49
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$850K
Property damage
Lightning in Berks County, Pennsylvania: 49 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #42 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Berks County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Berks County is the 2000s, when 26 of the county's 49 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Berks County archive, lightning makes up 3.6% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #42 for this hazard and #3 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 98.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Berks County with 16 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1998 | BREEZY CORNER | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 1997 | HAMBURG | 0 | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2006 | READING | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2000 | SINKING SPG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 1998 | READING | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 1998 | ST LAWRENCE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | DAUBERVILLE | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 17, 2019 | STONY CREEK MILLS | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2019 | OLEY | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2019 | SINKING SPG | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2017 | JACKSONWALD | 0 | $10 |
| Aug 23, 2017 | SHOEMAKERSVILLE | 0 | $10 |
| Sep 12, 2013 | (RDG)SPAATZ FLD READ | 0 | $5K |
| Sep 22, 2010 | AMITYVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| May 3, 2010 | STONERSVILLE | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 9, 2009 | AMITYVILLE | 0 | $30K |
Other hazards here
More from Berks County
- Thunderstorm Wind 860
- Flash Flood 177
- Hail 141
- Flood 45
- Heavy Rain 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A lightning strike and the ensuing fire displaced a family of four from their Meadowcrest Lane home in Amity Township. Lightning struck the corner of the home and then traveled through an air duct. It took four fire companies fifteen minutes to extingusih the blaze, but the house suffered smoke and water damage. The damage was estimated at $30,000.
Lightning struck the peak of a three story house on East Main Street in Kutztown. The ensuing fire caused the ceiling to collapse in one apartment before the fire was extinguished. Damage was estimated at $10,000. About 1,500 homes and businesses lost power throughout the county due to the combination of damaging winds and lightning strikes.
A lightning strike started a house fire in Exeter Township. Lightning struck the roof and the fire began in the upper portion of the house. About seventy-five fire fighters from a half dozen companies helped battle the blaze and contained it in the upper portion of the house. The family and pets escaped unharmed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Berks County, Pennsylvania?
49 lightning events are recorded in Berks County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Berks County?
The strongest lightning on record in Berks County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Berks County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Lightning in Berks County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/berks-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.