Extreme Weather in the Oil Region
- Lydia Seaton
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Although Venango County and the surrounding areas tend to be hilly and mountainous, there have been instances of extreme weather events occurring here. Did you know that these severe storms even include tornadoes and earthquakes?
It’s All History’s previous blogs have discussed numerous notable people and events from the area. This week, we wanted to talk about the fascinating “weather history” of the region and the decimation wrought by dire conditions.
The Tornado of 1890
When considering areas in the United States that frequently experience tornadoes, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas typically come to mind. However, Pennsylvania actually averages between 15 and 16 tornadoes per year. Because Pennsylvania’s tornadoes are not as damaging, disastrous, or frequent as those in Tornado Alley, extreme weather events in the state are usually overlooked.
A widespread belief is that tornadoes do not occur in Pennsylvania due to the hills and mountains, especially in Western Pennsylvania. This, however, is not true. The hills have no impact on whether a tornado will form! A tornado's creation is only reliant on atmospheric conditions and is not contingent upon factors like the topography of an area!
On May 12, 1890, a violent storm tore through Venango County. At the time, it was referred to as a cyclone, which was a catch-all term for an extreme weather event. This storm is now recognized as having been a tornado.
The storm was initially described as rain coming in “torrents” with “vivid” lighting. It was said that “the wind formed a cyclone that left death and devastation in its track. It must have traveled with wonderful rabidity.” The storm traveled through portions of Mercer, Venango, and Butler counties. It was “funnel-shaped, revolving rapidly with a crashing noise, and on either side of the path, the rain fell in a perfect deluge.”
There were reports of homes being lifted entirely off the ground, such as in the case of William Kilgore, whose home was “caught up bodily from its foundation, carried about fifty feet, and unroofed.” Mrs. Kilgore had been entering the home as the storm passed through. She was allegedly “blown clear through the room and out of the house.” Mrs. Kilgore then reportedly fell to the ground, after which the “main part of the house was carried over her and landed a few feet beyond.” None of the Kilgore family was seriously injured.
As the storm exercised its “wild and fatal work,” it came to the barn of Isaac Gadsby
which it "totally wrecked." The tornado continued into Victory Township, where it continued to face the wrath of the storm. The tornado then came to the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Jackson, who were in their barn milking cows when the storm hit. The Evening News in Franklin reported that the barn was allegedly “torn to atoms” and Mrs. and Mr. Jackson were “killed outright.” The couple left behind six children ranging in ages from 13 months to 12 years.
The tornado continued to the home of John Wareham, who was sick in bed with malaria and being tended by his son. The storm reportedly picked up both men after unroofing the home and carried them eighty feet before dropping them in a garden. Ella Graham, a member of the household, was thrown from the house and carried through the wind before being longed in a pine tree! All family members escaped with “slight injuries.”
The storm of 1890 was described as the greatest and most terrible storm that anyone in the region had ever faced at the time. The Oil City Derrick reported about downed telegraph lines and widespread destruction. The newspaper said: “Homes were twisted and torn as if [made] of paper, barns were converted into kindling wood.” The so-called big pump station in Rockland was washed away, two large gas lines were destroyed as well as countless oil lines, wooden oil tanks, and derricks.
Sandy Creek allegedly rose twelve feet in a short time which washed out a bridge. Trains
were also unable to travel on the Allegheny Valley railroad following the storm due to a seventeen train car pileup on the railroad. Numerous bridges and roads were also washed away, making travel impossible.
“One of the most fearful and destructive tornadoes that has ever visited this region.”
There were a handful of other notable tornadoes that traveled through the region. On September 24, 1977, for example, a tornado touched down and had ten minutes of “fury,” cutting a three-mile swath in the south-western section of Venango County, near Clintonville. Roofs were taken off structures, trees were uprooted, walls were blown out, and a handful of structures were destroyed entirely. There were no injuries or fatalities.
On August 12, 1980, a tornado touched down on the Venango-Mercer county border near Utica. Only one home was slightly damaged, and there were no injuries despite numerous witnesses viewing the storm. Most of the damage to the area was downed trees and utility poles.
The Tornado of 1985
On the evening of May 31, 1985, a “once in 100-years” storm touched down in Venango County. Throughout 1985, there were 53 tornados in Pennsylvania amounting in over $300 million dollars worth of property damage across the state.
Previous to this storm, many thought that massive and devastating tornados were
impossible in the region because of the hilly, mountainous terrain. This was quickly disproven, however, in 1985. It was said that “the hills offered no sanctuary” as the tornado touched down north of Franklin. Within minutes, homes and barns were destroyed and a “clear path of devastation” had been etched into the landscape.
The storm, in total, traveled through twelve counties and killed sixty-two people. After the initial touchdown and around 7:30 pm, another tornado formed near Big Bend Road in Emlenton. Homes and barns were destroyed and debris was carried into and across the Allegheny river.
Hail accompanied the tornado and was reported as being five inches long and three
inches thick. The winds were around 250 miles per hour. Allegedly, “cars and trucks were flung in the air like toys.” Oil storage tanks were sucked into the tornado and trees were “turned to kindling.” The tornado narrowly avoided the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad bridge.
The property damage in Venango County amounted to over $13 million dollars, with an estimated $5 million being with homes and businesses, $6 million in timber, and $2.25 million in farm loss.
Following the storm, hospitals in the region were overrun with injured people and casualties from the storm. Hundreds of cases were treated in Venango County hospitals. Emergency services from neighboring counties also assisted in Venango County.
“[The storm] sounded like a dozen freight trains”
This storm was referred to as the “worst single disaster since the 1892 fire and flood in Oil City.” Along with the mobilization of emergency services, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army were also dispatched to the region, with a disaster response team setting their headquarters in the fire hall of the Oakland Township Fire Department in Dempseytown.
A disaster kitchen was also operated from the Utica Elementary School which provided meals for those who lost their home and delivered food to those who were able to stay on the property. Over 120 families in the county faced major losses as a result of the storm. While most of the homes and structures were rebuilt, not everything was reconstructed.
It took over a year for reconstruction efforts, but an outpouring of community support helped to speed things along and ease the trauma felt by the region.
Thanks for reading!
Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting the Museum by making a monetary contribution by clicking the button below, so we can continue to provide content for learning and discovery.
.png)