Severe Thunderstorm Outbreak of June 24, 1996

Ohio Damage--

Numerous trees and power lines were downed across quite a few counties in Ohio. A few houses were hit by the trees. In addition, thunderstorm winds caused some damage to structures. A garage was shifted off its foundation in New Philadelphia and a commercial building near Uhrichsville suffered extensive roof damage (both towns located in Tuscarawas county). In Pike township, Stark county, thunderstorm winds destroyed a 134 year-old barn, along with the 1995 pickup truck inside it. A porch was blown off a house too. Several buildings were damaged in Summit county, including part of the roof of one structure. Thunderstorm winds in Wayne county tipped over a bulldozer and damaged half a dozen houses. Two vehicles were also damaged. Hail up to the size of nickels also occurred in a few areas, and widely scattered flash flooding was reported. Some roads in Medina county had eight inches of water on them, and vehicles in Richland county were stalled in flooded roads. A parking garage belonging to a library was also under water, and numerous residential basements were flooded.

West Virginia Damage--

Damage was minimal in WV. Some trees and lines were blown down in Brooke, Tucker, Roane, Pleasants, Wayne, Kanawha, Lincoln counties. A concrete block wall under construction was blown over in South Charleston (Kanawha county). Marginally severe hail of up to dime and nickel size was reported in select... isolated locations.

Pennsylvania Damage--

Mercer and Beaver counties: Nickel size hail fell 2 miles northwest of Sharpsville (Mercer county), and dime size hail fell in New Brighton and Monaca (Beaver county)... where power lines were also blown down. Near Harshaville, thunderstorm winds downed large trees along route 30. In Ambridge, trees were blown down, part of a school roof was torn off, and windows were blown in by thunderstorm winds.

Allegheny county: Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines across sections of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. A few dozen trees were knocked down by thunderstorm wind gusts over 60 mph in Penn Hills. A few trees were downed in West View, and hail larger than half dollars fell. In additon, flash flooding caused tens of thousands of dollars (some sources say $150,000) in damage in and around Pittsburgh, after more than one and a half inches of rain fell at the NWS office in just 45 minutes. 1.55" fell at the Pittsburgh International Airport in just 29 minutes!! The total for the day was over 3", breaking the daily record (this total was also the second greatest in the month of June for Pittsburgh, judging by records which date back to 1872). Many streets were covered with water and impassable. A number of roads were closed in downtown Pittsburgh, in addition to the outskirts of the city. Dozens of homes had mud and water swept into them very quickly. One of the rapidly overflowing creeks destroyed a 50 foot retaining wall and foot bridge. Another creek flooded the lobby of a hotel. A shopping center in Leetsdale was also flooded. Besides roads closed by excessive amounts of water on them, mudslides also blocked streets.

Westmoreland county: Thunderstorm winds brought down trees and large tree limbs in a swath between Bolivar and New Florence. A few trees and limbs were also downed in Jeanette, Latrobe, Delmont, Derry (tree fell on a hosue at this location as well), and New Alexandria (tree fell onto car). Flash flooding also took place in a few locations in Westmoreland county. Some roads were closed.

Fayette, Washington, Jefferson, Indiana counties: Large limbs were downed in California (a fire was also started by lightning in California, PA). A few large limbs and trees were also downed by thunderstorm winds in Robinson (Indiana county). A golf course was flooded, including parts of their asphalt parking lot washed away, in Bentleyville (Washington county). Basements in Punxsutawney (Jefferson county) had water in them as a result of heavy rain, and roads in Uniontown (Fayette county) were flooded.... as an inch of rain fell in 15 minutes!!

Somerset, Bedford, Cambria, and Blair counties: Trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds in Westmont, Mount Hope, Chaneysville, Everett, Duncansville, Meyersdale, and Artemas. The Mount Hope area had the most trees down, with some of them striking roofs of buildings. Thunderstrom winds as high as 60 mph were recorded 3 miles south of Johnstown. Heavy rains from the thunderstroms caused some flooding in a few areas. Roads and basements were flooded in Johnstown, and a small stream flooded a trailer park near Altoona. The only report of large hail (i.e., more than dime size) in the four above named counties was near the Mount Davis area.

Dauphin and Lebanon counties: In the Harrisburg area, specifically in Penbrook, thunderstorm winds downed a tree onto some power lines. In Fredericksburg, thunderstorm winds tore the roof off a barn. Heavy rain from the thunderstorms caused rapid small stream flooding in that area too. Ditches, fields, and low-lying areas were covered with water. A chicken factory was flooed outside of Fredericksburg... in Bethel township.

Franklin and Adams counties: A severe thunderstorm dropped golf-ball size hail 5 miles south of Gettysburg. In the same area, downburst winds associated with the thunderstorm knocked over trees, tore the roof off a schoolhouse, and blew the top off a silo. A SKYWARN Spotter reported thunderstorm winds gusting as high as 70 mph in the Greencastle area. The wind damaged roofs, and downed trees also damaged homes and vehicles on residential streets. In the Guilford Springs area, a store roof was damaged and large trees were downed onto houses by thunderstorm winds. Trees or large limbs were also downed in Mercersburg, Caledonia State Park, and 9 miles southeast of Shippensburg.

Maryland Damage--

A man was struck and injured by lightning at Deep Creek Lake, Garrett county. A shed in Kitzmiller was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Scattered trees, limbs, and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds across Allegany, Washington, northern Carroll, and northern Calvert counties. In Hagerstown (Washington county), numerous trees and power lines were downed across the city. Houses and cas were damaged by falling trees. In the downtown area, two cargo trailers were flipped over. Because these were empty, thunderstorm winds at this locatioin were probably less than 65 mph. In southern Montgomery county, an HP supercell thunderstorm produced a downburst from Potomac to Silver Spring. Throughout the damage path, roughly 10 miles long, hundreds of trees, limbs, and power lines were downed! Bethesda was hardest hit, with dozens of city streets closed... covered in snapped trees and twisted power lines. Homes and vehicles were damaged as trees slammed into them. A portion of the roof was ripped off an automobile dealership by the thunderstorm winds as well. Peak winds were probably around 70-75 mph, mainly at and above head level.

Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties. A fast moving bow echo produced widespread wind damage across parts of the above named counties. Trees and power lines were downed from Oxon Hill through and a just east of Andrews AFB. 79 mph thunderstorm winds were measured at Andrews AFB. Numerous trees were downed, some damaging homes and cars. One home was split in two as a large oak tree fell into it. Some fences were damaged or destroyed, and winds caused damage to shingles, gutters, and siding on houses. As the bow echo moved about two miles east of Andrews AFB, it spun up an F0 gustnado, which had a mile path length. 2-3 dozen trees were snapped or uprooted. Two houses and two cars received damage as a result of falling trees. The only hint that tornadic activity was present in this small area was the sudden unorganized damage pattern. Trees fell in more of a convergent pattern, rather than the divergent pattern that occurred with the thunderstorm downburst winds. Another tornado/gustnado, this one rated an F1, touched down 1 mile northwest of Upper Marlborom (Prince George's county) and moved east southeast for about 5 miles into Waysons Corner (Anne Arundel county). Dozens of trees were downed along the tornado path, with one crushing a mobile home. Siding was ripped from houses and chimneys were blown down in residential areas. A store had its roof ripped off, and other structural damage, forcing the building to be condemned.

In northern Anne Arundel county, thunderstorm winds downed a 100 foot tall tree in the Edgewater area. It fell into and through the house, demolishing the kitchen. Other tree and power line damage also occurred. Another severe thunderstorm just west of LaPlata, Charles county, produced downburst winds strong enough to bring down numerous trees and power lines. Between Hollywood and the Patuxent River, in Saint Mary's county, thunderstorm winds of 70-80 mph caused considerable damage to three buildings.

In extreme eastern and southern Maryland, damage was isolated. Power lines and power poles were snapped in Cordova (Talbot county), and lines were blown down in Centreville (Queen Anne's county). Several trees were uprooted in Crisfield (Somerset county).

Virginia Damage--

Trees and power lines were blown down in numerous areas across the state. Because this website is focused on Pennsylvania, and there are a lot of downed tree reports, I will not list all the exact towns or townships that reported trees and lines down, but rather name just some of them. In and around the city of Winchester (Frederick county), thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees. Just south of the city on route 522, a tractor trailer was blown over onto another vehicle by thunderstorm winds of 60-70 mph. Hail as large as golf balls fell in Stephens City. Hundreds of trees and power lines were mowed down in southwest Fairfax county, and numerous buildings sustained damage, by downburst thunderstorm winds. Then from Annandale to Alexandria, another downburst struck. Dozens of trees were downed between these two towns, located just south of Washington D.C. Several structures suffered wind damage. An apartment complex in Alexandria suffered severe roof damage. 9 families had to relocate for a while, until damage could be repaired. In southern Spotsylvania county, thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and lines. Some homes were damaged by falling trees. At an elementary school near the town of Spotsylvania, thunderstorm winds ripped four 12 ton air condotioning units off of the roof! One of the walls was also damaged by the wind, and 3 trash dumpsters were hurled through a fence. A house also had its roof ripped off in the vicinity of Lake Anna. In Rockingham county, thunderstorm winds damaged one home and downed numerous trees in Timberville. Along interstate 81 east of this area, a tractor trailer was overturned. In Norfolk, thunderstorm winds ripped part of the roof from a house on Minnesota avenue.

A small F0 gustnado uprooted a few small trees along the Loudoun/Fauquier county line, a couple miles west of Middleburg. Winds were likely 40-60 mph. Another tornado, this one associated with an HP supercell thunderstorm, first touched down in extreme southeastern Loudoun county, near Bull Run. It produced upper F0/lower F1 intensity damage to trees, with a few dozen snapped or uprooted. This damage continued into extreme western Fairfax county. The tornado intensified into an F2 with winds as high as 120-140 mph! Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped west of Centreville, along Pleasant Valley Road. The twister then moved into the Sully Station area of Centreville. Along Tree Line Drive, 11 homes suffered moderate to major damage. 8 of those 11 homes were so badly damaged that they needed to be condemned. Doznes of other homes received minor to moderate damage. Roof, shingle, siding, window, and chimney damage was common... consistent with an F1 rating. The tornado continued to weaken, producing F0/F1 damage through areas near Burke... just south of Fairfax. More houses and trees suffered damage, but not as severe as earlier in the path. Tornado damage ended a few miles west of Annandale.

Another tornado in Rockingham county near Broadway had a very short path length - about a half mile. Damage was of F1 intensity, and included chimneys blown off several houses, roofs ripped off two houses and two poultry barns, and downed trees and power lines. Also, iron furniture was thrown into a swimming pool! An F0 tornado in Westmoreland county touched down for a mile in Westmoreland State park, about one mile northeast of Baynesville. Numerous trees were brought down by this small and weak tornado in the park. Three cabins suffered roof damage from falling trees. The most severe damage occurred when a large tree crashed through the roof of a cabin, damaging the rafters and inside walls of the bedroom and kitchen.