45– 153

lornajarrettblanchard June 23, 1944

–153 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 503.
–153 National Weather Service, Milwaukee 2005
–151 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, June 23, 1944. Tornadoes Hit WV and PA.
–150 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 131.
–130 Brooks and Doswell 2000.
–100 NOAA 2008, The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes.

Delaware – Property damage, no fatalities.

Maryland ( 5)
–3 Garrett County; 18:11 F4. Grazulis 1993, pp. 503 & 915.
–2 Cambridge area, Dorchester County, 23:15 F3. Grazulis 1993, pp. 503 & 915.

Pennsylvania ( 45)
–45. Gelber. The Pennsylvania Weather Book. 2002, p. 158.
–45 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 424, 915.
–02 Armstrong, Indiana (deaths), Cambria Counties, 17:30 F3. Grazulis 1993, p. 915.
–26 Washington, Greene, Fayette Counties. 18:11 F4 “
— 2 Independence Township, Washington County.
— 2 Claysville area, north. Washington County.
— 3 Castile community, Greene County.
–10 Chartiers coal mining community, Greene County.
— 8 Dry Tavern, Green County.
–17 Allegheny, Westmoreland, Somerset Counties, 18:30 F4. Grazulis 1993, p. 915.
–17 McKeesport area, Allegheny County.

West Virginia (103)
–100 Grazulis. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. 2001, p. 292.
–104 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1993, p.915
–100 Marion/Harrison/Taylor/Barbour/Tucker/Randolph counties. Grazulis 1993, p.503
— 1 Pine Grove, Wetzel County. 18:30 F4.
— 3 Joetown, SW corner of Marion County.
–72 Harrison County.
–~30 Pleasant Hill section of Shinnston.
— ? “Many died in ‘Peora’ and ‘Wyatt’ farm communities SE of Shinnston.”
— 9 Taylor County, mostly at Simpson, 7 in one family.
— 9 Barbour County, in or near Meadowville, Nestorville and north Philippi.
— 1 Wellsburg, Brooke County. 18:11 F4. Grazulis Significant Tornadoes 1993, p.915.
— 3 Tucker County, 22:25 F3. Grazulis 1993, p. 915.

Narrative Information

“A spate of tornadoes across West Virginia and Pennsylvania kills more than 150 people on this day in 1944. Most of the twisters were classified as F3, but the most deadly one was an F4 on the Fujita scale, meaning it was a devastating tornado, with winds in excess of 207 mph.

“It was a very hot afternoon when atmospheric conditions suddenly changed and the tornadoes began in Maryland. At about 5:30 p.m., an F3 tornado (with winds between 158 and 206 mph) struck in western Pennsylvania and killed two people. Forty-five minutes later, a very large twister began in West Virginia, moved into Pennsylvania, and then tracked back to West Virginia. By the time this F4 tornado ended, it had killed 151 people and leveled hundreds of homes.

“Another tornado that afternoon struck at a YMCA camp in Washington, Pennsylvania. A letter written by a camper was later found 100 miles away. Coal-mining towns in the area were also hit hard on June 23. There were some reports that a couple of tornadoes actually crossed the Appalachian mountain range, going up one side and coming down the other.

“This remarkable series of twisters finally ended at 10 p.m., when the last one hit in Tucker County, West Virginia. In all, the storms caused the destruction of thousands of structures and millions of dollars in damages.” (History.com. “Tornadoes Hit West Virginia & Pennsylvania.”)

Sources

Brooks, Harold E. and Charles A Doswell III (NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory). “Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 1890-1999.” Revised manuscript submitted as Note to Weather and Forecasting, Vol. 16, 9 p., Sep 2000. Accessed 11-25-2017 at: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/users/brooks/public_html/damage/tdam1.html

Gelber, Ben. The Pennsylvania Weather Book. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002. Google preview accessed 1-4-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=34RKv9fMFo4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Grazulis, Thomas P. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001, 324 pages.

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, June 23, 1944. “Tornadoes Hit West Virginia and Pennsylvania.” Accessed 12/7/2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=06/23&categoryId=disaster

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center, NOAA. Accessed 10-12-2008 at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks in the United States. NWS, NOAA, DOC. November 2, 2005 modification. Accessed at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/climate/torout.php