USA.com / Pennsylvania / Schuylkill County / Orwigsburg, PA / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Orwigsburg, PA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Orwigsburg is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Orwigsburg is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #805
| Orwigsburg, PA | 0.10 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.17 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Orwigsburg, PA | 0.0000 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #1062
| Orwigsburg, PA | 113.86 |
| Pennsylvania | 109.77 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,496 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Orwigsburg, PA were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 3 | Cold: | 40 | Dense Fog: | 13 | Drought: | 56 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 610 | Hail: | 653 | Heat: | 78 | Heavy Snow: | 110 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 19 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 137 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,197 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 24 | Winter Storm: | 76 | Winter Weather: | 58 |
| Other: | 420 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Orwigsburg, PA.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Orwigsburg, PA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 37.6 | 1964-05-12 | 4.5 | 33 | 40.2 | -76.5 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 46 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Orwigsburg, PA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 16.5 | 1981-07-26 | 2 | 40°52'N / 76°15'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Schuylkill | |||
| 16.7 | 1992-07-15 | 2 | 40°53'N / 76°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Schuylkill | |
| 19.1 | 1998-05-31 | 3 | 40°29'N / 75°54'W | 40°29'N / 75°44'W | 8.30 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 7 | 1.4M | 0 | Berks |
| Brief Description: A violent thunderstorm produced a swath of wind damage across the northern half of Berks County and included an eight mile long strong F3 (Fujita Scale) Tornado that devastated the borough of Lyons. Seven persons were injured (five within Lyons). About 40 homes were either destroyed or damaged in Lyons, Maiden Creek, Maxatawny and Richmond Townships. Preliminary damage estimates for the entire event were placed at $1.5 million dollars. About 10,250 homes and businesses lost power. The last homes to come back on line were in Lyons on June 3rd. This was the first tornado of that strength to occur in Southeast Pennsylvania and the Southern Poconos since the Limerick Tornado on July 27, 1994 and the first F3 tornado to occur within Berks County since November 4, 1950. Even before the tornado formed, the parent thunderstorm was producing wind damage in western Berks County. Wind damage started in Centre Township as several trailers were overturned in Donny Acres. In Leesport, the severe thunderstorm ripped the entire roof off one home. The couple in the house was temporarily trapped after the porch roof they use to access the stairs collapsed. The thunderstorm also ripped the roof and some bricks off a detached garage. Other houses and buildings on East Main Street also had some minor wind damage. Debris from a knitting company's air conditioning unit pelted a neighborhood. Wind damage also occurred in Ontelaunee Tonship along Pennsylvania State Route 61. The tornado made its initial touchdown just to the east of Lake Ontelaunee in Maiden Creek Township around 9 p.m. EDT and moved almost due east across Richmond Township into the borough of Lyons (about 910 p.m. EDT), across southern Maxatawny Township and lifted in northern Rockland Township and 915 p.m. EDT. The tornado was on the ground for about 8.3 miles. Its path width was around 120 yards. The tornado destruction started near U.S. Route 222 in Maiden Creek Township as the roof was blown off one farmhouse. A vehicle was also crushed by a tree. In Maxatawny Township six homes were severely damaged. One house collapsed on Smoketown Road in the Bowers area. A second house lost its roof in the Arrowhead Development. The damage increased across Richmond Township as 10 homes or farms were destroyed or damaged. Pennsylvania State Route 662 was closed between U.S Route 222 and the Fleetwood Borough line because of downed poles and trees. Parts of U.S. Route 222 were also closed because of debris on the road. One house completely collapsed. At one farm the tornado toppled a huge silo and ripped off the roofs of another silo and the barn. At another home, the remains of a large metal storage bin rested on top of the house. Golf ball size hail also damaged two vehicles and a metal awning. The same parent thunderstorm also produced straight line wind damage farther south in Ruscombmanor Township. The worst damage occurred in the borough of Lyons. The north side of the borough was destroyed. About one quarter of the borough's 550 residents were affected by the tornado. The tornado damage within this borough led to a presidential declaration of a disaster area for Berks County. About 100 residents were sheltered. The tornado cut a two block wide path along Hunter Street just north of the Conrail Tracks. About 25 homes were heavily damaged, several collapsed. Miraculously, only five persons were injured. The last two tornado related injuries occurred in northern Rockland Township as it lifted and threw a modular home from its foundation. The two men inside were injured. The tornado then lifted. Although the tornado lifted, the parent thunderstorm still produced wind damage across eastern Berks County. Noble Street was closed in Kutztown because of downed trees and lines. Trees were also uprooted in Longswamp Township. Downed limbs and wires caused power outages in District, Greenwich, Longswamp and Rockland Townships. | |||||||||||
| 19.5 | 1970-06-18 | 3 | 40°24'N / 76°18'W | 40°24'N / 76°14'W | 1.90 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Lebanon |
| 22.7 | 1968-09-10 | 2 | 40°58'N / 75°58'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Luzerne | |||
| 22.8 | 1950-11-04 | 3 | 40°16'N / 76°04'W | 40°24'N / 75°56'W | 11.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Berks |
| 22.9 | 1992-07-17 | 2 | 40°24'N / 76°23'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lebanon | |
| 23.2 | 1979-10-05 | 2 | 40°21'N / 75°55'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Berks | |
| 23.3 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°26'N / 75°49'W | 40°29'N / 75°40'W | 7.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Berks |
| 23.7 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°27'N / 75°46'W | 40°28'N / 75°42'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Berks |
| 25.8 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°29'N / 75°42'W | 40°29'N / 75°38'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Berks |
| 26.4 | 1979-09-05 | 2 | 40°21'N / 75°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Berks | |
| 27.4 | 1950-07-05 | 2 | 40°35'N / 75°42'W | 40°39'N / 75°28'W | 12.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Lehigh |
| 27.7 | 1953-09-12 | 2 | 40°40'N / 76°41'W | 40°39'N / 76°35'W | 4.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Northumberland |
| 28.3 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°29'N / 75°38'W | 40°30'N / 75°35'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Berks |
| 29.0 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°28'N / 75°38'W | 40°28'N / 75°35'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Berks |
| 29.1 | 1950-11-04 | 3 | 40°12'N / 76°07'W | 40°16'N / 76°04'W | 4.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lancaster |
| 29.5 | 1981-04-29 | 2 | 40°49'N / 75°35'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carbon | |||
| 30.3 | 1981-07-26 | 3 | 40°46'N / 75°35'W | 40°48'N / 75°31'W | 3.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Northampton |
| 30.3 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°30'N / 75°35'W | 40°31'N / 75°32'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lehigh |
| 31.2 | 1984-07-05 | 2 | 40°28'N / 75°35'W | 40°29'N / 75°32'W | 2.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lehigh |
| 31.5 | 1996-11-08 | 2 | 40°48'N / 75°32'W | 40°48'N / 75°32'W | 2.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Northampton |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down in northwestern Northampton County near Danielsville at about 340 pm EST. It remained on the ground for about two miles and lifted prior to moving over the Blue Mountain Ridge which is the dividing line between Northampton and Monroe Counties. One person was injured and two families were made homeless after their homes were destroyed. About a dozen homes were damaged, two were destroyed, three vehicles were damaged or destroyed and significant roof damage occcurred to the Salem United Methodist Church. Damage estimates were around $250,000. The tornado was rated an F2 (or strong tornado with wind estimates between 113 and 157 mph) on the Fujita Scale. Lehigh Township was declared an emergency area. The tornado touched down near the Blue Mountain Road just south of Pennsylvania State Route 946. One of the first buildings in its path was the Salem United Methodist Church which lost part of its roof and a vehicle near the church was destroyed. It proceeded eastnortheast through Danielsville. An elderly woman was injured when the tornado struck the mobile home she was in and pushed it off its foundation. Another unoccupied 70 foot by 14 foot mobile home was tossed into a ditch 50 feet away. The roof of another house was found 100 feet downwind. A playhouse and a metal school bus shelter were deposited in the trees. Numerous trees were either snapped or damaged, but the majority of damage to other homes along the periphery of the tornado's path was limited to windows and chimneys. Prior to the tornado's touch down, the same parent thunderstorm did produce some damaging winds in Treichlers along Long Lane Road. | |||||||||||
| 32.0 | 1975-10-11 | 2 | 40°17'N / 76°29'W | 40°10'N / 76°11'W | 17.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lebanon |
| 33.4 | 2006-12-01 | 2 | 41°04'N / 76°04'W | 41°10'N / 75°46'W | 20.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 5 | 1.0M | 0K | Luzerne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: At 4:52 pm EST, Friday, December 1st, a tornado touched down near Hobbie in Luzerne County. The tornado tracked about 20 miles east northeast through Dorrance, Mountaintop, and Fairview Heights to Bear Creek where it lifted. Most of the damage was F1 intensity with F2 intensity reached in Fairview Heights near route 309. A grocery store in Fairview heights had its windows blown out which injured 5 people. There was significant roof damage as well. An 8000 pound air conditioning unit was toppled on the roof of this grocery store. A roof was lifted off of a well built home approximately a quarter mile to the east northeast of the grocery store. Thousands of trees were blown down and uprooted along the path of this tornado. Shingle and roof damage was common along the entire path of this tornado too. Over 100 homes sustained at least minor damage. Two trailer homes and a construction trailer were completely destroyed. There was also minor damage to a high school in Fairview Heights. A roof was blown off the fire department in Dorrance. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A persistent ridge of high pressure brought unseasonably mild temperatures to the northeast U.S. A sharp cold front formed a line of strong to severe thunderstorms which blew through Pennsylvania Friday afternoon. Winds from these thunderstorms knocked down numerous trees and power lines. Along with the severe thunderstorms, three tornadoes touched down in northeast Pennsylvania, the first occurrence of tornado touch downs in Pennsylvania during the month of December on record. | |||||||||||
| 34.1 | 1950-07-05 | 2 | 40°36'N / 76°45'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Dauphin | |||
| 35.1 | 1957-11-19 | 2 | 40°18'N / 76°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lebanon | |
| 35.9 | 1960-06-24 | 2 | 40°24'N / 75°37'W | 40°19'N / 75°28'W | 9.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Berks |
| 35.9 | 2004-07-14 | 3 | 40°17'N / 76°35'W | 40°17'N / 76°35'W | 7.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 18.0M | 0 | Lebanon |
| Brief Description: Thunderstorms spawned a strong F3 tornado in southern Lebanon County during the afternoon of July 14. The tornado first touched down in far western Lebanon County at 3:05 pm EDT, about 1 mile west of the town of Campbelltown. The tornado traveled east, and struck a housing development about one quarter mile south of Route 322. A total of 32 homes were destroyed, with another 37 homes sustaining significant damage. An additional 50 homes and 9 farm buildings in the area were damaged by downburst winds associated with the thunderstorm which spawned the tornado. The tornado continued along a path to the east for seven and one half miles. The tornado crossed Route 322 west of Mount Pleasant, and continued east, mainly across fields, until it lifted up about 2 miles northwest of the town of Cornwall at 3:15 pm EDT. The width of the tornado was one quarter mile. Although the tornadic damage was confined to the path described, additional damage occurred outside this path, again associated with downburst winds from the parent thunderstorm. Winds were estimated between 175 and 200 MPH, making this a strong F3 tornado on the Fujita scale. The tornado injured 24 persons, one critically. There were no deaths. The American Red Cross opened a mass care center, where over 50 people required assistance with sheltering. Between 25,000 and 30,000 customers lost power in Lebanon and Berks Counties as a result of the storms. | |||||||||||
| 38.2 | 1978-08-28 | 2 | 40°51'N / 76°48'W | 40°52'N / 76°46'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Northumberland | ||
| 40.2 | 1967-10-18 | 2 | 40°13'N / 76°45'W | 40°19'N / 76°36'W | 10.20 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 11 | 250K | 0 | Dauphin |
| 40.9 | 1978-08-28 | 2 | 40°53'N / 76°52'W | 40°51'N / 76°48'W | 3.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Snyder |
| 41.3 | 1953-11-23 | 2 | 40°06'N / 76°24'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lancaster | |
| 41.9 | 1982-04-17 | 2 | 41°12'N / 76°24'W | 41°15'N / 76°21'W | 4.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Columbia |
| 43.5 | 1984-07-06 | 2 | 41°17'N / 76°09'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Luzerne | |
| 43.9 | 1970-03-26 | 2 | 40°16'N / 76°46'W | 2.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dauphin | |
| 44.0 | 1970-07-02 | 2 | 40°09'N / 76°37'W | 1.00 Mile | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lancaster | |
| 44.5 | 1979-10-05 | 2 | 40°54'N / 75°19'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 46.5 | 1961-06-08 | 2 | 40°12'N / 75°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Montgomery | |
| 46.8 | 1961-07-29 | 2 | 39°59'N / 76°30'W | 40°02'N / 76°15'W | 13.40 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Lancaster |
| 46.9 | 1989-06-15 | 2 | 40°02'N / 76°30'W | 40°02'N / 76°26'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Lancaster |
| 47.0 | 1989-06-15 | 2 | 40°02'N / 76°26'W | 40°00'N / 76°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lancaster |
| 47.4 | 1975-04-03 | 2 | 40°02'N / 75°40'W | 40°05'N / 75°39'W | 3.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Chester |
| 47.4 | 1977-04-05 | 2 | 40°15'N / 76°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Dauphin | |
| 48.6 | 1974-08-17 | 2 | 39°57'N / 76°06'W | 0.70 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lancaster | |
| 49.2 | 1992-08-28 | 2 | 39°57'N / 75°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Chester | |
| 49.3 | 1991-05-06 | 2 | 40°05'N / 76°40'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Lancaster | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.