Pennsylvania, 1998

Lightning Strikes in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998

May 31, 1998 · NWS PHI · 2 events in 1 county or zone

m. m.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
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.

A thunderstorm with frequent lightning caused damage across parts of lower Montgomery County between 1030 p.m. and 11 p.m. EDT. In West Norriton, lightning struck a tree and it landed onto a garage. In East Norriton, a lightning bolt blasted the Timberlake Apartments. Thirteen apartments were damaged as the lightning travelled through the wires of the apartment's air conditioning units. The jolt pushed some of the air conditioning units into the apartments setting carpeting and/or walls on fire. In Whitpain Township, 200 elderly persons were evacuated from the Normandy Farms Estate Retirement Community after lightning struck the roof of an elevator silo between two wings of the building. The ensuing fire was confined to the roof area of the silo. No injuries were reported and damage estimates were not available.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Montgomery

When
May 31, 9:30 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Port Indian
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.211, -75.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Montgomery

When
May 31, 9:50 PM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Center Square Greens
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.211, -75.367 (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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, May 1998

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: 5660397, 5660329.