1985 Niles–Wheatland tornado
The tornado shortly after leaving Wheatland, Pennsylvania | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 31, 1985, 6:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) |
| Dissipated | May 31, 1985, 7:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Max width | 450 yards (410 m) |
| Path length | 47 miles (76 km) |
| Highest winds | ≥261 mph (≥420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 18 |
| Injuries | 310 |
| Damage | >$250 million (1985 USD) |
| Areas affected | Newton Falls, Niles, Hakes Corners, Coalburg, Hermitage Wheatland, Hoagland |
Part of the 1985 United States-Canada tornado outbreak and Tornadoes of 1985 | |
On the afternoon of May 31, 1985, a violent and long-lived F5 tornado, the easternmost in United States history, struck parts of Newton Falls, Niles, Coalburg, Wheatland. 310 people would be injured, 18 would lose their lives, and $250 million of damages would be dealt. The tornado was the strongest tornado of the 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak, being the only tornado to obtain F5 status and having maximum sustained winds of anywhere between 261 and 318 miles per hour (420 and 512 km/h).
The tornado touched down 8 miles (13 km) west of Newton Falls at approximately 6:30 pm on May 31, 1985. The F0 tornado tracked eastward, closing in on Newton Falls. 10 minutes later at 6:40 pm, the tornado struck Newton Falls at F3 intensity, where several buildings would be heavily damaged. The strengthening storm continued to track eastward. At 7:00 pm, the tornado would strike Niles and reach its peak intensity as high as 300 mph (480 km/h). Several people would be killed and thousands of buildings would be damaged in the town.
After devastating Niles, the storm would briefly shrink and pass over Coalburg. At approximately 7:15 pm, the tornado struck Wheatland where over 50 houses were damaged and 32 people were injured. The storm dissipated about 3 miles (4.8 km) SSW of Mercer, Pennsylvania at 7:30 pm. Overall, the F5 tornado lived for approximately 1 hour.