July 14th, 2004 Lebanon County Tornado and Severe Weather

Overview

A strong F3-tornado ripped through the County Squire Estates sub-division in southern Lebanon County during the early afternoon of July 14, 2004. Over 100 homes completely destroyed, or severely damaged. Multiple injuries (one critical), but no deaths. The meteorological conditions were favorable for severe thunderstorms. However, they were not excessive as we have seen in larger (widespread) tornado outbreaks like May 31, 1985, May 31, 1998, and Jun 2, 1998


Infrared Satellite Image around Noon Local	Surface Observations and Fronts around 2 pm	Storm Reports for the day

Tornado
Radar

Tornadoes:

Tornado - CAMPBELLTOWN
LEBANON COUNTY

Date	July 14, 2004
Time (Local)	3:05 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF3
Est. Peak Winds	170-200 MPH
Path Length	--
Max Width	--
Injuries/Deaths	24 INJURIES
Summary: PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 345 PM EDT THU JUL 15 2004 ...STRONG F3 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN LEBANON COUNTY... A SURVEY TEAM SENT BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE CONFIRMED TODAY THAT THUNDERSTORMS SPAWNED A STRONG F3 TORNADO DURING THE AFTERNOON OF WEDNESDAY JULY 14 IN SOUTHERN LEBANON COUNTY. THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN AT 3:05 PM EDT...ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF THE TOWN OF CAMPBELLTOWN IN FAR WESTERN LEBANON COUNTY. THE TORNADO TRAVELED EAST...AND STRUCK A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ABOUT ONE QUARTER MILE SOUTH OF ROUTE 322. A TOTAL OF 32 HOMES WERE DESTROYED...WITH ANOTHER 37 HOMES SUSTAINING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. AN ADDITIONAL 50 HOMES IN THE AREA WERE DAMAGED BY DOWNBURST WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORM THAT SPAWNED THE TORNADO. NINE OR MORE FARM BUILDINGS WERE ALSO DAMAGED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ALONG A PATH TO THE EAST FOR SEVEN AND ONE HALF MILES. THE TORNADO CROSSED ROUTE 322 WEST OF MOUNT PLEASANT...AND CONTINUED EAST...MAINLY ACROSS FIELDS...UNTIL IT LIFTED UP ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF CORNWALL AT 3:15 PM EDT. THE WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS ONE QUARTER MILE. ALTHOUGH THE TORNADIC DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE PATH DESCRIBED...ADDITIONAL DAMAGE OCCURRED OUTSIDE THIS PATH...AGAIN ASSOCIATED WITH DOWNBURST WINDS FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED BETWEEN 175 AND 200 MPH...MAKING THIS A STRONG CATEGORY 3 TORNADO ON THE FUJITA SCALE. FOR REFERENCE: F0 - 40 TO 72 MPH WINDS F1 - 73 TO 112 MPH WINDS F2 - 113 TO 157 MPH WINDS F3 - 158 TO 206 MPH WINDS F4 - 207 TO 260 MPH WINDS F5 - 261 TO 318 MPH WINDS THE TORNADO INJURED 24 PERSONS...ONE CRITICALLY. NO DEATHS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM. THE AMERICAN RED CROSS OPENED A MASS CARE CENTER...WHERE OVER 50 PEOPLE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE WITH SHELTERING. BETWEEN 25,000 AND 30,000 CUSTOMERS LOST POWER IN LEBANON AND BERKS COUNTIES AS A RESULT OF THE STORMS.