List of known tornadoes from June 23, 1944
|
F# |
Location |
County |
State |
Time (UTC) |
Path length |
Comments/Damage
|
F3
|
Rural Valley to
Twin Rocks
|
Armstrong,
Indiana,
Cambria
|
PA
|
2230
|
30 miles (48 km)
|
2 deaths – A long-tracked tornado damaged about 50 homes or farmsites in Armstrong County, though only a single home was destroyed; three people were injured. In Indiana County, the tornado destroyed 15 homes, killing two people.
[2] Damage in Cambria County may have been caused by
downburst winds. Total losses reached $2 million (1944
USD).
[2]
|
F2
|
S of
Edinburg to S of
Palmyra
|
Portage,
Mahoning
|
OH
|
2300
|
8 miles (13 km)
|
Two farmhouses sustained near-F3 damage and eight others were reported damaged. The tornado killed livestock and damaged barns and outbuildings.
[2]
|
F4
|
Wellsburg, WV to N of
Oakland, MD
|
Brooke (WV),
Washington (PA),
Greene (PA),
Fayette (PA),
Preston (WV),
Garrett (MD)
|
WV,
PA,
MD
|
2311
|
85 miles (137 km)
|
30 deaths – The first of three major, long-lived, violent tornadoes was probably a
tornado family that began in West Virginia. The tornado touched down in Wellsburg, unroofing 20 homes and fatally injuring a girl on a farm nearby.
[2] The tornado killed 22 people in 15 mi (24 km) of path across Greene County, leveling numerous homes, including 53 in the mining community of
Chartiers (10 deaths), east of
Clarksville. The tornado killed eight more people at
Dry Tavern, near
Rices Landing, and destroyed a total of 86 homes in Pennsylvania.
[2] After striking Dry Tavern, the tornado passed near
Smithfield (then also called Smithville) before lifting for some time. Debris from the storm fell in nearby
Uniontown.
[2] The tornado may have dissipated and redeveloped into a new tornado that crossed into Maryland, killing three people, injuring 25, and destroying seven homes. The 26 deaths in
Pennsylvania made it the deadliest tornado in the state.
[2]
|
F4
|
S of
Pittsburgh to NW of
Somerset
|
Allegheny,
Westmoreland,
Somerset
|
PA
|
2330
|
50 miles (80 km)
|
17 deaths – This major tornado affected what is now part of the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area, beginning only 8 mi (13 km) south of Pittsburgh. The tornado killed 17 people in Allegheny County, near
McKeesport, mainly in the communities of
Dravosburg,
Port Vue,
Versailles,
Boston, and
Greenock.
[2] In these communities, the tornado destroyed almost 88 homes and damaged 306. Many multi-story dwellings were leveled or torn apart, some single-story residences were also leveled, and more than 400 other structures were damaged or destroyed.
[2] As the tornado paralleled the
Pennsylvania Turnpike, it destroyed six more homes near
Donegal and two near Somerset. 200 people were injured.
[2]
|
F4
|
NW of
Wyatt to
Shinnston to
Cheat Mountain
|
Marion,
Harrison,
Taylor,
Barbour,
Tucker,
Randolph
|
WV
|
0030
|
60 miles (97 km)
|
100+ deaths – At about 8:30 p.m. EDT,
[5]
[6]
[7] a powerful tornado touched down in Marion County, West Virginia, northwest of Wyatt. It quickly intensified as it moved to the southeast, killing three people in four homes that were destroyed in
Joetown.
[2] Over the next 10 mi (16 km), the tornado widened to 1 mi (1.6 km) across and killed at least 72 people. First, the funnel struck the farming community of
Wyatt and killed three people in neighboring
Peora. It then devastated the town of Shinnston, killing about 30 people in the "Pleasant Hill" part of town.
[2] Numerous homes in Pleasant Hill were leveled and had their debris blown into the
West Fork River.
[6]
[7] In the Shinnston area, bark was peeled from trees, a steel radio tower was broken off, vehicles were moved almost 100 feet (30 m) from where they originated, and a large gas plant was leveled.
[6]
[7]
[8] In Taylor County, the tornado killed nine more people, including seven in one family at
Simpson. The tornado produced nine other deaths in and near
Meadowville,
Nestorville, and
Philippi.
[2] The path passed near
Montrose (seven deaths) and ended north of
Alpena, on the slopes of Cheat Mountain. 381 people were injured.
[2] The death toll was at least 100: some sources indicate that 103 rather than 100 people died in this tornado.
[4]
|
F3
|
Thomas
|
Tucker
|
WV
|
0325
|
1 mile (1.6 km)
|
3 deaths – A tornado damaged or destroyed about 50 homes.
[2]
|
F3
|
Cambridge, MD to
Delmar, DE
|
Dorchester (MD),
Sussex (DE)
|
MD,
DE
|
0415
|
28 miles (45 km)
|
2 deaths – This possible tornado family destroyed a gas station, two barns, three warehouses, and 13 homes at Cambridge. Two people died there, near the beginning of the path. Damages reached $1 million (1944 USD) at Cambridge. Only F1 damage occurred in Delaware as the tornado broke windows, chimneys, and fences.
[2]
|
Sources: Grazulis, Significant, p. 915
|