Forty years have passed since one of the most destructive tornado outbreaks in Pennsylvania history tore through the region, leaving a lasting mark on communities in Forest, McKean, and Crawford Counties.

On May 31, 1985, a series of powerful tornadoes swept across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, killing over 60 people in Pennsylvania alone and injuring hundreds more. Among the hardest-hit areas was German Hill Road in Tionesta, where several lives were lost.

“The damage that done that day was terrible, just terrible,” Martha Brewster, a resident of Kane, recalled. "My one aunt - her sister and niece were both killed on German Hill."

"I was driving a fuel truck," stated Charlie Fox, Grand Valley resident. "That day I was up on German Hill filling tanks up and it came up through, I didn't hear an alarm, but it got really quiet and that's when I got in my truck and I bailed. But there was a girl that used to work with us, and she got killed up there. She was picked up and thrown. It was horrible." 

Multiple tornadoes were confirmed across the state that day, including one classified as an F4 that ripped through Forest County with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour. Along German Hill Road, the storm left a trail of destruction that took years to recover from.

“The tornado took more lives after the fact," recalled Cindy Wolbert, Pittsfield resident. "My best friend's father was working for the electric company, and he lost his life trying to get new poles and lines up after the storm."

"My family and I had a cabin near German Hill at the time," stated Dolores Skopinski, Moon Township resident. "After the storm passed, we went to see the damage. Our cabin was still there but our neighbors lost everything. It was so sad. People's clothes and belongings were everywhere, all through the trees."

In the aftermath of the storm, local and state emergency management agencies began reworking how severe weather warnings are delivered and how communities respond. Improvements in radar, communication systems, and public awareness efforts were among the many changes sparked by the 1985 outbreak.

"I was working for the local VFD back then," stated Warren County Commissioner Ken Klakamp. "We were sent out for a structure fire as a home was struck by lightning during the tornado. The atmosphere and air where very strange, and our radios kept cutting in and out. Happily, things are very different now. Technology has really improved, and our systems and EMS response protocols are designed to work in bad conditions."

Today, German Hill Road shows little sign of the devastation that once marked it. But for those who lived through the storm, the memories remain vivid.

“No one ever expected something like that would happen around here,” said Mary Sullivan, Youngsville resident. “Weather can be really terrifying.”

As the anniversary is marked across the region, local officials are reminding residents of the importance of preparedness and early warning systems—lessons still relevant four decades later.