Crawford avoids damage as strong storms pass through county

By Keith Gushard

06/22/08 June 21, 2008 10:18 pm

— Though a tornado warning was issued for Crawford County Saturday night as strong winds and heavy rains buffeted the county, there were no confirmed reports of any tornados touching down nor was there any damage or injuries from the storms, according to emergency officials.
Crawford County already was under a severe thunderstorm warning until 11 p.m. when a tornado warning was issued at 7:52 p.m. by the National Weather Service Office in Cleveland.
Fire department sirens blared to issue the warning as skies darkened. Patrons at Meadville’s Academy Theatre were evacuated to the basement of the theater as a precaution.
There were reports of a funnel cloud touching down at 7:48 p.m. in northern Mercer County, one mile north of the borough of Sheakleyville, but those reports couldn’t be confirmed by officials at either the National Weather Service or the Mercer County Emergency Management Agency.
At 8:13 p.m. there were reports to the Crawford County Emergency Management Agency a funnel cloud was in sky over Tamarack Lake east of Meadville moving east. However, there were no reports of the tornado touching down, according to both a dispatcher at the Crawford County Emergency Management Agency and officials at the National Weather Service Office.
The tornado warning expired at 8:15 p.m. and the severe thunderstorm warning was canceled by the National Weather Service just before 9 p.m. after the storms had passed.
Dispatchers at Crawford County said there were no injuries, power outages or damage due to the storms reported in the county.
Mercer County emergency dispatchers had reports of a few trees down in that county in scattered areas, but no injuries or power outages reported there.