May 11, 2015 Severe Weather

Damaging Winds Move Over Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania

A low pressure system developed in the lee of the Rocky Mountains on May 9^th and moved into the Great Lakes region on May 11^th, bringing the chance for some strong to severe thunderstorms for northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. Ahead of this low pressure system, an unseasonably warm air mass settled across the area with high temperature records broken for several sites on May 7-11. As this system moved northeast, a cold front moved across the Midwest, sparking showers and thunderstorms. Several of these thunderstorms reached severe limits and brought damaging winds to some communities in the area.

One of the hardest hit areas was Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. At about 8pm, a severe thunderstorm moved into western portions of Erie, Pennsylvania. This storm caused significant damage to a mobile home park near the intersection of State Route 5 and Peninsula Drive in Millcreek Township. Many large trees and power lines fell on to trailers. Four mobile homes were destroyed and one received major damage. A fire destroyed one of the impacted trailers, a direct result of the tree and power line damage. In addition, there was a gas leak at the trailer park and evacuations were needed for some trailer homes. Photos from the Millcreek Township Office of Emergency Management of the damage are included below, along with a list of damage reports from several communities in northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

Photo of a fallen tree in Millcreek Township. Photo of damage to mobile home from fallen tree.

Photo of a tree on a mobile home in Millcreek Township. Photo of a fallen tree in Millcreek Township.

Photos Courtesy of the Millcreek Township EMA.

Here is map, showing the locations of all NWS Cleveland Storm Reports from May 11, 2015:

This map shows the distribution of wind reports across northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

Local Storm Report Map Courtesy of the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) from Iowa State University.

Here are the preliminary storm reports from May 11, 2015:

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
237 PM EDT TUE MAY 12 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0401 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 SSW FINDLAY           41.02N 83.67W 
05/11/2015  M44.00 MPH       HANCOCK            OH   ASOS            

            KFDY MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 38 KNOTS.

0548 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MARTINSBURG             40.27N 82.35W 
05/11/2015                   KNOX               OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN AND 
            NEAR THE TOWN OF MARTINSBURG. SOME TREES WERE LAYING ON 
            POWER LINES AND THE POWER IS OUT IN THE TOWN OF 
            MARTINSBURG.

0601 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 N MANSFIELD           40.82N 82.51W 
05/11/2015  M47.00 MPH       RICHLAND           OH   ASOS            

            KMFD MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 47 KNOTS.

0615 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MILLERSBURG             40.55N 81.92W 
05/11/2015                   HOLMES             OH   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER
            LINES DOWN ACROSS THE MILLERSBURG AREA. 

0650 PM     TSTM WND GST     PARMA                   41.38N 81.73W 
05/11/2015  M47.00 MPH       CUYAHOGA           OH   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC REPORT OF 41 KNOT WIND GUST IN PARMA. WIND 
            MEASURED FROM PERSONAL WEATHER STATION.

0654 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NW NORTH CANTON       40.91N 81.45W 
05/11/2015  M56.00 MPH       SUMMIT             OH   ASOS            

            KCAK MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 49 KNOTS.

0708 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GATES MILLS             41.53N 81.41W 
05/11/2015                   CUYAHOGA           OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            A COUPLE TREES DOWN IN GATES MILLS...RELAYED BY CHAGRIN 
            FALLS PD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

0710 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BAINBRIDGE              41.39N 81.34W 
05/11/2015                   GEAUGA             OH   LAW ENFORCEMENT 

            BAINBRIDGE POLICE REPORTED A COUPLE DOWNED TREES IN 
            BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP.

0715 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SOLON                   41.39N 81.44W 
05/11/2015                   CUYAHOGA           OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            SOME TREES REPORTED DOWN IN SOLON BY SOLON PD.

0718 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 ESE PAINESVILLE       41.72N 81.22W 
05/11/2015                   LAKE               OH   PUBLIC          

            REPORT OF A LARGE TREE AND POWER LINES DOWN AT 
            INTERSECTION OF RIVERSIDE DR AND NELMAR DR IN PAINESVILLE
            TWP...REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

0730 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SEBRING                 40.92N 81.02W 
05/11/2015                   MAHONING           OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            SEBRING POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED WIDESPREAD TREES AND 
            POWER LINES DOWN IN TOWN.

0732 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SE CRAIG BEACH        41.10N 80.95W 
05/11/2015                   MAHONING           OH   PUBLIC          

            REPORT OF SEVERAL LARGE TREES SNAPPED AND LAYING ON POWER
            LINES IN THE MILTON TOWNSHIP AREA...TIME IS RADAR 
            ESTIMATED... REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.

0733 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NE JEFFERSON          41.78N 80.70W 
05/11/2015  M45.00 MPH       ASHTABULA          OH   ASOS            

            KHZY REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 39 KNOTS.

0737 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MADISON                 41.77N 81.05W 
05/11/2015                   LAKE               OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            SEVERAL POWER LINES DOWN IN THE TOWN OF MADISON.

0758 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 SSE CORTLAND          41.26N 80.67W 
05/11/2015  M52.00 MPH       TRUMBULL           OH   ASOS            

            KYNG REPORTED A 45 KNOT WIND GUST.

0800 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 WSW ERIE              42.11N 80.15W 
05/11/2015                   ERIE               PA   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP EMA DID DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AROUND 
            INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 5 AND PENINSULA DR. NUMEROUS LARGE 
            TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. SEVERAL TREES FELL ON 
            TRAILERS AT A MOBILE HOME PARK PROMPTING A GAS LEAK AND 
            EVACUATIONS OF THE TRAILER PARK. SEVERAL TRAILERS WERE 
            SEVERELY DAMAGED. 

0800 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GIRARD                  41.15N 80.70W 
05/11/2015                   TRUMBULL           OH   911 CALL CENTER 

            TRUMBULL COUNTY 911 CENTER REPORTED WIDESPREAD TREES AND 
            POWER LINES DOWN IN TRUMBULL COUNTY. POWER OUTAGES IN 
            WARREN AND GIRARD. TREES ON MANY HOMES CAUSING ROOF 
            DAMAGE.

0810 PM     TSTM WND GST     ERIE                    42.13N 80.09W 
05/11/2015  E65.00 MPH       ERIE               PA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            TRAINED SPOTTER RECORDED AN ESTIMATED 65 MPH WIND GUST IN
            ERIE.

0810 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ERIE                    42.13N 80.09W 
05/11/2015                   ERIE               PA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED DOWNED AND UPROOTED TREES IN 
            DOWNTOWN ERIE. SPOTTER ALSO NOTED FLYING CONSTRUCTION 
            MATERIALS.

0820 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N CONNEAUT LAKESHORE  41.69N 80.30W 
05/11/2015                   CRAWFORD           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            CRAWFORD COUNTY EMA REPORTED A TREE DOWN ACROSS ROBINSON 
            ROAD IN SUMMERHILL TOWNSHIP...TIME IS RADAR ESTIMATED.

0820 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 ESE ANDOVER           41.58N 80.48W 
05/11/2015                   CRAWFORD           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            CRAWFORD COUNTY EMA REPORTED A TREE DOWN ACROSS PILGRIM 
            LANE IN PYMATUNING CENTRAL...TIME IS RADAR ESTIMATED.

0830 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S EDINBORO            41.85N 80.12W 
05/11/2015                   CRAWFORD           PA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            LARGE BEECH TREE FELL AT TRAINED SPOTTERS LOCATION 2 S OF
            EDINBORO.

0840 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 ENE COCHRANTON        41.54N 80.01W 
05/11/2015                   CRAWFORD           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            CRAWFORD COUNTY EMA REPORTED A DOWNED TREE OFF OF STATE 
            ROUTE 173 IN WAYNE TOWNSHIP...TIME IS RADAR ESTIMATED.

0910 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W TITUSVILLE          41.62N 79.72W 
05/11/2015                   CRAWFORD           PA   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            CRAWFORD COUNTY EMA REPORTED A TREE DOWN OFF OF STATE 
            ROUTE 27 IN OIL CREEK TOWNSHIP...TIME IS RADAR ESTIMATED.
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