Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania · 2026
EF1 tornado, Perry County, Pennsylvania, July 5, 2026
This EF1 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Perry County on July 5, 2026, touching down at 7:14 PM EDT and reaching 300 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS CTP's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Lamb's Gap Tornado. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- EF1, preliminary
- Date
- July 5, 2026
- Touchdown
- 7:14 PM EDT (23:14 UTC)
- Lifted
- 7:17 PM EDT (23:17 UTC)
- On the ground
- 3 minutes
- Path length
- 0.6 miles (0.9 km)
- Path width
- 300 yards (274 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Perry County
- Touchdown point
- 40.321, -77.001
- Lift-off point
- 40.314, -77.006
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 100 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS CTP
- The office's name for it
- Lamb's Gap Tornado
- Survey last edited
- July 8, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
The tornado path started just north of Evergreen Dr, and traveled SSW breaking off numerous trees. The most concentrated damage was along Lamb's Gap Rd near the edge of the State Game Lands. The damage seemed to end less than 50 yards to the SW of Lamb's Gap Rd. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 4 minutes. Maximum wind speed was 100 MPH.
Written by NWS CTP in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
5 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS CTP, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 105 mph.
- Homeowner verified general time of damage. Had a second tree fall in same direction in back of his property.
- Evergreen Dr, back of house, verified by homeowner
- Other trees in picture fallen different directions.
- Several trees fallen to the southeast on west side of road.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
30 minutes of warning. NWS CTP issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:44 UTC, 30 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:15 UTC.
The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 22:45 UTC and running to 02:14 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 UTC | 11:00 UTC | Flood Watch | CTP |
| 22:15 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 22:21 UTC | 22:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | CTP |
| 22:22 UTC | 01:30 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | CTP |
| 22:44 UTC | 23:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | CTP |
| 22:45 UTC | 02:14 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | CTP |
| 22:53 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 22:59 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
| 23:13 UTC | 23:35 UTC | Tornado Warning | CTP |
| 23:27 UTC | 00:01 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 19:57 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), 12:00Z
11.2 hours before the tornado, 156 km from the path. July 5, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 61 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -350 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 347 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1346 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 15 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 61 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 86 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.3 K/km
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), 00:00Z
0.8 hours after it, 156 km from the path. July 6, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2754 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 3043 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1313 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 6 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 25 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 45 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.9
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.8 K/km
The surface observations
Harrisburg/Capital (CXY), 17 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:56 UTC | 87.8 | 69.8 | 120° 8 kt | 1011.9 | ||
| 22:15 UTC | 120° 8 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:20 UTC | 120° 9 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:25 UTC | 110° 7 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:30 UTC | 110° 6 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:35 UTC | 110° 7 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:40 UTC | 110° 8 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:45 UTC | 110° 7 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:50 UTC | 100° 7 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 22:55 UTC | 100° 7 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 22:56 UTC | 87 | 70 | 100° 7 kt | 1011.5 | VCTS | |
| 23:00 UTC | 90° 7 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 23:05 UTC | 80° 8 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 23:10 UTC | 80° 6 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 23:15 UTC | 100° 8 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 23:20 UTC | 90° 8 kt | 1011.5 | ||||
| 23:23 UTC | 86 | 71 | 90° 9 kt | 1011.5 | TS | |
| 23:25 UTC | 1011.5 | |||||
| 23:30 UTC | 9 kt | 1011.9 | ||||
| 23:35 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1012.2 | ||||
| 23:40 UTC | 1012.5 | -RA | ||||
| 23:45 UTC | 33 | 1012.5 | -RA | |||
| 23:50 UTC | 40 | 1013.2 | +RA BR | |||
| 23:51 UTC | 73.4 | 71.6 | 320° 25 kt | 41 | 1013.5 | +TSRA BR |
| 23:55 UTC | 24 | 1013.9 | +RA BR | |||
| 23:56 UTC | 73.4 | 71.6 | 320° 24 kt | 41 | 1013.5 | +TSRA BR |
| 00:00 UTC | 16 kt | 21 | 1014.2 | +RA FG | ||
| 00:03 UTC | 72 | 71 | 360° 14 kt | 26 | 1014.6 | +TSRA FG |
| 00:05 UTC | 1014.6 | +RA FG | ||||
| 00:10 UTC | 320° 6 kt | 1015.2 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:15 UTC | 72 | 71 | 170° 7 kt | 1015.2 | +TSRA BR | |
| 00:15 UTC | 170° 7 kt | 1015.2 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:20 UTC | 80° 7 kt | 1014.6 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:21 UTC | 72 | 70 | 80° 7 kt | 1014.6 | +TSRA BR | |
| 00:25 UTC | 80° 9 kt | 1014.2 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:29 UTC | 72 | 71 | 70° 13 kt | 17 | 1013.9 | +TSRA BR |
| 00:30 UTC | 60° 13 kt | 1013.9 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:35 UTC | 80° 7 kt | 1013.5 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:39 UTC | 73 | 72 | 5 kt | 1013.5 | -TSRA BR | |
| 00:40 UTC | 40° 5 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |||
| 00:45 UTC | 20° 5 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |||
| 00:46 UTC | 73 | 71 | 3 kt | 1013.5 | VCTS -RA | |
| 00:50 UTC | 0° 0 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |||
| 00:55 UTC | 180° 6 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |||
| 00:56 UTC | 73.4 | 71.6 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.5 | VCTS -RA | |
| 01:00 UTC | 140° 5 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |||
| 01:05 UTC | 130° 4 kt | 1013.2 | -RA | |||
| 01:10 UTC | 110° 3 kt | 1013.2 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The State College radar (KCCX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:12 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:41 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Mifflintown | Juniata, PA | Construction equipment blown onto Route 322 blocking traffic. |
| 21:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nw Mifflin | Juniata, PA | Trees down across School House Road. |
| 22:24 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ne Landisburg | Perry, PA | Trees down on wires along Milltown Road. |
| 22:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Se Shermansdale | Perry, PA | Numerous trees down on wires around Shermansdale. |
| 23:07 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 2 Ene Port Royal | Juniata, PA | Water flowing across a stretch of old Route 22 in Walker Township. |
| 23:14 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Wsw Marysville | Perry, PA | EF1 tornado occurred in Lambs Gap near Marysville, PA. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Carlisle | Cumberland, PA | Numerous reports of trees and wires down around south Carlisle. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Dauphin | Dauphin, PA | Numerous trees down along Hazel Avenue. |
| 00:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nne Highspire | Dauphin, PA | Trees down on Route 283. |
| 00:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Maytown | Lancaster, PA | Trees and wires down across River Road. |
| 00:31 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Lemoyne | Cumberland, PA | Reports of occupied vehicles in flood waters along Hummel Avenue / Gettysburg Road between South 10th Street and Carlisle Road. |
| 00:39 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Hummelstown | Dauphin, PA | Numerous cars underwater in Hummelstown near Swatara Creek. Many reports of 3.5-4.0 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Water rescues in progress. |
| 00:40 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Hummelstown | Dauphin, PA | Flooded underpass beneath a railroad crossing in Hummelstown. |
| 00:47 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Wnw Hershey | Dauphin, PA | Water rescues underway on Hersheypark Drive near the Giant Center. |
| 00:52 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 E York | York, PA | Water rescue on East Princess Street at Sherman Street in the city of York. |
| 01:43 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Se Hummelstown | Dauphin, PA | Route 322 was closed between the Middletown Road exit and Hersheypark Drive due to flooding. |
| 01:45 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 2 Ene Loganville | York, PA | Car trapped by water along Iron Stone Hill Road. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in PennsylvaniaEvery tornado in Pennsylvania since 1950Warnings in force in Pennsylvania nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of July 5, 2026
1 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 5 | 2:03 PM EDT | EF1 | Mahoning, OH | 0.6 | 300 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.