Storm sends trees crashing down around visitors at Ohiopyle State Park
No injuries reported following downburst that packed high winds
A powerful downburst from a severe thunderstorm over Ohiopyle sent visitors scattering for cover as high winds toppled trees and damaged hiking trails around the popular state park on a busy Sunday afternoon.
Dayden Waggett was visiting the park with his family and enjoying the sun-splashed afternoon near Cucumber Falls about 3 p.m. when the weather changed almost instantly, trapping them and other people far from the safety of their parked vehicles.
无毛视频淚t was super hot and it was gorgeous out, and then out of nowhere we heard thunder and it started getting dark,无毛视频� Waggett said, adding his father and his brother lagged behind momentarily as several other family members left. 无毛视频淚t started raining and we were about to leave, but 15 seconds later we heard that freight train noise coming down the hill. All the trees broke all at once. It was ridiculous and the loudest thing I无毛视频檝e heard in my life.无毛视频�
While the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh does not think a tornado struck the park, a downburst packing winds between 55 and 65 miles per hour came roaring through without warning, causing concentrated damage around Ohiopyle, meteorologist Shannon Hefferan said. She said the storm moved southeast from the Ohio border past Pittsburgh and into Fayette County, where 无毛视频渢he core intensified in that area无毛视频� around Ohiopyle.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 pretty sporadic in that area. That无毛视频檚 common with thunderstorms. You can get downbursts and strong winds,无毛视频� Hefferan said. 无毛视频淭hey were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It无毛视频檚 the weekend, so there were a lot of people out there.无毛视频�
For Waggett and others who were stuck outdoors in the park during the storm, it was a scary experience. Waggett, 17, of Missoula, Mont., posted multiple videos on Facebook showing winds swirling and the aftermath of downed trees making the trails and roads near Cucumber Falls impassable. They helped another family with a 2-year-old child climb out of the lower area closer to the falls.
无毛视频淚t was nice out and then all the trees are coming down and all of the people are screaming,无毛视频� Waggett said of the immediate change in weather conditions. 无毛视频淎fter, we were looking around and there was no trail left. We had to climb up the side of the wall and the whole trail was gone.无毛视频�
Parts of a tree fell on his 16-year-old brother, Kian, re-aggravating an ankle injury from the day before, but fortunately he was only struck by branches and not the trunk, leaving him mostly unscathed.
无毛视频淭he tree snapped halfway up and the top of the tree kinda landed on me, slammed me down,无毛视频� Kian said. 无毛视频淚 was stuck under the branches (and) I had to un-bury myself from the branches. I was pretty lucky. If it was a second before, I would无毛视频檝e been hit by the (trunk) part.无毛视频�
The two brothers described loud noises as the storm struck and they watched in disbelief as the wind whirled around the face of the falls, creating almost like a vortex in the little gully that takes Cucumber Run to the Youghiogheny River.
无毛视频淭he trees were just coming down, coming towards us,无毛视频� Kian said. 无毛视频淚t all hit and the trail was like a rapids down the hill. It was pretty crazy.无毛视频�
Chris Houck, who is the park operations manager for Ohiopyle State Park, said no buildings or equipment were damaged in the storm, although the number of downed trees prompted them to close the Cucumber Falls area and Great Gorge Trail while they remove debris. He said 70 to 100 visitors had to be assisted in leaving Cucumber Falls and the nearby natural waterslides, where most of the damage was concentrated.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e very aware of how fortunate the visitors and staff are that there were no injuries or nothing major,无毛视频� Houck said. 无毛视频淚t was a busy day in the park. A lot of the areas that got hit were more popular parts.无毛视频�
The park staff started Monday morning by clearing the parking lots of any debris, and then later was going to begin assessing the damage along the trails before clearing trees to make them passable again. Houck added that it could be a tedious process since they无毛视频檙e still unsure of the extent of the tree damage around the park.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 more of a mess than anything,无毛视频� Houck said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e gotten this far without injuries. Let无毛视频檚 keep safety in mind.无毛视频�
When the Waggetts emerged from Cucumber Falls on Sunday afternoon, they found numerous trees blocking Ohiopyle Road near Route 381 as they walked back toward the borough. They were shocked to find tourists mostly going about their day in the town like nothing had happened, although one tree had fallen near the Ohiopyle Falls overlook next to the state park visitor无毛视频檚 center. Other trees were also down near the train station visitor无毛视频檚 center parking lot along the Great Allegheny Passage, blocking the trail for bicyclists and walkers.
无毛视频淧eople were walking around like nothing happened (at the park),无毛视频� Dayden Waggett said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e walking out of the woods shirtless and my brother is bloodied.无毛视频�
The Waggetts, who are in the area visiting family living in Carmichaels, are returning later this week to Montana with memories they won无毛视频檛 soon forget.
无毛视频淚t was a disaster. I don无毛视频檛 even know how to explain it,无毛视频� Dayden Waggett said. 无毛视频淚t was super scary.无毛视频�