Thunderstorm Wind, Berks
- When
- September 7, 11:45 AM EST to 11:55 AM EST
- Where
- Berks County, Central Portion
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 40.400, -76.000
Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
A severe thunderstorm caused considerable wind damage in central Berks County hitting Reading, Muhlenberg Township and Laureldale the hardest. Almost a dozen homes were damaged by fallen trees and dozens of roads were closed.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
- 1
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 caused considerable wind damage in central Berks County hitting Reading, Muhlenberg Township and Laureldale the hardest. Almost a dozen homes were damaged by fallen trees and dozens of roads were closed. Two people were trapped, but apparently unharmed when a tree fell on their vehicle. In Reading alone portions of six roofs were blown off. In Spring Township, the thunderstorm winds blew down walls to the Pennsylvania National Bank that were under construction. Numerous limbs and wires were also knocked down in Wyomissing and West Reading. About 34,100 homes and businesses throughout the county lost power. About 12,000 customers still did not have power restored the morning of the 8th. The peak wind gust at the Reading Regional Airport reached 69 mph.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:46 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tropical Storm in Texas, September 7 to 12, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in New York, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, September 7, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, September 7 to 26, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in Pennsylvania, September 7 to 27, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, September 7, 1998
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, September 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: 5673138.