Spring’s coming around and you know what that means?
Tornado season is coming back to town.
I love tornadoes. I love chasing them, watching them on local television, and looking at what they did after they’re gone. In high school, I had a camera that I would wrap in a grocery back (poke a hole out for the lens for waterproofing purposes) and would chase dark clouds that I thought would produce the next F5. I would get into my car and drive down country roads with my arm sticking out of the window; getting pelted by hail and high winds in the process, for the hopes of getting great video of a tornado. Sadly, I never got good footage. Instead I took some great footage of high winds, hail, lightning, and lots and lots of heavy rain.
Mind you, the movie ‘Twister’ sucked. Let’s not even discuss that abortion of a movie.
Why do I find storm chasing so fascinating you ask? Simple, I was part of the GREAT TORNADO STORM OF 1985. North east Ohio was slammed with a series of tornadoes and one massive F5 tornado on May 31st, 1985. Entire towns were uprooted, commerciall business districts were flattened, rumors that dead people were flying through the air when a tornado hit an cemetery were spread about, it was a tremendous mess. The F5 tornado, apparently looking to start some shit, started taking out big chunks of Niles and Newton Falls; throwing trees, cars, probably a person or two, all over the county. Ther F5 really tore Lordstown/ Newton Falls a new asshole. That tornado took a two storied farm house, uprooted it, and sat it gently on it’s side. What the fuck, right!?
What was even more fascinating was how the storm came about. From the brief history I read to refreshen my memory, we were given warnings about a possible thunder storm coming through the Mahoning valley from the west. One this storm pattern past overs over Cleveland, it pretty much exploded into 41 Tornadoes by the time it hit Trumbull county. There was really no warning besides knowing that a thunderstorm was coming by that evening. The furthest advance notice of a tornado touching down was in Newton Falls and that was only 60 seconds. People were going about their day like it wasn’t a big deal. That’s why there’s so many eye witness reports of that day, parking lots are full and there’s a LOT OF PHOTOS OF THE TORNADOES. Out of the 41 tornadoes, 14 were “killer” tornadoes, that means they came packing.
I remember that day pretty well (for a 4 year old that is). My parents took me and by brother to Children’s Palace (loved that store!) in Boardman. We lived in Leavittsburg, right off the West Market Street exit on route 5/82 at the time, so taking 422 to 680 wasn’t an option; we took back roads through Lordstown and such to get there. On our way back, the weather started getting really bad, like really really bad. I remember my dad picking me up and rushing the family down to the basement to my sisters room. At this point my memory gets a little fuzzy (again, I’m 4), but I believe the electricty was out so we couldn’t turn the tv on downstairs to see what the hell was going on with the weather. I remember at one point my sisters room wasn’t safe enough (it was a basement bedroom so it had those small windows that stop a third of the way down from the top of the wall) so we were herded to a smaller basement storage room type place. It’s was incredibly loud outside. I don’t remember being scared so much, but annoyed by all the loud sounds.
Later we find out there was a few dozen tornadoes that ripped through our neck of the woods. We were saved from the worst of them, but a few came pretty close.
That storm really was a freak of nature and today is one of Ohio’s top rated storms. Nothing has been even remotely close to it ever since. That F5 that hit was the only F5 tornado in the nation in 1985.
I’m sure other people of recollections that are way better descriptive than mine, drop a comment and tell me your story. That was a hell of a day. Apparently the tornadoes zero’d in on a roller rink in Niles. Below is a picture of the roller rink after (at least Frogger survived).
There’s even a website dedicated to the storm here.
I was at the BMW dealership on Rt 422 delivering a local Doctor his 2 new cars…I would drive the 2nd to his house after we closed. I drove it up Mines Rd, not knowing the storm was behind me and slightly south. It tore up the hill and dropped hail…I took his new BMW to my home to avoid the hail. The storm went 1/4 mile south of my house, tore out the roller rink and the newly completed nursing home (not yet occupied) and went directly at the Doctor’s home on Stillwagon Rd. His wife got in the basement, house was totaled…his new car at the house was totaled, but his new BMW, at my home was fine. Had I been 2 minutes earlier, I would not have stopped for the hail, delivered the car…and been in the crosshairs of the storm. Lucky me.
I was a member of the Ohio National Guard at that time and we got activated. I was sent to Newton Falls which was hit very hard. I will always remember the devastation. A house turned turned upside down with it’s roof in the basement. The front of the auto parts store completely gone however the fan belts were still hanging on the wall. I saw a home that the second story outside wall was ripped away and there was a bathroom towel still hanging from the towel rack on the wall. Tornados do strange things
Just wanted to say a few words about the the sequence of events that led to the tornado hitting Niles – I was a fireman for Weathersfield Twp at the time (McKinley Hts) – I was at my home on Washington Ave. in Niles that afternoon/evening working on my car and listening to the scanner.
The first sign of trouble was a tornado WARNING about a 1/2 hour before the it hit Niles. There had been a touch down in the north Bloomfield/Mespo area – so the weather service did issue a warning for Trumbull County at that time – then another warning was issued for the tornado that hit Newton Falls (after it hit )again for Trumbull County – however – both these warning were on the weather radio, regular radio and TV. Tornado sirens were not around or numerous or working at that time or were not even installed – that is why people who were not home did not know what was coming and why there are so frequent siren tests now so that it does not happen that way again if possible. Just wanted to clarify that the weather service did what they could – local communities are what let their guard down.
I was living in Girard at the time, but was on my way to Niles, when I suddenly remembered that I forgot my coupons at home, so I detoured onto E. Liberty St, in Girard. I missed the actual tornado, but if I had not taken the detour, it would have put me directly in the path of the tornado. When I pulled into my driveway, my upstairs neighbors were in the basement and, in a panic, rushed to tell me about the tornado. My children and I spent many long hours in the basement with our neighbors, waiting for the ok to return upstairs. I remember that there were no tornado sirens until after the tornado did massive destruction, and then they seemed to go off all night.
My husband was working at Alberini’s Restaurant, on the strip in Niles, and my children and I were very frightened for his safety, since, according to all reports (from our battery powered radio…which was our only communication with the outside) the “strip in Niles” was obliterated. There was “open mike” on all of the radio stations and people were calling in to report about the tornado all night. We were almost certain that he must have been killed in the tornado, as he didn’t arrive home from work until the wee hours of the morning, but was expected home early in the evening. We lost all power, telephone, and such for approximately three days and there were no cell phones or computers then. Sadly, 2 of our next door neighbors were killed in the tornado when they stopped to get gas at the station on top of the strip. Weirdly, the massive gorilla statue, almost directly across the street, remained standing.
Much as I hate to admit it, I still have PTSD symptoms every time I see or feel threatening weather. I think it is because of not knowing if my husband was alive or dead, coupled with the prolonged threat of tornadoes ALL NIGHT LONG..(.I think that there were something like 66 tornadoes reported over three states that night.) The knowledge that our neighbors were killed and watching them grieve the loss of mother and grandmother, made it up close and personal. I no longer live in tornado alley today, but my family continues to live in the area. Others who never went through anything like that do not understand why I get so anxious when threatening weather is imminent. I will never forget May 31, 1985.