Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS State College, PA
Issued by NWS State College, PA
467 NOUS41 KCTP 281746 PNSCTP PAZ066-282200- Public Information Statement National Weather Service State College PA 146 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026 ...NWS Damage Survey for 08/20/26 Tornado Event - Update #2... .Update... Based on additional drone footage, NWS State College has extended the length of the Columbia EF-1 tornado and added an additional short EF-0 tornado (now 4 total) from the storms that moved through southeast PA on August 20, 2026. ..Eastern York County Tornado... Rating: EF2 Estimated Peak Wind: 120 mph Path Length /statute/: 1.07 miles Path Width /maximum/: 100 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 1 Start Date: 08/20/2026 Start Time: 04:24 PM EDT Start Location: 2 SSW Wrightsville / York County / PA Start Lat/Lon: 39.9994 / -76.5521 End Date: 08/20/2026 End Time: 04:26 PM EDT End Location: 2 SSE Wrightsville / York County / PA End Lat/Lon: 39.9975 / -76.5323 Survey Summary: An EF-2 tornado impacted eastern York County during the afternoon of August 20, 2026. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 120 mph and the tornado had a maximum path width of 100 yards. Damage was first noted near the end of Vista Lane near Wrightsville where approximately 5 trees were snapped. Sporadic tree damage was noted along the tornado`s track as it continued towards Picturesque Drive. The most significant damage occurred at Eastern York High School where the roof was fully ripped off of multiple classrooms. There was also significant damage to the school`s auditorium, with the roof partially ripped off and bricks at the top of the wall shifted from their original location. The tornado continued eastward along Winding Way, where multiple homes sustained damage to windows and siding. One injury was reported as a result of a window being blown into a house. The tornado knocked down crops in a field to the east of these houses, before lifting prior to reaching Chateau Circle. We would like to thank York County Emergency Management and local homeowners for their assistance in this damage survey. ..Columbia Tornado... Rating: EF1 Estimated Peak Wind: 100 mph Path Length /statute/: 3.01 miles Path Width /maximum/: 100 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 08/20/2026 Start Time: 04:30 PM EDT Start Location: Columbia / Lancaster County / PA Start Lat/Lon: 40.0343 / -76.5015 End Date: 08/20/2026 End Time: 04:33 PM EDT End Location: 2 SE Columbia / Lancaster County / PA End Lat/Lon: 40.0031 / -76.4620 Survey Summary: On August 20, 2026 at approximately 4:30 p.m. EDT, an EF-1 tornado impacted Columbia, PA. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 100 mph with a maximum path width of 100 yards. The damage path began on the block where Walnut Street meets 4th Street. Damage was done to an old firehouse where a section of the second story brick wall was knocked down onto Avenue H and a neighboring store. The firehouse roof and another adjacent roof were torn off and lying nearby. The tornado continued southeast through town where a couple small outbuildings were collapsed near Avenue K. Damage continued down Malt Avenue with many tree limbs snapped and minor damage to roofs. The tornado then crossed the Columbia Reading Railway snapping some large trees along Manor Street and Furnace Avenue. It continued into the wooded area south of town and across Blue Lane where many trees were found uprooted and snapped. Additional damage was discovered with numerous trees snapped or uprooted along the western side of Richland Drive. The tornado then continued over the ridge to the south of Richland Drive before crossing over Shultz Road. The tornado then turned left (toward the southeast) and left a path of convergent damage in a corn field north of Charlestown Rd. Sporadic damage was observed downstream of the tornado path on a farm, but it was not continuous enough to definitely extend the tornado path further. We would like to thank Lancaster County Emergency Management, the Columbia Borough Police Department, and students from Millersville University for their assistance in this damage survey. .Habecker Rd Tornado... Rating: EF-0 Estimated Peak Wind: 65 mph Path Length /statute/: 0.3 miles Path Width /maximum/: 75 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 08/20/2026 Start Time: 04:37 PM EDT Start Location: 2 ESE Mountville / Lancaster County / PA Start Lat/Lon: 40.0271 / -76.402 End Date: 08/20/2026 End Time: 04:37 PM EDT End Location: 2 ESE Mountville / Lancaster County / PA End Lat/Lon: 40.0235 / -76.3989 Survey Summary: A brief EF-0 tornado occurred at 4:37PM EDT on August 20, 2026. The tornado began northwest of Habecker Church Rd and carved out a narrow convergent swath of damage in several cornfields as it moved south-southeast. The tornado began to occlude as it crossed Habecker Church Rd, after which the path briefly widened and became a bit less defined. Interestingly, there may have been a second even more narrow vortex that developed to the east of the parent vortex (to the left from a storm-relative standpoint) and joined up with the main circulation near Habecker Church Rd. The tornado likely lifted as it cycled and subsequently produced more damage to the northeast as it a crossed a residential area. We would like to thank students from Millersville University for their assistance in this damage survey. ..Manor Township Tornado... Rating: EF0 Estimated Peak Wind: 85 mph Path Length /statute/: 0.49 miles Path Width /maximum/: 125 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 08/20/2026 Start Time: 04:38 PM EDT Start Location: 2 E Mountville / Lancaster County / PA Start Lat/Lon: 40.0314 / -76.3877 End Date: 08/20/2026 End Time: 04:40 PM EDT End Location: 2 NW Millersville / Lancaster County / PA End Lat/Lon: 40.0312 / -76.3784 Survey Summary: An EF-0 tornado developed over Broadstone Street causing significant damage to trees and pulling gutters off of homes. The tornado traveled east partially ripping a roof off of a townhouse as it crossed Sutherland Road and uprooted additional trees in the neighborhood. Finally it crossed South Centerville Road snapping and uprooting numerous trees as it continued east before lifting over a field. We would like to thank Lancaster County Emergency Management and students from Millersville University for their assistance in this damage survey. && EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0.....65 to 85 mph EF1.....86 to 110 mph EF2.....111 to 135 mph EF3.....136 to 165 mph EF4.....166 to 200 mph EF5.....>200 mph NOTE: The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS Storm Data. $$