Lightning, Berks
- When
- July 21, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Berks County, 3 mi W of Bernville
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strikes in Pennsylvania, July 21 to 22, 1997
Lightning from thunderstorms caused two large fires that destroyed a wood frame home and a boarding home for pets. Both were in Jefferson Township.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $100,000
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
Lightning from thunderstorms caused two large fires that destroyed a wood frame home and a boarding home for pets. Both were in Jefferson Township. The fire that destroyed the boarding home for pets on Pennsylvania State Route 183 occurred around midnight on the 22nd. Twenty-six dogs and two cats were rescued. The second fire occurred about three hours later during the morning of the 22nd on Summerhill Road. No one was injured, but the house was destroyed.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:57 UTC.
Event by event
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Berks
- When
- July 22, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Berks County, 3 mi W of Bernville
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- 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
- Flash Flood and Hail in Oklahoma, July 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Montana, July 21, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 21, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, July 21 to 22, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Virginia, July 21, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, July 21, 1997
- Lightning Strike in North Carolina, July 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Mexico, July 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, July 21, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 21, 1997
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5614527, 5614528.