Thunderstorm Wind, Westmoreland
- When
- April 23, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Westmoreland County, Lawson Hgts
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 40.300, -79.380
Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, April 23, 1996
Severe thunderstorm winds, gusting to 60 mph, downed trees near Lawson Heights. Damage also occurred to a nearby Drive-In Theater.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS PBZ wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorm winds, gusting to 60 mph, downed trees near Lawson Heights. Damage also occurred to a nearby Drive-In Theater. The roofs of the projection room and concession stand were torn away.
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:19 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Kentucky, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in West Virginia, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, April 23, 1996
- High Wind in Maryland, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 23, 1996
- Flash Flood in Washington, April 23, 1996
- Damaging Wind in West Virginia, April 23, 1996
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, April 1996
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: 5544945.