A strong cold front plowed into a moist unstable environment across northeastern Pennsylvania late in the afternoon on the 29th. The result was several areas of organized severe thunderstorm activity in the form of squall lines and bow echoes.
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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 episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.
A strong cold front plowed into a moist unstable environment across northeastern Pennsylvania late in the afternoon on the 29th. The result was several areas of organized severe thunderstorm activity in the form of squall lines and bow echoes. Two long lived bow echo features affected northeastern Pennsylvania on this day. The first began earlier that afternoon across north central sections of the commonwealth. It moved into western Bradford county between 3:30 and 4:00 pm EDT. By the time it had moved across the Delaware River near Milford shortly before 6:00 pm EDT, widespread wind damage had been incurred across the northern tier counties. Another intense squall line ripped by farther to the south affecting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area and adjacent portions of the Poconos between roughly 4:45 pm and 6:15 pm EDT. Perhaps the hardest hit area was in Mountain Top in southern Luzerne county. Strong wind gusts estimated at near 90 mph tore roofs and aluminum siding off several houses. The severe thunderstorms had all moved into the Catskills of New York state or northern New Jersey by 6:30 pm EDT.
The Binghamton radar (KBGM), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:51 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Bradford County during the afternoon. Trees and wires were toppled in East Smithfield at 3:50 pm and in Towanda at 4:00 pm EDT.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Susquehanna County during the afternoon. Trees and wires were knocked down in Forest Lake at 4:10 pm, Rushville at 4:15 pm, and Susquehanna township at 4:25 pm EDT.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Wyoming County during the afternoon and knocked down trees and wires 2 miles northeast of Osterhout at 5:00 pm and in Evans Falls at 5:10 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees just south of Cherry Ridge at 5:10 pm EDT.
A severe thunderstorm moved through Lackawanna County during the afternoon and knocked down many large trees and wires on the north side of Scranton around 5:15 pm EDT.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Luzerne County knocking down trees and wires countywide between 5:45 and 6:05 pm EDT. Trees and wires were downed in Dallas at 5:45 pm and inKingston at 5:55 pm EDT. Several roofs were also blown off with a few large trees uprooted in and near Mountain Top.
A severe thunderstorm moved across the central portion of the county during the afternoon and knocked down trees and wires in Matamoras at 5:52 pm EDT.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, May 1998
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: 5650404, 5650405, 5650410, 5650406, 5650407, 5650408, 5650409.