NWS confirms third tornado in Union County

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 5—LEWISBURG — The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed Wednesday afternoon a third tornado touched down in Union County, damaging Just Lite It fireworks shop along Route 15 and a section of the nearby Silver Moon Flea Market on Sunday.

An EF-1 tornado occurred at approximately 4:25 p.m. Sunday on the north side of Lewisburg and moved into Milton in Northumberland County. The tornado damaged the fireworks store, tipped an RV and caused damage to a flea market. It was on the ground for approximately eight minutes and tracked 2.39 miles, according to the NWS.

This confirms the third tornado in Union County on Sunday. The other two EF-1 tornadoes touched down near Hartleton and Mifflinburg.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) reported a total of 12 tornadoes between 1950 and today in Union County, meaning 25 percent of the tornadoes over the last 73 years occurred on Sunday.

"To my recollection, this is the most tornadic incident we've had in a day in Union County," said Union County EMA Director Michelle Dietrich, who has been in the department for 36 years and director for 15. "I don't ever remember hearing or reading about more than one in a day."

The EF-1 tornado had a peak windspeed of 100 mph and a maximum width of 150 yards, according to the NWS.

"They believe it started in the fields behind Silver Moon, picked up the fruit stands, took the roof off that, hit the fireworks store and went over the river," said Dietrich. "Insulation from Silver Moon was found at the Milton Area High School."

One team confirmed an EF-1 tornado near Hartleton was on the ground for eight minutes, covering more than a mile and a half with a max width of 150 yards. The preliminary survey said winds from that tornado hit 100 mph.

That tornado was on the ground from 3:48 to 3:56 p.m., NWS officials reported. It dissipated just north of Kaiser Run Road.

Three minutes later, NWS said another touched down near Mifflinburg, damaging trees and causing a garage collapse. That tornado was on the ground for 2.15 miles with maximum winds of 105 mph. There were no injuries from the tornado that had a maximum width of 50 yards.

Dietrich said about 10 properties were damaged in Union County.

"On Monday, we touched base with everyone who had damage," said Dietrich. "If someone else has damage that we didn't hear from, they can call the office at 570-523-3201."

Dietrich also addressed concerns that the countywide mass notification system was not working.

"When tornadoes (alerts) are issued, they are usually issued for a geographic location," she said. "If it's a northern part of the county, the southern part might not get the warning. It was working as it should. After this experience, people should take the warnings and adhere to them. Take them seriously."