National Weather Service: EF-1 Tornado That Ripped Through Bucks County Had a Long Wind-up Before It Threw Its Punch

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Tropical Storm Fred
Image via National Hurricane Center.
The path of Tropical Storm Fred and its remnants, which set off a lengthy Bucks County tornado.

Bucks County has had a rough summer weather-wise. This week’s remnants of Hurricane Ida were bad enough. But the damage associated with her came atop tornadic activity last month. Anthony R. Wood reported something quite unique about the August 19 dangerous cyclone for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, tracker of tornado data since 1950, the average path of a twister runs 3.5 miles. The EF-1 tornado that blasted through Bucks County last month ran a distance of close to nine.

The weather calamity spun off literally from tropical storm Fred, which trekked from the Greater Antilles to the Florida panhandle to Georgia and eventually up the east coast.

In the early morning hours, Fred it sparked a tornado in Bucks County, slamming Hilltown and Bedminster Townships with 105-mile winds.

What investigators found most interesting was the length of its path.

The twister originally touched down in Hatfield Township, Montgomery County. It then gnashed its way forward, heading northeast, for the next 15 minutes.

In its wake was nearly nine miles of damage.

The tornado brought down several trees in a mobile-home in Souderton and ripped roofing off an auto-repair shop in Hilltown Township.

No one was injured, but 18 to 20 homes incurred damage, said a fire official.

More on Bucks County’s EF-1 tornado is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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