damaging thunderstorms tore across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. Coincidentally, the devastating Johnstown Flood in 1889 also occurred on May 31 in Pennsylvania. It then intensified into an EF3. The tornado was a strong F3 (180 mph estimated winds) with multiple vortices. The 2025 Harrisburg-Reading-Philadelphia Tornado was a large, catastrophic, and violent tornado that struck the areas of Philadelphia, Reading and Harrisburg, PA on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. When you hear the term “violent tornado outbreak,” you probably think of Tornado Alley or Dixie Alley, not Pennsylvania. But on May 31, 1985, a violent tornado outbreak swept through northeastern Ohio and Pennsylvania. In total, 43 tornadoes touched down including eight F4 tornadoes, one of which went through the state forest to our north, and a F5 tornado in the Sharon PA area, that decimated the town of Wheatland PA. According to The Pennsylvania Weather Book, May 31, 1985 would prove to be the deadliest tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania's history! 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