Indiana

Indiana County man recounts storm that produced EF-1 tornado, damaged his property

Published

1 year ago

March 17, 2025

Indiana County man recounts storm that produced EF-1 tornado, damaged his property

The storms that rolled through Indiana County early Sunday afternoon produced an EF-1 tornado, according to the National Weather Service.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> 4 EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Westmoreland, Indiana counties Sunday, NWS confirms

“[It] was definitely something to experience,” said Joseph Canton, who lives in Blairsville.

He said it all happened in an instant.

PHOTOS: Strong winds, severe storms blast Western Pennsylvania

“Dark skies, a little bit of debris, and bad wind, that was it. No really big rain or nothing like that,” Canton told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek. “I started hearing that freight train typical sound you get coming off the mountain off the back side over here, and I looked out the window and it really picked up steam with wind. Everything was blowing bad, and the building started disappearing pretty much. Quick in and out within about 20 seconds.”

Most of the damage on Canton’s property was to a dry storage building that his family used to use as a turkey farm.

“We just got it done last year too, because a storm passed through,” he said, noting the second time the building has been damaged by weather.

He said about 30 trees on his property were uprooted or damaged.

“It’s gonna take us a few days, but we’ve got the chainsaws, so we’ll make it happen,” Canton said.

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh sent out two teams to survey damage. One crew stopped first in Derry Township, Westmoreland County.

“It was a very large squall line that came through yesterday just afternoon so there’s damage kind of all up and down through Westmoreland, Indiana and even into Armstrong County,” said Jared Rackley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. “We’re looking at the uproots, which indicates really strong winds, and then we’re looking at things like whether the trees are converging in a pattern or if they’re all down in the same way.”

Another place Rackley stopped to survey damage was the Yellow Creek State Park. He said the tree damage there was caused by straight-line winds, not a tornado.

The tornado in Blairsville marks the first tornado in Indiana County since June 26, 2024.

Canton said he’s going to get the dry storage building on his property rebuilt. He’s thankful nobody was hurt.

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Indiana

Where to watch Seattle Storm vs Indiana Fever on July 17: TV channel, start time and streaming

Published

7 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

The WNBA has returned with a brand new collective bargaining agreement and a league full of loaded rosters as the 2026 season tips off.

A rookie class headlined by Dallas Wings top pick Azzi Fudd, Minnesota’s Olivia Miles and Washington’s Lauren Betts is ready to make a mark in the pros while the defending champion Las Vegas Aces look to keep their dynasty alive with a fourth title in five years.

As the the season gets going under a new media rights deal, it can be tough to figure out which channel each team is playing on every night. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in when the Indiana Fever host the Seattle Storm on Friday.