Storm Damage in Huntingdon County

"I don't think it's really what we classify as “tornadic” damage but more of what we might call a “gustnado,” Peter Jung of the National Weather Service in State College said.  “It’s basically a little spin off on the edge of this fast moving out rush of air that we have with a straight line wind or down burst wind."

Jung is ruling out a tornado, but said the storm still packed a punch.

It was powerful enough to send a tree into the Aughwick Germany Valley Church of the Brethren roof.

"It looks like wind speeds were pretty strong in the area, between sixty and seventy miles per hour and maybe locally up to eighty miles per hour in some locations," Jung said.

The storm stretched over a two mile area and knocked out power for a short time.  Although some properties have a lot of damage, Huntingdon County emergency workers said the situation could have been a lot worse.

"We were very fortunate to not have any serious injuries,” Adam Miller, Huntingdon County Director of the Emergency Management Agency, said.  “Sure we had some property damage, but the families seemed to pull through very well, and the community came together very quickly to clean up the roads and put the electricity on after a short time.”