Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 18, 1997

Name: Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 18, 1997
Start: 1997-07-18T16:35
End: 1997-07-18T17:00
Location: Pennsylvania

July 18, 1997 · NWS BGM · 2 events in 1 county or zone

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $125,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

The radar

The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Luzerne

When: July 18, 4:35 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Luzerne County, East Berwick to Hazleton
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $125,000
Coordinates: 41.080, -76.220

A severe thunderstorm crossed into southern sections of the county. Numerous treees and wires were downed along the storm's path. In the towns of East Berwick and Conyngham, many trees and wires were felled. As the storm moved into Hazleton, more trees and wires were knocked down and a few signs were blown off the front of buildings. A wind gust of 64 mph was recorded at the Hazleton municipal airport.

Lightning, Luzerne

When: July 18, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Luzerne County, 3 mi W of Hazleton
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Vivid lightning associated with a severe thunderstorm in the vicinity struck a utility pole near the side of a roadway. A man standing nearby was electrocuted fatally as he came in contact with falling wires.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Lightning, Luzerne	1997-07-18	35	Male	Heavy Equipment/Construction	Direct

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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, July 1997

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: 5617637, 5617638.