BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — While residents of Jefferson County breath a collective sigh of relief after Tuesday evening’s tornado sightings, the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services, with the help of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, continues to analyze the storm data in an effort to be as prepared as possible for the next life-threatening storm.

(Left to Right: Commissioner Jeff Pisarchik, Director of Emergency Services Tracy Zents, and Deputy Director Chris Clark during a news conference on Wednesday. Photo by Randy Bartley.)

There were two confirmed tornados. The first started just after 5:00 pm just west of Monrean Road in Clover Township and traveled in a southeastern direction, ending near Five Mile Run in Knox Township, a total of about 4 miles with a width of about ⅛ of a mile. According to the preliminary data from the National Weather Service, this tornado was rated as an EF 2 with a wind speed of around 110 mph.

The second tornado, which struck around 5:45 pm, was less intense, with a preliminary rating of EF 0 and a wind speed of about 65-70 mph. The funnel formed southwest of the Moonlight Drive Inn Theater in Rose Township, west of Brookville, and traveled sporadically, jumping multiple times before ending around Kirkman Road in Pine Creek Township.

Both storm systems caused their share of damage. Some trees were snapped off 20 to 40 feet in the air and some were uprooted completely. Four homes were reported with minor structural damages. Various fire departments and road crews worked until midnight to clear roads and move debris while utility crews worked to restore power.

Photo by Explore’s Tyler Ochs.

Photo by Explore’s Tyler Ochs.

According to Tracy Zents, the Director of the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services, there is still a lot of work to do across the state to analyze the data collected from photographs, videos, and radar images from the storm systems.

“There was quite an outbreak of tornadoes in the state; 12 that were confirmed from Tuesday,” Zents said. “The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh was in Westmoreland County today and confirmed 2 more tornadoes there.”

After a tornado, researchers first conduct ground surveys to piece together the path of a storm. Then the Civil Air Patrol will fly over the affected areas to determine if there was any other areas of damage to indicate the presence of other tornados. The review of the data and investigation into the recent tornadoes in Jefferson County will continue for the next couple of days.

“We had gotten reports near the Reynoldsville, Sykesville, Big Run triangle, but haven’t been able to confirm what occurred there,” Zents said. “We are still collecting photos and videos to see if we can determine anything.”

Zents added the importance of the information collected so that he and his team can continue to look for ways to improve their response the next time a tornado hits Jefferson County. “It’s important that we can use all that information to help compare with incoming radar images to get warning out quicker,” Zents explained. To send out warnings, the Emergency Services team makes the broadcast on local radio frequencies. Many local communities have warning sirens, though they are typically set off on a local level so that people in those areas can determine what to do based on what they are seeing.

Fortunately, there were no injuries during the storm, which Zents says indicates that residents were taking the tornado warnings seriously. “The traffic on roadways was slowed down considerably,” he said. “All these trees that come down on roads have the potential to come down on a car.”

Zents says the most striking damage strike that he say yesterday was at the Jefferson Cemetery along Cemetary Road in Clover Township. “I know what the force of Mother Nature can be,” Zents said. “But this was a real reminder. There are stones that were toppled 4 or 5 times, and these are 800-900 lb pieces of granite.”

Photo courtesy National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

Though tornados are not considered frequent in this area of the country, there have been 15 tornadoes on record since 1880, with the most recent EF 2 tornado occuring in 1996.

“It’s very evident that we can get them,” Zents said. “So, we have to be prepared either way.”

Anyone with photographs or videos of the tornadoes or tornado damage are encouraged to submit them to the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Services. See their Facebook page for more details.

Captured near Brookville by Lauren Kocher.