May 31, 1985 Tornado Outbreak - The People's Story

On May 31, 1985, the skies over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes darkened with an intensity that would mark the deadliest tornado outbreak in the region’s recorded history. In just a matter of hours, 41 tornadoes tore across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, claiming 89 lives, injuring more than 1,000, and leaving entire towns in ruin. It was a day of chaos, fear, and unimaginable loss. For those who lived through it, the memories remain vivid: the sound of sirens, the darkness at midday, and the terrifying roar that signaled everything was about to change.

Slide for numerous Memorials in place in remembrance of the victims and a hometown hero

This blog brings together the voices of survivors, people who stood face to face with nature’s most violent force. Their stories are raw, personal, and haunting. Through their eyes, we revisit a day when time seemed to stop and the ordinary turned into the unthinkable.

Photo taken by Craig B.

Please note: Some of the stories include graphic and emotionally intense content. I will include trigger warnings before those entries so you may skip ahead if needed.

Memorial for S. David Kostka

REMEMBERING HOMETOWN HERO STANLEY DAVID KOSTKA

Stanley David Kostka is a name that became synonomous with those who died. Kostka, 36, was umpiring a Little League game when one of the storms hit Wheatland.

He died saving two children, Christa and Keith.

He's also been credited with saving 40 other people at the baseball field by alerting them to the impending danger. A monument honoring Kostka sits along Roemer Boulevard in Farrell. The monument in Wheatland that lists tornado victims names him, as well. Kostka ran to his Blazer, holding Scott under his arm; Warrender was already inside the SUV. Kostka jumped into the driver's seat and raced down the dirt road that led to the fields. Trees surrounding the road blocked the view of the approaching storm. The Blazer rose into the air, and came crashing down. Kostka pulled the kids out, threw them into a ditch, and laid across them. The empty Blazer was lifted into the air and soared across the street (I chose to keep the very detailed information out of this out of respect for the family). The tornado tried to take Christa, but Keith managed to grab her ankle and hold on. 

Thanks to Kostka, he is responsible for saving many lives that day. His selflessness and heroism is something you hear out of story books. His memory lives on in many.

Now, let’s hear from the other's who survived this terrifying day...

Anonymous Survivor – Wheatland, PA

"I was 25 years old at the time, working as an administrator at a hospital. I remember standing with a nurse, looking outside at the hail and watching the sky turn a strange color. We knew storms were coming, but didn’t think much of it. Then my pager went off. I went to the ER—reports were coming in that a tornado had ripped through Wheatland."

"I drove out to check on my family, dodging debris on the road. Everyone was okay. I went to the borough building and looked downtown. It was like something out of a Stephen King movie. You could suddenly see straight to Wheatland Tube, an area that used to be hidden by trees and buildings—now completely gone."

"No one expected this. People didn’t really know what a tornado looked like in western PA."

I hadn’t talked about this for a long time. But after losing a police friend recently, I realized how many of us who lived through that day are getting older. It’s time to tell these stories before they’re lost."

"I remember a friend drove through the firehouse doors because the power was out and they couldn’t open them. The fire company, gas, water, and power crews were phenomenal. Everyone came together. We were neighbors again. The National Guard and Army showed up. I knew where everyone lived and helped check homes. I still remember seeing a friend sitting calmly on her porch with a candle, even while other homes around her were gone."

"It affected me more than I thought. You block out trauma, but sometimes a smell or sound will bring it all back. I’m now creating a time capsule of that day. Pictures truly are worth a thousand words."

"My first home was destroyed. It took days to understand the full scale of the damage. I knew people who didn’t make it. I remember the police chief finding guns and ammo everywhere—he filled his car and took them to the Farrell jail, telling folks to come get their firearms. Sounds unbelievable now."

"Ambulances struggled to get in. PENNDOT was in shock. We used our hands to move telephone poles at first. Then a loader came and cleared the way for emergency vehicles. Response came within the hour despite the chaos."

"There were no cell phones. Landlines were down. We couldn’t warn each other. The next day I walked with a meteorologist, pointing out where buildings used to be. He explained how damage—like cranes left standing, limestone ripped up, roofs torn off—helped determine the tornado's strength."

"We were without power for five days. I stayed up for two days straight, caught a few hours of sleep, and went right back to work helping clean up. I’ll never forget standing out there around midnight, moonlight shining through the haze off the river. It was quiet, peaceful... but we worked. I’ve seen death in hospitals, but nothing compares to watching your town get destroyed and losing your friends. It changes you forever."

Tim R. – Trigger Warning: Graphic Content

"Our electric clocks stopped at 6:28 PM on Friday, May 31, 1985. All day, we’d seen reports of tornadoes across western PA but didn’t take them seriously. Then my mom saw leaves flying through the sky. She grabbed my 2-year-old brother and we looked out the kitchen window. We saw the tornado crossing Route 417—headed right for us."

"We had a mobile home, no basement. We grabbed couch cushions and laid on the floor. The front of the trailer lifted and rocked violently. It felt like a carnival ride—only terrifying. My family passed out. I remember being lifted, flying toward the kitchen window, then blacking out."

"When I came to, I hit a tree. My dad found me quickly. We looked for my mom’s aunt and ran toward the neighbors’ house. Their game bird farm was hit. The wife was cradling her husband—he’d been scalped by a cement block. He survived. She passed away a year later."

"As we reached the main road, animals from a nearby farm had gotten loose. We saw a cow torn in half, a goat impaled by lumber. It was horrific. We finally got a ride to Titusville Hospital."

Anonymous Woman – Hubbard Township, OH

"I was only 5 years old. We lived in a part of Hubbard Township that wasn’t hit. My dad loaded chainsaws in the truck and helped clean up for days. A year or two later, another tornado came through and tore up our yard. I was so traumatized my mom had to drag me out of the closet every day for a month."

Ryan F. – Hubbard, OH

"I lived on Chestnut Ridge in Hubbard, around 7 years old. We were right in its path. My dad and brother were on the porch eating dinner when they saw it. We ran to the basement just in time. It knocked down all our trees, but the house was okay. A neighbor’s 4-car garage was destroyed."

"A friend from Cherry Lane—where the Church of the Nazarene is—had to live with us for a while. Their whole neighborhood was wiped out. I’ll never forget seeing their house with the entire top half gone."

Jean M. – Albion, PA

"I live outside Albion, which was the first place hit in PA. No warnings. Our home had damage, but neighbors lost everything. Two people died nearby. One neighbor survived being thrown through the air in her car—she held onto the steering wheel with everything she had as the car slammed into buildings and debris. Her mother didn’t survive."

"I had just had a C-section and couldn’t move fast. My husband grabbed our baby and ran to the basement. I saw trees rising into the sky, roots popping out, and glass flying as I passed a window. Afterward, we found a woman on our lawn leading horses she’d saved from the wreckage. My husband was out shutting off gas wells and looking for the deceased."

"People came asking for shoes, clothes, anything. It was chaos. Five homes were completely gone. One home had concrete blocks pulled out seven layers deep in the basement. We had no utilities and had to flee to my sister’s in Waterford. Never underestimate a tornado’s power. We were lucky—many had left for a church dinner just before it hit."

I also spoke with several first responders from that day—many preferred not to share their full stories publicly, but their insights were invaluable. One recurring theme I heard from every single person: community unity. People who barely spoke the day before were helping each other pick up the pieces of their lives. Neighbors became family. The resilience, compassion, and strength shown after the storm is something I’ll never forget.

This project has opened my eyes in so many ways. As someone from this region, it means everything to be trusted with these stories and memories.

If there’s one thing to take away, it’s this: in times of disaster, show up for your community. Differences disappear when survival and support take center stage. We are all we have—and together, we can weather anything.

Below is a gallery of photos I was given permissions to use, I thank everyone for talking with me and giving me these photos to tell the story, it means the world.