Lightning, Philadelphia
- When
- April 16, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.008, -75.134 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, April 16, 1999
A lightning strike ignited a fire in the steeple of St. m.
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
- 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 lightning strike ignited a fire in the steeple of St. Boniface Church in North Philadelphia around 415 p.m. EDT. It began at the top of the spire just below a large cross. It burned downward feeding on dry beams that crisscross inside the steeple and greater than one-hundred-thirty-year old roof decking. It took firefighters two hours to get the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Avalanche in Alaska, April 16, 1999
- Cold in Colorado, April 16, 1999
- Wildfire in Florida, April 16, 1999
- Strong Wind in West Virginia, April 16, 1999
- High Wind in Ohio, April 16, 1999
- High Wind in West Virginia, April 16, 1999
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, April 16, 1999
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, April 16, 1999
- Strong Wind in Ohio, April 16, 1999
- Strong Wind in Kentucky, April 16, 1999
- High Wind in Alaska, April 16, 1999
- Flood in Iowa, April 16, 1999
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, April 1999
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: 5690928.