Tornado and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 23, 1986

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 23, 1986
Start: 1986-09-23T12:45
End: 1986-09-23T14:06
Location: Pennsylvania

September 23, 1986 · NWS PHL · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $2.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: September 23, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Columbia County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.070, -76.230

Tornado, Armstrong

When: September 23, 2:06 PM EST
Where: Armstrong County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.970, -79.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Northampton

When: September 23, 1:55 PM CST
Where: Northampton County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 40.650, -75.430

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Pennsylvania, 1986 Warnings in Pennsylvania, September 1986

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10116970, 10116972, 10116971.