Looking back: 40 years since 1985 tornado outbreak

Yahoo

2 days ago

NILES, Ohio (WKBN) — Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the 1985 tornado outbreak.
On May 31, 1985, the F-5 tornado created 27 miles of destruction in Trumbull County with wind speeds up to 318 miles per hour. It ripped through Newton Falls, Lordstown, Warren, and Niles before devastating Wheatland and parts of Mercer County.
First News took a look through our archives to reflect on the destruction and the resilient community members who came together to help.
Some residents recalled the tornado sounding like a 'freight train' and that tidal waves and typhoons in the South Pacific Ocean didn't compare.
The National Guard was called in, and residents went from door to door to search for those who survived.
Niles councilman Stephen Papalas remembers the day vividly — strong tornadoes passed through northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.
'It was a beautiful day, and then it got cloudy, and that's when I was notified,' Papalas said. 'We didn't know at first if it was a gas leak, something that caused an explosion.'
'There was insulation all over the road. It was hanging from trees, and as I got further down Bonnie Brae [Avenue], there were singles, parts of roofs. It got worse and worse. Trees were all gnarled,' Papalas said. 'Houses along [U.S. Route] 422, there were a couple of them that had severe damage, and there was loss of life.'
Nearly 70 homes were leveled and another 65 to 70 were severely damaged. In Niles, nine people were killed and 250 were injured.
'They called in a refrigeration truck, and that night began putting victims of the tornado in there,' Papalas said. 'It was eerily quiet. So quiet. It was remarkable … None of us ever had any experience with this, and it was a dire emergency. People were injured. People lost their lives. People had no homes, they had nothing.'
'The next day, you could hear chainsaws everywhere. All kinds of personnel began to descend on the town,' Papalas said. 'A lot of people contribute to the Red Cross and other organizations like that … The community coming together like it did was very noticeable, and I was very impressed by it.'
40 years later, those traumatic events continue to stay with the former councilman.
'Whenever there's a news broadcast that we're having tornado warnings, I take that very seriously. If it hadn't been for that tornado back in '85, I don't know if I'd take it too seriously today,' Papalas said.
On Saturday, flowers were placed at the Niles Plaza Memorial to honor the victims.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.