Thunderstorm Wind, Berks
- When
- July 9, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Berks County, Kempton to Leesport
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.630, -75.850
Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 9, 1997
Severe thunderstorms took down power lines and large limbs in north central Berks County. The same thunderstorm complex produced frequent lightning.
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
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
Severe thunderstorms took down power lines and large limbs in north central Berks County. The same thunderstorm complex produced frequent lightning. Five Civil Air Patrol cadets were injured after being struck by lightning in the Weiser State Forest near the Port Clinton Fire Tower in Windsor Township. The cadets were trying to erect a tarp for shelter during the thunderstorm. A 13-year-old cadet was standing under a tree as lightning struck it. The lightning bounced off the tree, struck and gave him serious burns. Four cadets came to his rescue and were struck by a second strike; a 12-year-old was also seriously burned. Two other cadets suffered injuries during the rescue effort. Elsewhere in northern Berks County, downed limbs and power lines were reported in Centerport, Dauberville, Kempton and Leesport and Windsor Township. About 2200 of the 5500 Berks County customers to lose power were around the Hamburg area.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:21 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Berks
- When
- July 9, 3:20 PM EST
- Where
- Berks County, 3 mi N of Hamburg
- Injuries
- 5 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, July 9, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in New York, July 9, 1997
- Hail in Nebraska, July 9, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Hampshire, July 9, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in Kansas, July 9, 1997
- Damaging Winds in New York, July 9, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, July 9, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, July 9 to 10, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 9, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Maine, July 9, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 9, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 9, 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: 5614345, 5614346.