USA.com / Pennsylvania / Northampton County / Bath, PA / 18014 / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
18014 Zip Code Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in 18014 Zip Code is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in 18014 Zip Code is higher than Pennsylvania average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #587
| 18014 Zip Code | 0.16 |
| 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
| 18014 Zip Code | 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, #849
| 18014 Zip Code | 121.92 |
| 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 5,360 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of 18014 Zip Code 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: | 4 | Cold: | 57 | Dense Fog: | 29 | Drought: | 92 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 740 | Hail: | 593 | Heat: | 138 | Heavy Snow: | 123 |
| High Surf: | 8 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 12 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 237 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,130 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 40 | Winter Storm: | 99 | Winter Weather: | 163 |
| Other: | 893 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near 18014 Zip Code.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near 18014 Zip Code.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 44.8 | 1980-03-11 | 3.7 | 5 | 40.16 | -75.1 |
| 41.8 | 1980-03-05 | 3.5 | 5 | 40.19 | -75.16 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 43 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near 18014 Zip Code.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 7.5 | 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 |
| 9.8 | 1981-04-29 | 2 | 40°49'N / 75°35'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carbon | |||
| 10.5 | 1979-10-05 | 2 | 40°54'N / 75°19'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 13.7 | 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 |
| 15.8 | 2009-07-29 | 2 | 40°55'N / 75°15'W | 40°58'N / 75°11'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.0M | 0K | Monroe |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum wind speeds of 120 mph touched down and affected Hamilton and Stroud Townships. The highest wind speeds and worst reported damage occurred on Middle Road in Hamilton Township and Stroudsmoor Road in Stroud Township. Two men were injured and about 10,000 homes and businesses lost power. Hundreds of trees were destroyed and at least 25 telephone poles had to be replaced. Power was not fully restored until the 31st. In Hamilton Township, two homes suffered roof damage and four large farm buildings and one garage were destroyed. In Stroud Township, one home lost its roof, two others had trees on their roofs and a section of a resort building lost its roof. This was the first reported tornado in Monroe County since July 1, 2001 and the first reported EF2 or F2 tornado in the county since October 5, 1979. The tornado touched down southwest of Kemmertown Road in Hamilton Township before causing substantial damage to the Blakeslee Farm near the intersection of Middle and Blakeslee Roads. On Kemmertown Road, a downed tree damaged a porch at an assisted living facility. At the Blakeslee Farm, the tornado destroyed three barns and a garage shed and took the roof and attic off of the home. A 46-year-old man suffered facial and rib injuries and a 66-year-old man suffered a head injury as the garage shed collapsed. In addition to the property damage, the tornado damaged the corn, hay, wheat and oat crops on the farm. Thirty percent of the trees on the property were destroyed . The tornado then lifted, causing only relatively minor damage as it followed Middle Road into Stroud Township. However, more substantial damage again occurred from Larsens Lane northeast to Fox Run Road and Essig Lane. More damage occurred as the tornado crossed Stroudsmoor Road, where numerous trees were felled, and roof damage occurred to the Stroudsmoor Country Inn. A downed tree also damaged a home on Stroudsmoor Road. Another downed tree damaged a home on Pennsylvania State Route 191. The tornado lifted just before it moved over the intersections of Routes 191 and 611 (Foxtwon Hill Road) just south of Stroudsburg. The tornado was on the ground for about 4.6 miles and its maximum width was about 100 yards. Damage was estimated at 1 million dollars. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front retreating to the north and a cold front approaching from the west produced strong to severe thunderstorms across eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon of the 29th. One EF-2 tornado also occurred. | |||||||||||
| 16.6 | 1981-07-20 | 2 | 40°51'N / 75°09'W | 40°55'N / 75°07'W | 4.10 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Northampton |
| 19.2 | 1976-03-21 | 3 | 40°59'N / 75°11'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Monroe | |
| 19.3 | 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 |
| 21.5 | 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 |
| 21.5 | 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 |
| 23.1 | 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 |
| 23.6 | 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 |
| 26.6 | 1972-09-13 | 2 | 41°09'N / 75°24'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 27.1 | 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 |
| 27.4 | 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 |
| 28.4 | 1981-10-26 | 2 | 40°52'N / 74°53'W | 0.80 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Warren | |
| 28.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 28.9 | 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 |
| 30.3 | 1974-04-14 | 2 | 40°49'N / 74°50'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hunterdon | |
| 30.6 | 1973-02-02 | 2 | 40°36'N / 74°52'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Hunterdon | |
| 31.9 | 1992-07-15 | 2 | 40°53'N / 76°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Schuylkill | |
| 32.3 | 1968-09-10 | 2 | 40°58'N / 75°58'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Luzerne | |||
| 35.2 | 1979-09-05 | 2 | 40°21'N / 75°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Berks | |
| 35.6 | 1956-08-13 | 2 | 40°15'N / 75°18'W | 40°16'N / 75°15'W | 1.30 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Montgomery |
| 35.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 36.7 | 1973-05-28 | 3 | 40°51'N / 74°43'W | 0.40 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Morris | |
| 36.8 | 1981-07-20 | 2 | 40°55'N / 74°45'W | 40°52'N / 74°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Morris |
| 38.9 | 1990-10-18 | 3 | 40°29'N / 74°46'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Somerset | |
| 39.0 | 1961-06-08 | 2 | 40°12'N / 75°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Montgomery | |
| 39.1 | 1979-10-05 | 2 | 40°21'N / 75°55'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Berks | |
| 39.9 | 1960-06-24 | 2 | 40°12'N / 75°15'W | 0.80 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Montgomery | |
| 40.5 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 40°19'N / 74°57'W | 40°18'N / 74°54'W | 1.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bucks |
| 41.2 | 1998-05-31 | 3 | 41°18'N / 75°06'W | 41°14'N / 74°52'W | 20.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.0M | 0 | Pike |
| Brief Description: The cell that produced tornadic damage earlier both in southern Wayne county and just upstream in Promised Land State Park dropped a tornado once again across the southern and southeastern portions of Pike county. A nearly continuous 20 mile path was uncovered via aerial storm surveys from Pecks Pond east-southeastward to near route 739 in Delaware township. The average width of the damage path was about 200 yards. The twister descended once again in the Pecks Pond area around 8:20 pm EDT. At that point, the intensity was rated as F2 as the tornado cut down nearly every tree in its path on its way towards Blue Heron Lake. At approximately 8:30 pm, the tornado struck the small vacation community surrounding Blue Heron Lake. A summer home was leveled by the force of the twister. The only things left standing were an interior wall and a few sturdy metal cabinets on the floor in the kitchen. An adjacent mobile home was severely damaged as well. Two campers near this area had minor injuries from falling tree limbs. Otherwise, though, injuries were kept to a minimum as homes were mostly vacant. In addition, an estimated thousands of trees were sheared off or toppled bordering Blue Heron Lake both to the west and east. The twister's intensity increased at this point to F3. Further downstream, the tornado continued to cut a consistent path of twisted off and/or uprooted trees across the Little Mud Pond, Silver Lake, and Deer Leap Factory areas. The tornado appeared to skip across hilltop sections along this route with its intensity mainly in the F1 range. Finally, just before 8:45 pm EDT, the tornado ascended once again in Delaware township as little in the way of damage was evident between route 739 and the Delaware River. In all, emergency management and federal officials estimated that in excess of 1 million dollars damage was incurred along this approximately 20 mile path. Many roads were closed as they became impassable due to fallen trees and wires. Portions of routes 402 and 390 were closed for several days. In addition, sections of Promised Land State Park were closed off to the public for about two weeks until all debris was cleared away and power was restored. An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front across northeastern Pennsylvania. Behind this front, a southerly flow of warm, moist, and unstable air quickly developed. This set the stage for the development of severe weather later that afternoon as a cold front and strong upper air disturbance approached. From late in the afternoon until late that evening, northeastern Pennsylvania was under siege from severe thunderstorms, including several tornadic supercells. In all, nine separate tornadoes touched down on this day. Overall damage estimates run into the millions with many homes and structures heavily damaged or destroyed. The most devastating storms occurred in Pike county. Within about a 3 hour stretch from 7 to 10 pm EDT, four different twisters affected the county. One tornadic cell was responsible for knocking down thousands of healthy large trees in and around Promised Land State Park with several vacation homes damaged or leveled. Fortunately, injuries were kept at a minimum. Widespread straight line wind damage also occurred with hailstones the size of ping pong balls falling in some places. The north side of Scranton had extensive wind damage as a storm passed through shortly before 10 pm EDT and sections of Wayne and Luzerne counties had roads closed and/or blocked from falling trees for more than 2 days after the storm. Pennsylvania Power and Light Company estimated that hundreds of thousands of customers were without power at the height of the storms on the evening of the 31st. Some of the more remote locations did not have power restored for the better part of a week. | |||||||||||
| 41.4 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 41°20'N / 75°12'W | 41°21'N / 75°11'W | 2.00 Miles | 550 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Pike |
| Brief Description: The tornadic supercell that affected southern Wayne county a bit earlier in the evening continued eastward into Pike county. A tornado touched down briefly in Promised Land and then plowed through portions of Promised Land State Park before temporarily lifting into the cloud base. The twister cut approximately a 2 mile by 500 yard path through heavily forested areas of the park. Camp sites were littered with trees as the tornado cut down hundreds of them. Some of the trees were very sizeable and they were still chopped down or twisted off quite easily as evidenced by ground and aerial post storm surveys. A few homes near the path of the twister sustained minor to moderate damage from falling trees. Fortunately, camp grounds and vacation homes were largely unoccupied when the tornado struck. The tornado appeared to be near ground level for only a few minutes as the damage path became discontinuous again just east of the park. An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front across northeastern Pennsylvania. Behind this front, a southerly flow of warm, moist, and unstable air quickly developed. This set the stage for the development of severe weather later that afternoon as a cold front and strong upper air disturbance approached. From late in the afternoon until late that evening, northeastern Pennsylvania was under siege from severe thunderstorms, including several tornadic supercells. In all, nine separate tornadoes touched down on this day. Overall damage estimates run into the millions with many homes and structures heavily damaged or destroyed. The most devastating storms occurred in Pike county. Within about a 3 hour stretch from 7 to 10 pm EDT, four different twisters affected the county. One tornadic cell was responsible for knocking down thousands of healthy large trees in and around Promised Land State Park with several vacation homes damaged or leveled. Fortunately, injuries were kept at a minimum. Widespread straight line wind damage also occurred with hailstones the size of ping pong balls falling in some places. The north side of Scranton had extensive wind damage as a storm passed through shortly before 10 pm EDT and sections of Wayne and Luzerne counties had roads closed and/or blocked from falling trees for more than 2 days after the storm. Pennsylvania Power and Light Company estimated that hundreds of thousands of customers were without power at the height of the storms on the evening of the 31st. Some of the more remote locations did not have power restored for the better part of a week. | |||||||||||
| 41.8 | 1973-06-29 | 2 | 40°14'N / 75°02'W | 40°15'N / 74°59'W | 1.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bucks |
| 42.8 | 1960-07-04 | 2 | 41°20'N / 75°44'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Luzerne | |||
| 43.0 | 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 |
| 43.7 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 41°22'N / 75°10'W | 41°22'N / 75°08'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 400K | 0 | Pike |
| Brief Description: A severe thunderstorm became tornadic just south of Interstate 84 and east of Tarey Hill in Blooming Grove township around 8:20 pm EDT. The tornado cut approximately a 3 mile by 200 yard path paralleling Interstate 84. The twister moved through heavily forested areas and mowed down hundreds of trees in its path. Again, many of the trees were quite sizeable and appeared to be toppled easily. The damage pattern was circular in spots as viewed by aerial surveys. Fortunately, little in the way of houses or populated regions were in the path of this particular tornado. The tornado's intensity seemed to fluctuate between F1 and F2. The tornado lifted back up just east of route 739 near Cranberry Ridge as little in the way of damage was seen downstream of this point. Several local roads were closed for up to 24 hours from fallen trees. An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front across northeastern Pennsylvania. Behind this front, a southerly flow of warm, moist, and unstable air quickly developed. This set the stage for the development of severe weather later that afternoon as a cold front and strong upper air disturbance approached. From late in the afternoon until late that evening, northeastern Pennsylvania was under siege from severe thunderstorms, including several tornadic supercells. In all, nine separate tornadoes touched down on this day. Overall damage estimates run into the millions with many homes and structures heavily damaged or destroyed. The most devastating storms occurred in Pike county. Within about a 3 hour stretch from 7 to 10 pm EDT, four different twisters affected the county. One tornadic cell was responsible for knocking down thousands of healthy large trees in and around Promised Land State Park with several vacation homes damaged or leveled. Fortunately, injuries were kept at a minimum. Widespread straight line wind damage also occurred with hailstones the size of ping pong balls falling in some places. The north side of Scranton had extensive wind damage as a storm passed through shortly before 10 pm EDT and sections of Wayne and Luzerne counties had roads closed and/or blocked from falling trees for more than 2 days after the storm. Pennsylvania Power and Light Company estimated that hundreds of thousands of customers were without power at the height of the storms on the evening of the 31st. Some of the more remote locations did not have power restored for the better part of a week. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1981-07-26 | 2 | 40°52'N / 76°15'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Schuylkill | |||
| 47.2 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 40°18'N / 74°54'W | 40°17'N / 74°37'W | 14.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Mercer |
| 47.6 | 1973-05-28 | 3 | 40°48'N / 74°30'W | 0.40 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Morris | |
| 49.0 | 1988-08-17 | 2 | 40°17'N / 74°47'W | 40°13'N / 74°45'W | 4.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mercer |
* 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.