Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe
- When
- May 31, 9:12 PM EST to 9:27 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Tobyhanna to Stroudsburg
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.180, -75.430
Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
A severe thunderstorm uprooted numerous trees and downed power lines, mainly in the northern half of Monroe County. A 14-year-old East Stroudsburg boy died from an asthma attack during the thunderstorm.
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
- 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 severe thunderstorm uprooted numerous trees and downed power lines, mainly in the northern half of Monroe County. A 14-year-old East Stroudsburg boy died from an asthma attack during the thunderstorm. Downed trees on roadways hindered the paramedics during their rescue operations. Downed trees blocked Pennsylvania State Route 447 in three separate locations. In Coolbaugh Township, the fire department responded to over 20 calls of downed trees. In Barrett Township trees were uprooted in over a dozen places and they also blocked Pennsylvania State Route 390. Numerous trees were also uprooted in Monroe Lake and throughout Middle Smithfield Township. About 8,700 homes and businesses lost power in Monroe County. All were restored by the evening of the first. One school district had to cancel classes because of the power outages on the 1st. Around 119,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout Pennsylvania Power and Light's service area in the Pocono Region. Lightning also ignited a fire that destroyed a home in the Mountaintop Estates Development. The damage estimate was not available.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Monroe
- When
- May 31, 9:17 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, 2 mi NE of Long Pond
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.058, -75.339 (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 Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Vermont, May 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 31, 1998
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: 5660325, 5660326.