Damaging weekend storm spawned tornado in York County

• Winds reached 90 mph in Hallam-Wrightsville area Saturday; NWS categorizing it as brief tornado.
• More than 40 properties sustained damage from Saturday's storm.

More than 40 properties in eastern York County sustained damage Saturday in a storm that spawned a brief tornado with winds up to 90 mph.

The National Weather Service determined the EF1 tornado was approximately 4 miles long and 100 yards wide in the area of Hallam and Wrightsville, according to meteorologist Robert Radzanowski.

Tornadoes are categorized on a scale of EF0-EF5, with EF5 being the strongest, he said.

Mark Walters, a spokesman for York County, said the Office of Emergency Management's report showed at least 42 properties sustained damage from the storm, though he could not say the damage was exclusive to the area of Hallam and Wrightsville.

Damage descriptions included trees falling on roofs, trees falling on vehicles and a front porch blowing away, Walters said.

In Wrightsville, a garage was completely collapsed behind a home near the Wrightsville water tower and Fairview Cemetery.

The bell at Wrightsville Presbyterian Church also was  knocked loose within its tower. Wrightsville Fire and Rescue confirmed emergeny responders were called to the church Saturday evening and determined that, while the bell was detached, no damage to the steeple or steeple floor were found. Church officials could not be reached for comment.

On Ducktown Road, near a closed bridge, work was being done Monday morning to repair major damage to the roofs of a side-by-side home and barn.

Temperatures are expected to rise back into the 70s Wednesday in York County, according to the National Weather Service, but Radzanowski said a cold front has the potential to bring another strong storm into the area that afternoon.