Thunderstorm Wind, Chester
- When
- July 9, 5:39 PM EST
- Where
- Chester County, Oxford to Spring City
- Coordinates
- 39.780, -75.980
Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 9, 1997
Severe thunderstorms uprooted several trees in the northern and western parts of Chester County. A few large trees were knocked down in Charlestown Township.
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
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms uprooted several trees in the northern and western parts of Chester County. A few large trees were knocked down in Charlestown Township. Frequent lightning also accompanied the thunderstorms. Tow farmers were injured, one seriously, when they were struck by lightning in London Grove. They were hauling hay when the bolt struck the ground near them. Lightning struck a tree, knocked it down and blocked U.S. Route 30 in Sadsbury.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Chester
- When
- July 9, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Chester County, London Grove
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 39.973, -75.748 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Chester
- When
- July 9, 6:14 PM EST
- Where
- Chester County, Phoenixville to 5 mi of Phoenixville
- Coordinates
- 40.080, -75.580
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
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 9, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Maine, July 9, 1997
- Flash Flood 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: 5614351, 5614352, 5614353.