Thunderstorm Wind, Lehigh
- When
- September 7, 12:00 PM EST to 12:15 PM EST
- Where
- Lehigh County, Alburtis to Allentown
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.520, -75.600
Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, September 7, 1998
A squall line of severe thunderstorms knocked over tree limbs and wires in Lehigh County. The wind damage intensified in the southeast part of the county as larger trees were knocked down.
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
- 1
- 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 squall line of severe thunderstorms knocked over tree limbs and wires in Lehigh County. The wind damage intensified in the southeast part of the county as larger trees were knocked down. A 71-year-old man was injured on 7th Street in Allentown as a large tree limb landed on him. Several vehicles within Allentown were damaged by fallen trees. Trees up to two feet in diameter were knocked over in Lower Macungie Township and closed a couple of roadways. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in Lehigh County, mainly in and around Allentown.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:01 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: 5673143.