On Monday, March 16, a storm ripped through Pa, leaving much damage in its wake.
Many areas had trees uprooted and wind damage to roofs. Locally, in York county, we had a barn roof ripped off. The barn roof was ripped off on the 2100 block of Seven Valleys Road in North Codorus Township. Other damage in the area included several large trees being uprooted.
Spreading outward to Lancaster County, they reported damage to the area including a roof being torn off a brick house on South Custer Avenue; thankfully, no injuries occurred during this incident. Part of a neighboring barn was also ripped off in the storm. This was not the only structural damage, as Fivepointville Fire Company reported multiple farm buildings collapsed throughout the duration of the storm. Other damage that occurred was some downed wires and damaged electrical poles, which caused sporadic power outages. With a notable one being caused by a transformer getting struck by lightning causing the pole to catch fire. Another incident noted was that a giant pine tree fell down on the power lines as well as several cars parked on the street. Causing another powerful outage in the area.
Berks County got hit by extremely strong winds, causing several roads to close due to downed trees and wires. Roads that closed include Chestnut Hill Road, Morgantown Road, and Rock Hollow Road. Due to downed wires, there were a few power outages in the area that have since been resolved.
Lehigh Valley got hit pretty severely with major damage, roads closing and thousands affected by power outages. The storm tore several roofs off buildings and destroyed porches, sending debris into people’s yards. Cars were damaged by falling limbs, including a box truck that had an entire tree fall on top of it. The fallen tree also caused Fountain Street to be closed off. Multiple trees in the area were uprooted, many of which fell on power lines. Many fences and homes had visible damage and a trampoline even flipped over in someone’s yard.
Philadelphia got hit hard as well, with thousands losing power Monday evening.
Due to tornado warnings, many schools in the area had early dismissals, including Spring Grove Area School District, Chambersburg Area School District, Waynesboro Area School District, Greencastle-Antrim School District, Downingtown Area School District and Penns Manor Area School District.
