Storm sends trees crashing down around visitors at Ohiopyle State Park
No injuries reported following downburst that packed high winds
A powerful downburst from a severe thunderstorm over Ohiopyle sent visitors scattering for cover as high winds toppled trees and damaged hiking trails around the popular state park on a busy Sunday afternoon.
Dayden Waggett was visiting the park with his family and enjoying the sun-splashed afternoon near Cucumber Falls about 3 p.m. when the weather changed almost instantly, trapping them and other people far from the safety of their parked vehicles.
鈥淚t was super hot and it was gorgeous out, and then out of nowhere we heard thunder and it started getting dark,鈥 Waggett said, adding his father and his brother lagged behind momentarily as several other family members left. 鈥淚t started raining and we were about to leave, but 15 seconds later we heard that freight train noise coming down the hill. All the trees broke all at once. It was ridiculous and the loudest thing I鈥檝e heard in my life.鈥
While the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh does not think a tornado struck the park, a downburst packing winds between 55 and 65 miles per hour came roaring through without warning, causing concentrated damage around Ohiopyle, meteorologist Shannon Hefferan said. She said the storm moved southeast from the Ohio border past Pittsburgh and into Fayette County, where 鈥渢he core intensified in that area鈥 around Ohiopyle.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty sporadic in that area. That鈥檚 common with thunderstorms. You can get downbursts and strong winds,鈥 Hefferan said. 鈥淭hey were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It鈥檚 the weekend, so there were a lot of people out there.鈥
For Waggett and others who were stuck outdoors in the park during the storm, it was a scary experience. Waggett, 17, of Missoula, Mont., posted multiple videos on Facebook showing winds swirling and the aftermath of downed trees making the trails and roads near Cucumber Falls impassable. They helped another family with a 2-year-old child climb out of the lower area closer to the falls.
鈥淚t was nice out and then all the trees are coming down and all of the people are screaming,鈥 Waggett said of the immediate change in weather conditions. 鈥淎fter, we were looking around and there was no trail left. We had to climb up the side of the wall and the whole trail was gone.鈥
Parts of a tree fell on his 16-year-old brother, Kian, re-aggravating an ankle injury from the day before, but fortunately he was only struck by branches and not the trunk, leaving him mostly unscathed.
鈥淭he tree snapped halfway up and the top of the tree kinda landed on me, slammed me down,鈥 Kian said. 鈥淚 was stuck under the branches (and) I had to un-bury myself from the branches. I was pretty lucky. If it was a second before, I would鈥檝e been hit by the (trunk) part.鈥
The two brothers described loud noises as the storm struck and they watched in disbelief as the wind whirled around the face of the falls, creating almost like a vortex in the little gully that takes Cucumber Run to the Youghiogheny River.
鈥淭he trees were just coming down, coming towards us,鈥 Kian said. 鈥淚t all hit and the trail was like a rapids down the hill. It was pretty crazy.鈥
Chris Houck, who is the park operations manager for Ohiopyle State Park, said no buildings or equipment were damaged in the storm, although the number of downed trees prompted them to close the Cucumber Falls area and Great Gorge Trail while they remove debris. He said 70 to 100 visitors had to be assisted in leaving Cucumber Falls and the nearby natural waterslides, where most of the damage was concentrated.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very aware of how fortunate the visitors and staff are that there were no injuries or nothing major,鈥 Houck said. 鈥淚t was a busy day in the park. A lot of the areas that got hit were more popular parts.鈥
The park staff started Monday morning by clearing the parking lots of any debris, and then later was going to begin assessing the damage along the trails before clearing trees to make them passable again. Houck added that it could be a tedious process since they鈥檙e still unsure of the extent of the tree damage around the park.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more of a mess than anything,鈥 Houck said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten this far without injuries. Let鈥檚 keep safety in mind.鈥
When the Waggetts emerged from Cucumber Falls on Sunday afternoon, they found numerous trees blocking Ohiopyle Road near Route 381 as they walked back toward the borough. They were shocked to find tourists mostly going about their day in the town like nothing had happened, although one tree had fallen near the Ohiopyle Falls overlook next to the state park visitor鈥檚 center. Other trees were also down near the train station visitor鈥檚 center parking lot along the Great Allegheny Passage, blocking the trail for bicyclists and walkers.
鈥淧eople were walking around like nothing happened (at the park),鈥 Dayden Waggett said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e walking out of the woods shirtless and my brother is bloodied.鈥
The Waggetts, who are in the area visiting family living in Carmichaels, are returning later this week to Montana with memories they won鈥檛 soon forget.
鈥淚t was a disaster. I don鈥檛 even know how to explain it,鈥 Dayden Waggett said. 鈥淚t was super scary.鈥