ABUS34 KCTP 011940
PNSCTP
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
340 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED THAT 
TWO GUSTNADOES TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF JOHNSTOWN ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON 
JUST AFTER 4 PM.  A GUSTNADO IS A SMALL TORNADO EMBEDDED INSIDE A 
DOWNBURST FROM A NON ROTATING THUNDERSTORM. TYPICALLY A GUSTNADO IS 
ON THE GROUND FOR LESS THAN TWO MINUTES.

THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED IN VINTONDALE AND TRAVELED ONE HALF 
MILE THROUGH TOWN INTO THE WEST SIDE OF NANTY GLO. THE SECOND GUSTNADO 
TOUCHED DOWN ON LINCOLN STREET ON THE EAST SIDE OF NANTY GLO AND 
CAUSED DAMAGE ALONG A QUARTER MILE TRACK BEFORE BEING ABSORBED BACK 
INTO THE DOWNBURST.

EYEWITNESSES SAW FUNNEL CLOUDS OR ROTATING DEBRIS AT BOTH LOCATIONS.

THE TRACKS OF THE GUSTNADOES WERE 50 YARDS WIDE AND WERE EMBEDDED IN 
A DOWNBURST DAMAGE AREA THAT WAS 1/4 MILE WIDE AND APPROXIMATELY 5 
MILES LONG.

THE GUSTNADOES AND DOWNBURST WERE RATED AT F0 WHICH MEANS THAT THE 
DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY WINDS BETWEEN 40 AND 72 MPH.

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ABUS34 KCTP 020300
PNSCTP
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1100 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED THAT 
DAMAGE IN SOMERSET COUNTY ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 30 1998 WAS 
CAUSED BY BOTH A GUSTNADO AND DOWNBURST WINDS.

DOWNBURST WINDS...WITH SPEEDS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 40 AND 72 MPH... 
CAUSED A SWATH OF DAMAGE 19 MILES LONG AND 1 MILE WIDE ACROSS 
CENTRAL SOMERSET COUNTY.  THE DAMAGE PATH BEGAN NEAR THE TOWN OF 
GRAY...3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JENNERSTOWN...AND CONTINUED TO THE 
SOUTHEAST ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF ROUTE 30.  WINDS FROM THE 
DOWNBURST MOVED THROUGH THE TOWNS OF RALPHTOWN...STOYSTOWN AND  
BUCKSTOWN...THEN CONTINUED TO THE BEDFORD COUNTY LINE.  DAMAGE WAS 
LIMITED TO SCATTERED DOWNED TREES AND LIMBS.

ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ABOVE DOWNBURST DAMAGE SWATH...A SMALLER 
BUT STRONGER AREA OF DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED.  THIS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO 
A GUSTNADO.  A GUSTNADO IS A SMALL TORNADO EMBEDDED INSIDE OR ALONG 
THE EDGE OF A DOWNBURST.

THE GUSTNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG RIDGE ROAD (SR1019) NORTH OF 
BUCKSTOWN OR ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CENTRAL CITY AND TRAVELED 
NORTHEAST.  THE DAMAGE FROM THE GUSTNADO WAS 70 YARDS WIDE AND TWO 
TENTHS OF A MILE IN LENGTH.  THIS GUSTNADO FELLED ABOUT 100 TREES... 
AND WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE CONTAINED WINDS OF 75 TO 80 MPH. THIS 
WOULD RATE THE GUSTNADO AS AN F1.

THE DOWNBURST...RATED AN F0...MEANS THAT WINDS BETWEEN 40 AND 72 MPH 
WERE PRESENT.  AN F1 RATING...WHICH WAS ASSIGNED TO THE GUSTNADO... 
INDICATES WINDS IN THE RANGE OF 73 TO 112 MPH.  

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ABUS34 KCTP 022031
PNSCTP
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
430 PM EDT THU JUL 2 1998

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED THAT 
DAMAGE IN JERSEY MILLS AND CAMMAL IN NORTHWEST LYCOMING COUNTY ON 
THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 30 1998 WAS CAUSED BY DOWNBURST WINDS.

DOWNBURST WINDS...WITH SPEEDS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 40 AND 72 MPH... 
CAUSED 2 SWATHES OF DAMAGE IN THE PINE CREEK VALLEY OF WESTERN 
LYCOMING COUNTY.

THE NORTHERN DOWNBURST UPROOTED 3 TREES AND SNAPPED OFF AT LEAST A 
DOZEN LARGE PINE TREES IN A 50 YARD WIDE AND QUARTER MILE LONG SWATH 
JUST EAST AND NORTHEAST OF CAMMAL.  ONE OF THE UPROOTED TREES 
CRUSHED A MOBILE HOME.  NO ONE WAS HOME AT THE TIME AND THERE WERE 
NO INJURIES.  TOP WINDS IN THIS DOWNBURST APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN 
AROUND 60 MPH. 

THE SOUTHERN DOWNBURST UPROOTED AT LEAST A DOZEN TREES ALONG PINE 
CREEK CLOSING ROUTE 414 FOR AN HOUR UNTIL THE TREES COULD BE CLEARED 
OFF THE ROAD.  AT FIRST THE DAMAGE IN JERSEY MILLS APPEARED TO BE 
TORNADIC.  HOWEVER AFTER SPEAKING WITH WITNESSES...IT APPEARS THAT 
AN F0 DOWNBURST CROSSED DAMAGE LAID DOWN BY ANOTHER F0 DOWNBURST ON 
JUNE 17TH.  BOTH EVENTS APPEARED TO HAVE WINDS OF APPROXIMATELY 
60-70 MPH.

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