PA Tornadoes Part Of Historic Month For Twisters

May marked an unprecedented month for tornadoes across the United States, and Pennsylvania was certainly not spared from the destruction.

According to forecasters, a 13-day tornado streak in May resulted in at least eight tornado reports per day across the country. The National Weather Service logged at least 442 preliminary reports of tornadoes last month.

In Pennsylvania, 28 tornadoes have been confirmed so far this year as of May 30, according to the National Weather Service in State College.

This May "will be one of the top two most active tornado Mays (most likely No. 1) on record,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

Recent tornadoes confirmed in Eastern Pennsylvania include an EF0 tornado on May 29 near the border of Lehigh and Bucks counties. That tornado had winds of 80 mph and a maximum width of 50 yards, causing downed trees and power outages.

It was one of three tornadoes over two days confirmed by the NWS out of Mount Holly. Several others were confirmed across Pennsylvania.

On May 28, an EF2 tornado with winds of up to 120 miles touched down in Morgantown. That twister had a path length of 2.6 miles and a maximum width of 400 yards, the NWS out of Mount Holly said.

The third tornado in two days that was confirmed by the NWS in Mount Holly happened on May 28 in Sussex County, NJ. The EF1 twister in North Jersey had peak winds of 100 mph and a maximum width of 350 yards.

Four additional tornadoes on May 29 were confirmed in Central Pennsylvania, including in Dauphin, Fulton, Sullivan and Perry counties.

Even in areas that escaped impacts from the tornadoes, last week's severe weather caused widespread destruction, including downed trees, widespread power outages, flash flooding and more. Some schools were even closed due to extended power outages.

A full log of activity from the storms was recorded by the NWS and can be found by clicking here.

The area tornadoes were just a few of many that pounded the United States last week and during the second half of May.

The NWS said 41 preliminary tornadoes were reported across the country during Wednesday's severe weather.

Some of the other confirmed tornadoes across the country last week included powerful EF4 twisters in both Dayton, Ohio and Linwood, Kansas.

Patrick Marsh, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, told the New York Times the severe weather pattern was "flirting in uncharted territory."

However, after several days of severe weather, the weekend for the most part offered a break from the storms, and brought a crisp Monday morning to the region. The forecast for the beginning of the week looks calm, with some storms possible Wednesday and Thursday, the NWS said. (See full forecast below)

During the height of the storms, state officials warned local residents to be prepared for severe weather. Governor Tom Wolf issued a statement saying "we know the threat of severe weather is real and Pennsylvanians need to be prepared.”

Wolf advised residents to stay tuned to weather reports and have access to multiple sources of information. "A smartphone can be a great resource for updates, but don’t rely on just one device. Ensuring you can receive updates from multiple sources during bad weather is very important.”

Click here for tips on how to prepare for severe weather, including tornadoes.

Here is the current local forecast:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. West wind 5 to 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Wednesday: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: Scattered thunderstorms before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 30%.