Impact of worst tornado outbreak in Mercer County still felt 40 years later
The single worst tornado outbreak in Western Pennsylvania's history. 16 tornadoes on our side of the state. Four of them, EF4s and the only ever recorded EF5 in Pennsylvania, ravaged much of southern Mercer County.
Fortunately, then 12-year-old, Nikki Patrina, and her family weren't home when the EF5 tornado badly damaged their house.
Every single tree on their one-acre property was damaged or destroyed. Sadly, the Patrinas lost their next-door neighbor when her home's chimney collapsed on her.
For others, survival that day might have been a matter of luck.
It was an outbreak that not only impacted people's lives but also how they responded to severe weather.
'After that, I was an eighth grader here at Ingomar Middle School in the North Allegheny School District. My science teachers, Mr. Glaspey and Mr. Meyer, had weather radios we would use in class sometimes. We knew that was going to be a bad weather day, and I begged my teachers to let me take one of the weather radios home for the weekend. Mr. Meyer was a little hesitant, but Mr. Glaspey said 'Go ahead, just don't break it.' I took the weather radio home and listened to five straight hours of tornado warnings,' said Patrina.
Carla Hudson was only one year old, living in Farrell, just south of Sharon, in Mercer County. Even though she has no memory of that day, she does believe that knowing about the tornado and how her mother reacted afterward could have possibly impacted her fear of severe weather as a child.
369 million dollars in property damage in Pennsylvania alone that day. Today, with more communities, more businesses, more people, the death toll and damage could be far, far worse. Historic. Not an overstatement at all, especially for those who lived through it four decades ago.
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Los Angeles Times
21-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
My last garden
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Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Newsweek
Anti-Government Militia Targets Weather Radars: What To Know
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Why It Matters Following widespread floods that have devastated Texas in the past week, a number of conspiracy theories have swirled online around cloud seeding and weather manipulation. Founded in 2015, Veterans on Patrol initially focused on vigilante activities along the U.S.-Mexico border but has since shifted toward conspiracy-driven campaigns, including those involving weather manipulation. The group's rhetoric has grown more extreme in recent months, raising concerns among public safety officials. A radar during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's media day about a field campaign to study southeast U.S. tornadoes in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 8, 2023. A radar during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's media day about a field campaign to study southeast U.S. tornadoes in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 8, 2023. Seth Herald/ AFP/ Getty/Getty Images What To Know Meyer's recent admission follows the vandalism of News 9's radar system in northeast Oklahoma City. Surveillance footage captured an individual tampering with electrical components, disabling power to the radar, damaging the generator and control panels, and knocking the system offline for several hours on Sunday. CBS affiliate KWTV reported having footage of a man disabling the power supply to its NextGen Live radar. The station suggested the incident may be connected to rhetoric from VOP. Police arrested Anthony Tyler Mitchell, 39, in connection with the incident on suspicion of felony malicious injury to property, burglary and damaging critical infrastructure, NBC News reported, citing Oklahoma City Police. Investigators have not confirmed whether he is affiliated with VOP. 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OCTIC (Oklahoma Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center) actively monitors all threats to critical infrastructure in Oklahoma. If you see suspicious activity near critical infrastructures, it's important to report it via the free ProtectOk app. If you witness vandalism taking place, call 911 immediately." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told NBC News: "NOAA is aware of recent threats against weather radar sites and is working with local and other authorities in monitoring the situation closely." What Happens Next In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Meyer denied giving any directions to attack weather equipment. However, he suggested that VOP was planning further action and said they were capable of targeting up to 15 radar sites simultaneously across Oklahoma.
Yahoo
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- Yahoo
Man Buries Himself in Snow for Over 2 Hours to Break World Record: 'the Heavy Snow Pressed Me Down'
A Swiss man holds the world record for the longest amount of time in full-body contact with snow Elias Meyer, a competitive powerlifter, took the title on April 2, 2024, after he spent 2 hours, 7 seconds buried under a pile of snow The previous record was held by Polish man Valerjan Romanvoski at 1 hour, 45 minutes, 2 secondsA Swiss man holds the world record for the longest amount of time in full-body contact with snow. Elias Meyer, a competitive powerlifter, took the title on April 2, 2024, after he spent 2 hours, 7 seconds buried under a pile of snow over 3 ft. tall, according to Guinness World Records. Meyer wore nothing but swim shorts during the experience. 'I needed a new challenge and I said to myself, 'Why not?' ' the athlete told Guinness in a video interview at the time. In an Instagram post shared on April 3, 2024, one day after the record-breaking moment, Meyer said that he had trained for the day for over three months. He then went on to describe the physical sensation of being buried in the frigid temperatures. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The heavy snow pressed me down, causing my shoulders and elbows to ache,' he wrote in the post's caption. 'Perhaps you also feel a sharp ice cube against your back, with no chance to do anything about it, you can only be thankful, thankful for everything.' 'I stopped at two hours because I had to travel home, but there is much more to come,' he added. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! While humans can train themselves to adapt to cold temperatures, there was a real risk of hypothermia during the two hours. Because of this, Meyer made sure to have a hospital, as well as an emergency medical team, near where he was conducting the challenge, along with observers who 'continually monitored his internal body temperature and his health,' per Guinness. Observers noted that Meyer appeared relatively unfazed throughout the ordeal and often appeared to be sleeping with his eyes closed. The previous record for the longest amount of time in the snow was set in 2022 by Valerjan Romanvoski, a Polish man who held the title at 1 hour, 45 minutes, 2 seconds, according to United Press International. Read the original article on People
