Latest news with #AlexSosnowski
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
40 years ago: Pennsylvania's deadliest tornado outbreak, only F5 twister
Friday, May 31, 1985, was a spring day like any other. Trees and flowers were in full bloom, Memorial Day weekend was in the rearview mirror, and most residents of Pennsylvania, Ohio and southern Ontario were looking forward to the weekend. By the end of the day, however, 44 tornadoes had ripped through the region, killing 89 people. One massive twister moved from Ohio into Pennsylvania, destroying everything in its path, and still stands as the only F5 tornado on the Fujita Scale to strike Pennsylvania. Eight F4 tornadoes were also documented. The outbreak caused unprecedented damage and also remains Pennsylvania's deadliest severe weather outbreak to this day. An AccuWeather meteorologist remembers the day Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski was working at AccuWeather on that fateful day. "I remember the days before the outbreak. We kept ramping up our concern for tornadoes in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. We forecast 'a swarm of tornadoes' the day before, which was very unusual for that area," Sosnowski said. "We didn't have cell phones or internet then, so we couldn't watch it happen in real time," Sosnowski explained. "When I got to work around midnight, the mood was somber. The word had come through that lots of people were injured or killed." 5 Boy Scouts miraculously survived an F4 tornado One F4 tornado tracked 69 miles from Penfield to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and destroyed an estimated 88,000 trees in the Moshannon State Forest. Five Boy Scouts at Parker Dam State Park were lucky to survive in a cabin surrounded by destruction. Carey Huber, an Environmental Education Specialist at Parker Dam, told WTAJ in 2018 that the destruction around the cabin "looked like matchsticks or toothpicks laying in different directions all over the place." Watching the deadly storm on radar Radar was available in 1985 but only at some television stations and universities. Lee Grenci, a lecturer at Penn State University, was in the Penn State "radar room," watching the Doppler with other Penn State faculty members. It was a black and white screen, but forecasters could hold up a piece of paper to the screen to see the locations of towns and roads. They were awed by what they saw, a supercell thunderstorm with a curled hook echo north of State College, Pennsylvania, home to Penn State University (PSU). "[We] were mesmerized by the radar, and, out of the dead silence, [PSU Professor] Greg Forbes said, people are dying right now. I never, ever forgot that moment," Grenci said. Storm left scars on the land Stephen Corfidi of the Severe Local Storms Unit of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center, as the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) was known in those days, was amazed by the strength of the F4 twister north of State College. "Eight years after the event, the path of the nearly mile-wide monster storm remained nearly devoid of trees - in stark contrast to the richly green forest surrounding it," Corfidi said. The storm's scar was visible on satellite maps until the early 2000s. An infamous and rare video of the F5 tornado The strongest storm of the outbreak, an F5 tornado, began in Portage County in Ohio and tracked across Trumbull County into Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Home video cameras were rare in those days, but one resident filmed the infamous storm. For the 40th anniversary of the outbreak, WFMJ talked to Ron Alfredo, who took the rare video of the tornado in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. After seeing unusually large hail, he said, the tornado came into view. He kept the video rolling. "I thought it was papers flying," Alfredo said of swirling debris that he later realized was buildings being torn apart. A dozen killed in Ontario In southern Ontario, 14 tornadoes left massive damage north of Toronto, killing 12 people. Three tornadoes were rated F3 on the Fujita Scale. "The tornado hit so hard that in some places, there was simply nothing left," CBC's Vicki Russell said at the time.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, an unusual first for 2025
Alvin's formation marks the end of an unusual drought of tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere. In mid-May, forecasters noted that multiple storms, often in the western North Pacific, usually had formed by this point in the year. The oddity didn't stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from predicting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. More: See projected path, spaghetti models of Alvin (While all is quiet at the moment in the Atlantic, forecasters are keeping an eye on several weather systems ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.) It is possible Alvin may strengthen further into a hurricane, AccuWeather said. The storm is expected to begin to lose wind intensity as it moves northward toward Mexico into the weekend and moves over cooler waters and an area of increased wind shear, which acts to tear storms apart. Alvin marks an early start to the eastern Pacific season. The average date for the first tropical storm of that season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some rain, clouds may reach US southwest Alvin "may still wander far enough to the north along the west coast of Mexico to allow some moisture in the form of clouds and downpours to reach parts of Texas or New Mexico as early as this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes seldom have any major impact on the U.S. "While many eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes move west-northwest and eventually fizzle in the open ocean, some do strike land, as we saw in 2023 with the remnant of Hurricane Hilary in the Desert Southwest and with Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico," noted meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast. Map shows Alvin's projected storm path This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Below-average season expected in eastern Pacific The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, marking an unusual first for 2025
Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, marking an unusual first for 2025 Alvin's formation marks the end of an unusual drought of tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere. Show Caption Hide Caption NOAA predicts at least three hurricanes this season NOAA predicts the three major hurricanes in the 2025 hurricane season. Tropical Storm Alvin formed in the the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, May 29, becoming the first named storm anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year. Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center say the storm poses no direct threat to the United States, but it could bring locally heavy rain and gusty winds near the west-central Mexico coastline late week into the weekend. Alvin's formation marks the end of an unusual drought of tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere. In mid-May, forecasters noted that multiple storms, often in the western North Pacific, usually had formed by this point in the year. The oddity didn't stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from predicting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. More: See projected path, spaghetti models of Alvin (While all is quiet at the moment in the Atlantic, forecasters are keeping an eye on several weather systems ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.) It is possible Alvin may strengthen further into a hurricane, AccuWeather said. The storm is expected to begin to lose wind intensity as it moves northward toward Mexico into the weekend and moves over cooler waters and an area of increased wind shear, which acts to tear storms apart. As of 11 a.m. EDT, Thursday May 29, the center of Alvin was located about 670 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. Alvin was moving to the northwest at 10 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were 40 mph. Alvin marks an early start to the eastern Pacific season. The average date for the first tropical storm of that season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some rain, clouds may reach US southwest Alvin "may still wander far enough to the north along the west coast of Mexico to allow some moisture in the form of clouds and downpours to reach parts of Texas or New Mexico as early as this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes seldom have any major impact on the U.S. "While many eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes move west-northwest and eventually fizzle in the open ocean, some do strike land, as we saw in 2023 with the remnant of Hurricane Hilary in the Desert Southwest and with Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico," noted meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast. Map shows Alvin's projected storm path This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Below-average season expected in eastern Pacific The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Alvin brewing in the eastern Pacific Ocean, hurricane forecasters say
The tropics have awakened from their winter slumber, and Tropical Storm Alvin may soon be upon us. In the eastern Pacific Ocean near Central America, meteorologists say the atmosphere is becoming more favorable for tropical development. "Satellite imagery shows showers and thunderstorms becoming better organized near a broad area of low pressure located several hundred miles south of the coast of southern Mexico," the National Hurricane Center said in a Tropical Weather Outlook from May 27. "While the system still lacks a well-defined circulation, environmental conditions are favorable for further development, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is expected to form tonight or on Wednesday as the low moves generally west-northwestward at around 10 mph," the hurricane center said midafternoon on May 27. The center gives the system a 100% chance of development. If it becomes a named system, it would be called Alvin – the first named tropical cyclone anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year. As a refresher, a tropical depression becomes a named storm when its sustained wind speed reaches 39 mph. The average date for the first tropical storm of the eastern Pacific season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. "If a storm forms soon, it would be well ahead of the historical pace – and much earlier than last year's first storm. In 2024, Aletta didn't form until July 4, marking the latest start to an eastern Pacific hurricane season in the satellite era," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. Eastern Pacific storms and hurricanes primarily stay out to sea and seldom affect the U.S. mainland, although some storms do hit the west coast of Mexico and remnant moisture from the storms can affect the U.S. Southwest. (This story has been updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Alvin brewing in the eastern Pacific Ocean
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, marking an unusual first for 2025
Tropical Storm Alvin formed in the the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, May 29, becoming the first named storm anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere this year. Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center say the storm poses no direct threat to the United States, but it could bring locally heavy rain and gusty winds near the west-central Mexico coastline late week into the weekend. Alvin's formation marks the end of an unusual drought of tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere. In mid-May, forecasters noted that multiple storms, often in the western North Pacific, usually had formed by this point in the year. The oddity didn't stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from predicting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. More: See projected path, spaghetti models of Alvin (While all is quiet at the moment in the Atlantic, forecasters are keeping an eye on several weather systems ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.) It is possible Alvin may strengthen further into a hurricane, AccuWeather said. The storm is expected to begin to lose wind intensity as it moves northward toward Mexico into the weekend and moves over cooler waters and an area of increased wind shear, which acts to tear storms apart. As of 11 a.m. EDT, Thursday May 29, the center of Alvin was located about 670 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. Alvin was moving to the northwest at 10 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were 40 mph. Alvin marks an early start to the eastern Pacific season. The average date for the first tropical storm of that season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. Alvin "may still wander far enough to the north along the west coast of Mexico to allow some moisture in the form of clouds and downpours to reach parts of Texas or New Mexico as early as this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes seldom have any major impact on the U.S. "While many eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes move west-northwest and eventually fizzle in the open ocean, some do strike land, as we saw in 2023 with the remnant of Hurricane Hilary in the Desert Southwest and with Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico," noted meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast. This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, an unusual first for 2025
