Pennsylvania`s Unlucky May 31st

(Sorry, this is a little late, due to severe weather occurring in PA this year...)

Pennsylvania has had four major weather events hit on May 31st, a very unlucky day for the state.

In 1998, a major severe weather outbreak hit the state. I was witness to this, and filed storm reports on May 31st and June 2nd. I had just moved to PA and was impressed with the amount of severe weather, until years that followed held few interesting storms. I have joked since then that "severe weather season in Pennsylvania is May 31st to June 2nd."

This year has changed that trend and I would file it as a major severe weather year for the state as well, and ironically enough it began on May 31st with downed trees and power lines here.

The 1985 tornado outbreak lives in infamy here. It was the day an F5 tornado tore through the central mountains of the state, just north of here. In fact you can still see the scar from the tornado on Google Maps or in Google Earth. A total of 88 people were killed by the storms; you can find more information about this outbreak on Wikipedia or via Google.

And as to the Johnstown Flood, the one in 1889 was by far the worst, but they have had two major floods since then, on March 17, 1936, and July 20, 1977.