List of tornadoes in the 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak

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On May 31, a violent tornado outbreak occurred around Lake Erie, producing strong tornadoes in Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Confirmed tornadoes[]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 4 12 7 12 8 1 44
List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, May 31, 1985[note 1]
F# Location County / Regional Municipality State / Province Time (UTC) Path length Summary
F0 Leamington area Essex ON unknown unknown
F2 N of Wiarton Bruce ON 1850 1 mile (1.6 km)
F3 S of Hopeville Grey ON 1945–2000 10.6 miles (17.1 km)
F3 Mansfield area Dufferin, Simcoe ON 2000–2030 25 miles (40 km) Multiple homes were damaged.
F4 N of Arthur to W of Mount Albert Wellington, Dufferin, Simcoe, York ON 2015–2125 71.5 miles (115.1 km) 6 deaths – Tornado devastated the town of Grand Valley, where numerous homes and three churches were completely destroyed. The roof of the local library was torn off and thrown 200 meters. A shopping center on the north side of Orangeville partially collapsed. Severe damage occurred in rural areas as well, including to hydro towers which were toppled by the tornado.
F0 N of Alliston Simcoe ON 2030 0.6 miles (0.97 km)
F4 NE of Monroe Center, OH to NE of Ashtabula (OH), Erie (PA) OH, PA 2059 14 miles (23 km) 12 deaths ��� In Ohio, trees and power poles were downed and 10 mobile homes were destroyed. Tornado crossed the state border and struck Albion, Pennsylvania, where an area up to 2 blocks wide and 10 blocks long was devastated. Many homes in town were completely leveled and 9 people were killed. Tornado struck two trailer parks in Cranesville, Pennsylvania, where three other people died.
F4 Barrie Simcoe ON 2100 6.2 miles (10.0 km) 8 deaths – Major damage in Barrie with many homes and businesses completely destroyed. A few poorly constructed homes were swept away. Vehicles and boats were tossed by the tornado, and highway guard rails were torn away and wrapped around telephone poles. An industrial park was devastated as well, with many factory buildings completely leveled. Apartment buildings sustained major damage, and wooden splinters were found speared into concrete walls at some locations.
F3 SE of Bundysburg to NE of Trumbull, Ashtabula OH 2105 15 miles (24 km) Forty homes were destroyed, along with multiple trucks, cars, and trailers. Numerous other structures were damaged.
F2 SE of Linesville Crawford PA 2110 4 miles (6.4 km) 1 death—Touched town over the Pymatuning Reservoir and moved ashore, damaging numerous homes and campgrounds. The fatality occurred when a woman was crushed underneath a travel trailer. Two trailer homes were swept away, and a barn, a garage, and other structures were damaged.
F4 SE of to SE of Trumbull (OH), Mercer (PA), Crawford (PA), Venango (PA), Forest (PA) OH, PA 2117 56.2 miles (90.4 km) 16 deaths – Long track tornado touched down near the Ohio/Pennsylvania border and caused major damage in and around Jamestown, Atlantic, Cochranton, Cooperstown, Cherry Tree, and Hannasville. Atlantic was particularly hard hit, where a grain mill, a chair factory, a communications tower, a post office, a school building, and multiple homes were destroyed. Five people were killed there. Two homes and 11 trailers were destroyed at a trailer park in the Cherry Tree area, where five additional fatalities occurred. A poultry farm lost 160,000 birds. Numerous other structures including churches, mobile homes, a motel, and two taverns were damaged or destroyed along the path. Tornado caused a total of $5,000,000 in damage.
F3 S of Saegertown to NE of Centerville Crawford PA 2123 23 miles (37 km) 2 deaths – This tornado struck a ranger's home at the Army Corps of Engineers Station, with a car being rolled 100 feet (30 m) at this location. The fatalities occurred at Centerville.
F4 SE of Waterford, PA to SE of Panama, NY Erie (PA), Warren (PA), Chautauqua (NY) PA, NY 2125 28 miles (45 km) In Pennsylvania, over 50 buildings were destroyed in the Corry and Elgin areas. One farm was completely leveled in the area, with nothing but a silo left standing. The farmhouse was seen airborne by eyewitnesses. A dump truck was tossed over a house and a wagon was thrown over a mile. 30 head of cattle were killed in the area. Tornado crossed into New York and traversed rural areas before dissipating.
F2 NE of Dorset, OH to W of Ashtabula (OH), Crawford (PA) OH, PA 2128 10 miles (16 km) Several homes and farm buildings were torn apart along the path.
F1 area Durham ON 2140 unknown
F1 Reaboro area Peterborough ON 2205 unknown
F3 S of Centerville Crawford PA 2212 8 miles (13 km) Ten homes, a trailer, and several barns were destroyed. A $500,000 state transportation building was destroyed as well.
F3 Alma to Hilsburgh Wellington ON 2215–2230 20.6 miles (33.2 km) Damage was mostly confined to outbuildings.
F2 Ida area Peterborough ON 2220 unknown
F3 Rice Lake area Northumberland ON 2225 unknown
F3 E of Jamestown Chautauqua NY 2225 13 miles (21 km) Homes near Busti, Harmony, Carroll, and Kiantone were torn apart or destroyed.
F5 W of Newton Falls, OH to W of Mercer, PA Portage (OH), Trumbull (OH), Mercer (PA) OH, PA 2230 47 miles (76 km) 18 deaths – See the section on this tornado
F4 SE of to SW of Venango, Forest PA 2230 29 miles (47 km) 7 deaths – Around 700 structures were damaged along the path, 125 of which were destroyed. At a drug and alcohol rehab center, 14 of 17 trailers were destroyed. The fatalities took place near , three of which occurred when a car was thrown 100 yards (91 m) from Highway 36.
F1 S of Pittsfield Warren PA 2230 5 miles (8.0 km)
F1 Minto area Hastings ON 2235 unknown
F2 SW of to E of Forest, Elk, McKean PA 2250 19 miles (31 km) Damage was mostly limited to trees.
F1 SW of London Madison OH 2306 0.5 miles (0.80 km)
F3 N of Johnstown to W of West Carlisle Licking, Coshocton OH 2315 29 miles (47 km) 1 death – Several homes and buildings were destroyed, and one person was killed near . Caused $5,000,000 in damage.
F3 S of Tidioute Warren PA 2330 17 miles (27 km) 32 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
F4 N of to NW of Jersey Shore Clearfield, Clinton, Centre PA 2335 69 miles (111 km) Tornado carved a massive path through Moshannon State Forest, downing thousands of trees. The tornado went through Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County. 13 homes were destroyed, mostly near the beginning of the path.
F2 S of Salem to W of East Palestine Columbiana OH 2335 15 miles (24 km) Many homes and farm buildings were destroyed.
F1 NE of Frazeysburg Muskingum, Coshocton OH 2350 11 miles (18 km)
F2 SW of Venango PA 2354 6 miles (9.7 km) A trailer and five homes were destroyed or badly damaged. A man and his son were badly injured when another trailer was destroyed. Caused $243,000 in damage.
F0 S of Emlenton Venango, Clarion PA 2356 5 miles (8.0 km)
F4 NW of to E of Warren, McKean, Elk PA 0000 29 miles (47 km) 4 deaths – Severe damage along the path, especially in the Kane area, where three businesses were destroyed, the schools sustained $3,000,000 in damage, and 99 homes were left uninhabitable. A church in the area had only its front steps left, and many vehicles were crushed under collapsed garages. Caused a total of $15,000,000 in damage.
F3 NW of Darlington to E of Beaver, Butler PA 0010 39 miles (63 km) 9 deaths – The Big Beaver Borough Shopping Plaza was destroyed near Beaver Falls. Two people were killed at this location, and over 100 cars were damaged or destroyed in the parking lot. 16 antique cars were destroyed in a garage nearby. At the intersection of highways 588 and 65, the tornado destroyed three homes, a drive-in theater, a service station, and two other businesses. A van was picked up from I-79 and tossed a quarter-mile by the tornado. The family inside was ejected from the vehicle but survived. A trailer park was leveled in the Evans City area, and 40 homes were destroyed between Callery and Mars. Witnesses in the area reported pink insulation and sheet metal falling from the sky prior to the tornado.
F1 area Leeds and Grenville ON 0010 unknown [1]
F1 W of East Sparta Stark OH 0045 0.2 miles (0.32 km)
F1 SW of Cedar Mills Adams OH 0105 2 miles (3.2 km)
F3 NW of to NE of Lycoming, Union, Northumberland PA 0125 19 miles (31 km) 6 deaths – At the Hidden Creek Campground, 48 of the 60 trailers were destroyed, with the rest being damaged. An 83-year-old woman survived the tornado when it threw her mobile home off an 80-foot (24 m) cliff and into a tree. In Union County, the tornado destroyed three mobile homes, 8 permanent homes, and 18 vehicles. Five other homes were damaged in the area. In Northumberland County, the tornado damaged or destroyed two businesses, 140 mobile homes, 77 permanent homes, a church, 9 silos, and 28 barns. Thousands of trees were snapped along the path.
F0 W of Manor Indiana PA 0153 6 miles (9.7 km)
F1 N of Norfolk St. Lawrence NY 0230 5 miles (8.0 km)
F1 NW of Freeland Luzerne PA 0245 11 miles (18 km)
F1 NW of Tobyhanna Monroe PA 0405 0.2 miles (0.32 km)
Sources: Tornado History Project Storm Data—May 31, 1985 Grazulis (1985)

Notes[]

  1. ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

References[]

  1. ^ Black Friday outbreak: How a 'lost' 14th tornado was found, The Weather Network, May 30, 2015
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